2015 – Homeworld: Remastered Collection – 86
The classic real-time strategy from 1999 and its sequels were masterfully rebuilt for the Homeworld: Remastered Collection. Exclusively single-player, Homeworld has one of the most iconic campaigns that sees you leading the Hiigarans in search of their Homeworld. The most striking feature of Homeworld is its 3D battlespace: your units don’t move in a flat plane, like they do when fighting on the ground, allowing for completely new tactics and a gameplay experience that was unique at the time it came out. Homeworld: Remastered Collection is the definitive way to enjoy these classic titles and their expansions. If you’re a more conservative gamer, the Collection also comes with the original games, so you can play them like you did, back in the late 90s.
Add to all of this that the game’s usually on sale for less than a coffee, and it’s one of the best experiences you can indulge yourself.
2016 – XCOM 2 – 88
The second iteration of XCOM 2 is, arguably, even better than the first. It’s a sequel done right: it takes what made the 2012 game great, keeps the basics and the best bits, and expands on everything else. The cannon of the XCOM story tells us that the aliens won in the first game, so you’re now tasked with leading a ragtag bunch of special operatives in covert missions to stop the Avatar Project and dethrone the Alien regime. There are new mechanics (like the ambush), new classes, new weapons, new enemies, new mission types and maps. It’s overall a more complete experience than the original, while managing to keep itself distinct enough that doesn’t overshadow its 2012 older brother. I love XCOM, and it’s one of my favourite franchises of all time. Certainly, the 2012 XCOM is my favourite turn-based game ever made.
2017 – Total War: Warhammer II – 87
Total War: Warhammer II is a game I praise often in Strategy and Wargaming. Not because of its Warhammer lore, or because of its incredible spectacle, but because of how different of a strategy game it feels, even when compared with the first Total War: Warhammer. When the game came out it had 4 main factions: The High Elves, the Lizardmen, the Dark Elves and the Skaven, and every single one of these factions played so differently from one another, that it was like having 4 different games in one. The tactical conundrums created by the different play styles and unorthodox units are something that captivates me thoroughly. Everyone knows that spearmen defeat cavalry in historical titles, but how the heck does a Kroxigor match against a Warpfire Throwers?
2018 – RimWorld – 87
The hardest part isn’t’ believing that RimWorld is on this list, it’s coming to terms with the fact that the game came out 7 years ago, good Lord, time does fly. RimWorld is the colony building-sim where everything will, inevitably, go wrong, very much in the vein of the game that inspired it, Dwarf Fortress. You’re stranded on an alien planet with a crew that can be decent at surviving, or downright useless, depending on what the game gives you, and it’s up to the player to create a thriving colony and survive the harsh new environment, other colonies, the wildlife, and even your very own lazy colonists.
2019 – Total War: Three Kingdoms – 85
Creative Assembly’s attempt to tap into the massive Chinese market was met with widespread acclaim, after a massive wave of suspicion and distrust from the community, who looked at the game as a soulless cash grab to pilfer money from Asian coffers. Almost everyone was pleasantly surprised when the unorthodox mix of historical and fantasy elements of the famous novel came together to offer a Total War experience very different from any other that came before. Your characters are now the main focus, instead of your country or nation, and every decision revolves around them, and the relationships they have with other characters inhabiting the world. It’s also worth noting that Total War: Three Kingdoms was the first time that Creative Assembly actually made an effort to make diplomacy in their game work.
I’m sure that a lot of people who praised the game when it came out look back at it with the power of hindsight and the fact that Total War: Three Kingdoms’ continuous development was abruptly halted with some regret. Despite it being a strange amalgamation of mechanics while it tried to toe the line between historical and fantasy, I consider it to be a very special Total War experience other games cannot match.
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