What will it take to relieve the strategy genre from the grip of mediocrity? Let's face it, strategy games have been plagued by a host of me-too titles, brain-dead AI, useless features for the sake of having features, and a degree of pretension on the order of calling yourself The Artist Formerly Known as Ginger Spice.
As seen in the January issue of Computer Gaming World
Thankfully, it seems as though the coming year will feature games less concerned with following trends than with setting them. Sure, every game and its sequel is hopping aboard the 3D bandwagon, but the good titles strive to get something out of 3D other than a nifty buzzword to paste on the box. Homeworld promises to redefine 3D strategy gaming by throwing in the Z axis along with good ol' X and Y, and Shadow Company makes use of hardware acceleration to create realistic environments that enhance its gritty, squad-based combat.
While real-time games still dominate the genre, this looks to be the year that turn-based games make a strong comeback. This isn't surprising; after too much real-time dreck (such as Dominion), who isn't ready for a game that offers deep gameplay, high replayability, and originality - turn-based or not? Nowhere is this welcome trend more evident than in the sprawling, world-building subgenre, with three Civ titles, Imperialism II, and Alpha Centauri all making bids to deprive you of valuable sleep.
So, master planners, start making your plans. What follows are the strategy games we're keeping our eyes on for the coming year.
