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Best Wargames of the 90s!


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Guest aka PanzerLeader

My choices are

Combat Mission,

Operational Art of War

East Front 2 & West Front

Panzer Campaigns: Smolensk and Normandy.

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Since I see some people throwing not-strictly-wargames-games-of-war into their list, let me add one of my own:

Myth: The Fallen Lords.

Yes, the original. IMHO, it is one of the most beautiful, deep, involving, addictive, and fun games I have ever played. The story line is top notch (with lots of secrets and easter eggs reffering to anything and everything from the Roman Legion to the Lord of the Rings), the action is intense, and surprisingly, the tactical element is very advanced despite lack of morale issues and such. Formations, terrain and even the weather play critical roles. The units themselves are a mix of realisitc, like the knight, barbarian, and archer to the fantasy-inspired demons and Ents straight from Tolkien's masterpiece. Plus the multiplayer, despite having only some 16 maps, is an absolute blast, with some real wits involved in winning.

Did I mention it's the only game that lets you command drunken midgets who throw Molotov Cocktails at anything that moves?

Yub, you guessed it, another rant. I just had to let it out smile.gif

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Shogun was great for a day or 2. Then the battles got repetative as hell. There are only something like 8??? maps that you fight on and a very limited number of unit types. I found myself quickly using the same tactic over and over till it got so boring I just let the pc AI do the battles to move the game along quicker. And as for the Strategic board game aspect... that is so shallow its a joke. Diplomacy is almost non-exsistant and the interface is a nightmare. Lasted about 1 week on my hdd before it got the boot.

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Hi all,

Mine would be:

The V for Victory Series

Harpoon (the original)

Carriers at War (OK, this is 80s..but it was an incredible game and even ran well on my old Commodore64--programers used to know how to make alot out of a little).

Probably more...but those three come to the forefront.

Cheers!

Elliott

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Elliott Miles McKinley

Composer, Producer

Listen Now at http://www.mp3.com/emckinley

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Kiwi,

Got that right. I crave for a wargame from the age (not necessarily based in Japan, however) with the an interface similar to CM and graphics to match.

Shoguns' were a bit too fuzzy for my tastes, but I guess thats what the computer can handle these days. Part of what ruined multiplayer Shogun for me, was despite the strategy involved, the victor was decided by two things:

1) You had to know exactly which unit would counter which other unit at what experience level.

2) The person who can scroll the mouse and click faster then the other, usually wins.

Both kind of detered me after I realised, even though I was actually quite good at the game. Me and my RTS roots, I guess wink.gif

The John Tiller games are great, but the way the turns are set up combined with the graphics dont get me as involved as CM does.

So for anyone planning to create a WEGO engine game in the 16th-19th centuries, remember:

If you build it, I will come. wink.gif

[This message has been edited by The Commissar (edited 01-06-2001).]

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<>Empire Deluxe

<>Close Combat

<>Total Annihilation (pure fun but hugo size editor that was porrly implemented didnt do it for me in the long run

<>also like Populous when it was playable on the pre-pentium computers

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Silver Fox:

Oops! Carriers at War is much earlier than the 90's.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No it's not. I didn't get my first 386-33 until Dec. '91 and Carriers at War came out after that. I remember I got that game. It was a pretty cool game, really.

Also the V for Vicotry series was great. My buddy and I played a hot-seat game of Veli Lukiye (sp?) that we talked about years later where he had his Russians surrounding the city *until* my SS reinforcements showed up and decimated entire stacks of Russian troops. I had a good laugh everytime we brought that up. biggrin.gif The Gold-Sword-Juno beach version was great also.

I also liked the World at War series also. The Operation Crusader game was pretty good.

The original Steel Panthers was a great game for its day. SPII was good too, but I lost interest in that series when Talonsoft's East Front came out. Better Isometric 3D rather than top-down 2D.

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"Live by the sword, live a good LOOONG life!"-Minsc, BGII

"Boo points, I punch."--Minsc, BGII

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My list:

Combat Mission: best wargame so far made

PITS/TOP2: previous holders of that title

Myth I and II: actually wargames like CC and SMG, definitely NOT RTS

Age of Rifles: one of my favorite eras

Steel Panthers I: lots of fun

Task Force 1942: they STILL haven't made a better naval wargame

Stars!: best space opera war yet, can't wait for the sequel

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-Bullethead

In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

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Bullethead,

I'm pleasantly shocked to see Task Force, 1942 on your list. Not just because it deserves a nod, but because long ago I worked as a freelance artist on that project. That was one of the last games to come out of MicroProse before Spectrum Holobyte took over--long before the Hasbro days.

It's been a while since I've heard anyone mention that game..sniff. Good to know it's still in somebody's heart.

Mudfrost

[This message has been edited by Mudfrost (edited 01-07-2001).]

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CM is by far the best wargame I've ever played.

But let's not forget 101st Airborne in Normandy--a great game, very much underappreciated, and there is a sequel (82nd Airborne in Normandy) coming out pretty soon. I for one can't wait.

What about the just-released Combat Command 2? Has anyone played it yet? I still haven't seen any reviews.

Martyr

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Guest AbnAirCav

FWIW, my favorites would be:

  1. Combat Mission
  2. TalonSoft's Battleground series (both Napoleonic & WBtS)
  3. TalonSoft's Campaign series (EF II, WF, RS)
  4. Steel Panthers: World at War

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1.) Combat Mission ( on my HD since 9/2000 and will stay there forever. CM brings me to web designing , working on mods etc. Remember:" One quick battle a day keeps the doctor away.. " )

2.) TALONSOFT BG Series ( haven´t touched these since CM came out )

3.) SSG " The Ardennes Offensive " ( it´s free ! )

and - more off topic - Counterstrike , Age of Empires , Sid´s Gettysburg and Civilisation.

Cheers

Thomas Klimisch

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Visit Toms Combat Mission HQ ( bilingual site ) at http://home.germany.net/101-77027/CM/TCMHQ.html

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Guest MantaRay

Wow, looking back there really are quite a few wargames that are worthy of being on a hard drive.

1. Panzer General- The first mass market wargame, and the reson I got a computer.

2. Steel Panthers 1,2- 1 made me respect the 88mm flak, and I loved the campaign system. 2 was so fun, especially a game that actually let you use air mobile troops. I always bought Apaches, Hellfires, and lots of dead Russkies.

3. East Front and West Front by Talonsoft- East Front was so beautiful for the time period, and designing scenarios was a blast.

4. Sid Meyers Gettysburg- No other CW game has even come close to being as fun (sorry Steve) and the immersion lvl was great. Too bad the game was so short.

5. PITS and TOPS- OMG these were HARD

6. D-Day by Impressions- Fun game, and battering the coast like with BB's kicked german butt. Very underrated and very few people I think have ever played it.

7. TOAW- Before CM, this was hands down the greatest wargame to ever come out...bar none.

8. Battle of Britian- Doesnt seem like many liked this game, but I still pull it out and screw around. Funny how some of the time, I am a bit lost still hehe.

9. Achtung Spitfire- I returned it, but I could tell how great it was, just not for me at the time.

10. Panzer Elite- Very good, and the mod community has made it even better, much like CM. Too bad Teut and company didnt have the money, would have been a classic.

11. Close Combat 3- Attachments to your troops can lead to nervous fits and constant yelling at the computer screen. This is the pre-alpha-alpha version of CM, almost.

And these choices are not in order. Lots of hours spent with these games, and if I could go back, I would do it again.

Ray

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When asked, "How many moves do you see ahead?", CAPABLANCA replied: "One move - the best one."

Click now for shelter from the Peng thread

The Red Army of the Rugged Defense Group Ladder

[This message has been edited by MantaRay (edited 01-07-2001).]

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Originally posted by Silver Fox:

Oops! Carriers at War is much earlier than the 90's.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No it's not. I didn't get my first 386-33 until Dec. '91

Actually you're both right. It came out in the early 80s for the Apple II. I can remember playing it. Then it came out in the early 90s for the pc. Played that one too.

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Old Crow, I thought I was the only one who was gonna put Secret Weapons Of The Luftwaffe on this list. smile.gif Man, what a game! Recently I was so nostalgic for it that I finally took everyone's advice and bought what is probably the last copy of EAW on the market. And I still haven't played it more than a few times. Why? See the reasons below which also happen to be my other two choices for best wargames of the 90's:

1)SWOTL

2)Close Combat 2--Aside from the screwed up AI, the 2nd one was by far the best, especially if you're just as interested in infantry battles as you are in the tanks duking it out. Real time play at it's best

3)Combat Mission--Never thought I'd get stuck on this as much as I have. Learned to appreciate turn-based games in their own light for what strengths they bring to the wargame genre and now I like it as much as my beloved CC2.

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Youth is wasted on the young.

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