5 – News Tower
I never got around to reviewing News Tower, even though it’s my favourite strategy-tycoon game to be released in over a decade. Sporting an impressive 97% positive rating on Steam, it’s a game that does justice to the way a newsroom works, how journalists are assigned jobs, how you, as a manager, can optimise the whole building, manage supporting staff, buy raw materials for your printer, while also figuring out how to build cohesive and eye-catching newspaper pages. It’s a labour of love, and one I recommend wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a good management game. It also avoids the pitfalls of modern-day journalism, as it doesn’t try to preach to you, and it’s fortunately set in a period where managing a publication meant having a lot more to do other than managing a bunch of poorly educated blue-haired journalists with an agenda of pushing their weird ideologies online for brownie points on Twitter.
4 – Classified France ’44
Some might look at Classified France ’44 and at this placing in this list and consider it to be rather generous. I said the same thing when I gave it an excellent score in my review. Having played it again recently only confirmed that my first impressions of it and my review were on point. Dwelve deeper into Classified France ’44 and you’ll find plenty to be pleasantly surprised by: the unique setting of commandeering a World War 2 underground network of resistance fighters and special forces operatives trying to thwart the German defences before D-Day, the experience put together turn-based tactical fundamentals, the carefully curated missions, the in-depth squad management, and the impressive enemy variety make Classified France ’44 one of my favourite games of 2024.
3 – Field of Glory: Kingdoms
I believe that Field of Glory: Kingdoms is a great game in its own right, with excellent and well-thought-out mechanics that do their best to bring the reality of medieval warfare to life. Mix that up with an interesting kingdom management layer that tackles economy, and social unrest, and it still manages to dabble a bit here and there in the whole court/intrigue thing, and you have a game that distances itself from the competition in both meaningful and better ways. Most importantly, Field of Glory: Kingdoms has the “just one more turn” feeling to it that kept me glued to it for an entire week of vacations.
Hopefully, the development team will launch DLCs exploring the late and early medieval periods, and bring with them very specific period mechanics, for example: in the early medieval periods there could be a large focus on population management and the repopulation of certain areas of Europe. However, I think that Field of Glory: Kingdoms needs to thicken up a bit more on content, and campaign types, as that is what’s going to provide players with a mix of interesting and engaging challenges.
In the end, all of this is to say: that if you enjoy medieval history and strategy games, I don’t think you can go wrong with getting Field of Glory: Kingdoms, and since you’re already at it, don’t forget to pick up Field of Glory 2: Medieval, a complimentary game that’s well worth buying on its merits alone.
2 – Sins of a Solar Empire 2
As a game, Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is a clear 10 in almost every aspect. The game’s so well done and it pays a perfect homage to Rebellions while improving on almost every aspect. It’s hard to find flaws in it, and I’ve tried and nitpicked what I could. Aside from some questionable design decisions in the UI department, and the lack of any new factions, I believe Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is well worth your time and money investments if you’re looking for a space RTS with a good combat system, a competent 4X layer, and a lot of content. However, there’s a glaring issue that I can’t overlook at the moment, and that’s the lack of a campaign, I know that the game isn’t being sold with it (alas, it’s still in development), and as a single-player exclusive gamer I can see how the lack of a proper story and custom made missions can be a tough selling point, and I have no doubt a lot of players will wait for it to come out before buying it.
1 – Manor Lords
I don’t think anybody is surprised to see Manor Lords in the first place on this list! At the heart of Manor Lords lies a captivating blend of city-building and real-time strategy. Manor Lords- is for the strategy genre– while Baldur’s Gate 3 is for role-playing games. What Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was for shooters, what Company of Heroes was for real-time strategy. It’s a game that sets new and high standards for the genre that everyone will be comparing future titles to. It’s not just a great video game, but the baseline to which every other Total War, Age of Empires, Cities: Skylines, Stronghold etc. will be compared from now on. It is, however, not a finished game, and far from being feature-complete.
In conclusion, Manor Lords stands as a triumphant achievement in medieval gaming, offering a rich and immersive experience that is sure to captivate a lot of us for hours on end.
With its stunning visuals, deep city building and combat mechanics, as well as an unwavering commitment to historical authenticity, Manor Lords sets a new standard for the genre. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or a strategy aficionado, Manor Lords is a must-play title that deserves a place in every library.
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