Best RTS Games

[Allen]

It's been a long time since I played an RTS. I used to love them, played Settlers, AoE II, C&C Red Alert 2, Warhammer 40,000 DoW and many others like it over and over years ago. However, since WoW has eaten up my gaming time for the past few years I don't know which new RTS games are any good.

I tried a demo of C&C 3 a while back and wasn't too impressed, I also tried Supreme Commander and couldn't get into it (probably coz of WoW).

So, what's the best RTS games out there at the moment? Any demo's you could link for me to check out?

Thanks in advance!

[Mithrandir]

I bought World in Conflict the other day (for cheap) and read it's a fantastic game. Not played it yet though, but HERE's a demo.

Also try Company of Heroes a great game- demo HERE

I know you mentioned you played the demo, but I have to say it's a really good game. I've just finished Kane's Wrath (expansion to C&C3 Tiberiun Wars) and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Also, try The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II AND Rise of Nations

Warcraft 3 is good and also Age of Empires 3

[mediaboy]

DoW is still thriving online (I have a friend who recently got to 4 star ranking on it... he plays it lots) but only if you've got soulstorm and patches. Dark Crusade isn't quite so popular, but y'know.. all's good.

There's also a few other ones at there. Supreme Commander might be alright.. but I've not got round to playing it yet, as I bought it and then instantly lent it to a friend on the condition that they lent me Quake 4. Erm... there's also one where you have to control part of a team, split up into armour, support, air and infantry which is quite good, even if it does have a fairly long learning curve.

If you like Warhammer, try Mark of Chaos, although it's rubbish for anything but campaign. It's the Fantasy version of DoW, only it's troops instead of actual strategy.

Total War is always good... Medieval Total War has a few demos here and there.. just make sure you look at the second one. The first one is awful. Rome Total War holds a special place on my shelf, if only because it is one of the few games I can beat the above 4-star DoW general at wthout having to resort to controlling two armies against his one

And yes.... we have enough computers/legit copies of games that we can do this sort of thing... I think the most we ever managed to control at once was 5 armies between 2 of us... and that was online, which made it all the more interesting. We lost that match though, even if only one of the people on the entire game wasn't us lol.

Apart from those I've listed, I don't play many others. I still completing other games tbth.

[Stephen C]

I quite enjoyed Star Wars Empire at War.
Does anyone know of a decent and realistic modern warfare RTS?

[b0redom]

World in conflict.

[tigerboyce]

Medieval II Total war is great fun

[Mithrandir]

Started playing World in Conflict and wow very good game.

[Allen]

I bought World in Conflict the other day (for cheap) and read it's a fantastic game. Not played it yet though, but HERE's a demo.

Also try Company of Heroes a great game- demo HERE

I know you mentioned you played the demo, but I have to say it's a really good game. I've just finished Kane's Wrath (expansion to C&C3 Tiberiun Wars) and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Also, try The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II AND Rise of Nations

Warcraft 3 is good and also Age of Empires 3

Forgot to say, I have CoH and W3, great games. Might give that demo of WiC a go! Thanks!

[TiG]

Sins of a solar empire beat all them hands down for me at the moment, and this comes from someone that has spent years playing AoE2, DoW etc etc...

TiG

[Mithrandir]

Sins of a solar empire beat all them hands down for me at the moment, and this comes from someone that has spent years playing AoE2, DoW etc etc...

TiG

This game looks good. Just found a demo and will give it a go.

[kalniel]

I'm supposedly not into RTS, but I was blown away with Supreme Commander - totally involving and one of the more intense RTS experiences I've had, especially online. I also found Dawn of War fun, along with Starcraft and the Homeworld games. Warcraft 3 is ok, but didn't hold my interest all that long.

I've tried demos of C&C3 (yawn), Sins of a solar empire (good, but I miss a single player campaign), Company of Heros (like Dawn of War mechanically, but WW2 setting which I find dull - others have said it's ace though).

[Guy]

Company of heroes although a few years old now is still excellent in terms of game play, and it takes a different stratergy to win, less building defences and digging in, more about the rushing

C+C3 for me was a disapointment just red alert with a skin over the top, Generals is still FAR better IMO, I have got high hopes for Red Alert 3 though, not played the beta yet, but it looks stunning.

[mediaboy]

Is it that gameplay that looks stunning or the actors in it that are stunning?

Afterall.. the clothing budget wasn't quite enough to cover up most of the female actors totally....

[kalniel]

C+C3 for me was a disapointment just red alert with a skin over the top,

Oh the irony of that statement

[patstew]

You can't get the true C&C experiance with a demo. The best part of them IMO is the cutscenes and ham acting, it's great. I barely consider Generals part of the series for that reason, it removed the only thing that makes C&C better than other rts's.
I'd also second the recommendation for medieval total war.

[wesinater]

If you liked 40K Dawn of war then you'll probably like Company of Heroes, its made by the same people but set in WW2.
If that doesn't take your fancy then Red Alert 3 is coming out in a couple of months, and should be good from what I've played of the beta.