Best Strategy Game

Strategy games have been spreading in popularity from the PC to the console and handhelds. Now strategy is much more than just real-time strategy; there's a diverse selection of games to choose from, no matter what platform you prefer. This year, however, you have to turn to the PC and handhelds to find some of the finest strategy games of the year.

Act of War: Direct Action
Developer: Eugen Systems
Platform: PC
ESRB: Teen
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Act of War has everything that you want in a military-themed real-time strategy game, from excellent visuals to even better gameplay.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Platform: DS
ESRB: Everyone
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Advance Wars: Dual Strike significantly broadens the scope of this very deep and incredibly fun strategy series while not messing with the fundamentals that made it so great.

Civilization IV
Developer: Firaxis Games
Platform: PC
ESRB: Everyone 10+
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If you have even a passing interest in strategy games, world history, or getting less sleep at night, you owe it to yourself to give Civilization IV a try.

Dragonshard
Developer: Liquid Entertainment
Platform: PC
ESRB: Teen
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Dragonshard is a cool combination of real-time strategy and role-playing gameplay that delivers something new and engaging to an otherwise stale genre.

Metal Gear Acid
Developer: Konami
Platform: PSP
ESRB: Mature
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Acid's satisfying turn-based strategy is a great fit for Metal Gear's trademark high presentation values and quirky narrative style.
And the winner is... Civilization IV
Platform: PC
ESRB: Everyone 10+
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What more can we say about Civilization IV at this point? This is easily one of the most addictive games of the year, thanks to its clever reworking of the tried-and-true Civilization formula. Sure, the basic idea is still the same as ever: Guide a Stone Age civilization to the Space Age and beyond. However, Firaxis took this opportunity to rewrite many of the game's underlying ideas, and the result is a new Civilization with lots of cool new features and very little of the annoying micromanagement fat of past installments. Civ IV is a game that appeals to anyone who's a fan of history, or just plain great gameplay, and that's why it's our strategy game of the year.