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Top 5 Strategy Games You Have to Play

Top 5 Strategy Games You Have to Play

By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 11 September 2015 14:28 IST

Once the mainstay for many a gamer, the strategy genre has seen better days. Waning popularity brought on by multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) titles like Dota 2 and League of Legends has ensured that big, new strategy games are few and far between. We're finally starting to see a revival of the genre though, with games such as XCOM 2, Master of Orion, and StarCraft: Legacy of the Void expected to hit PCs soon. The strategy genre has never appeared stronger in recent memory. Here's a look at some of the best entries in the genre, which you can buy and play.

1. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
A fantastic musical score, an almost satirical script, backed up by hammy, campy acting and fairly balanced gameplay makes Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 one of the better strategy games to play despite being 15 years old. Check it out on EA's Origin platform as a part of Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection.

(Also see: Master of Orion Remake Is More of a Rebirth)

2. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is an interesting take in the genre. It did away with base building and resource management. Instead it gives you a squad of elite soldiers to control, with a fair share of role-playing and MOBA elements that most take for granted and some great characters. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II has aged well. Check it out on Steam.

3. XCOM Enemy Unknown
XCOM Enemy Unknown is an addictive mix of combat and base management that has you playing till the early hours of the morning. Combined with the fact that you forge your squad of heroes from ragtag novices to elite killing machines makes it all the more painful when you lose one of them in battle as they never come back. It's available on Steam.

4. Age of Empires
This series needs no introduction, what with its long legacy dating back to the mid-1990s. This game, and its popular sequel Age of Empires II: Age of Kings are two of the most popular examples of the genre, and with good reason. A historical setting, random maps, and resource preservation are key, making this one of the more grounded albeit fun strategy games around. You can check out the HD version of Age of Kings on Steam where you will also find the legacy bundle with the classic games.

5. Civilization IV
The studio behind the Civilization series built the game from ground up to have 3D visuals for the first time. The AI was and still is an improvement over its successors and has random events as well as a more immersive atmosphere. Well worth a download on Steam.

These are our five picks, but the genre has many other great entries, from Blizzard's Starcraft and Warcraft series, to games like Rise of Rome, and others too. Which are your favourites? Tell us via the comments.

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Further reading: Age of Empires, Civilisation IV, Command and Conquer Red Alert 2, PC Games, RTS, Turn based games, XCOM Enemy Unknown, strategy games, Dawn of War II, Warhammer 40K

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