In the spirit of that RPG list I made at the end of last year, here is another angle to my depressing backlog and the things I would like to get to because I bought them "on sale" back when I was an idiot who bought a bunch of games on sale without playing them.
It's fair to say that I'm just as much of a fan of tactics and strategy stuff as I am of RPGs, with a similar list of games I've yelled about on the internet for years (See: Heroes of Might and Magic, Fire Emblem, Age of Wonders III, Eador: Genesis, X-COM: UFO Defense, etc.) and a similarly intimidating list of titles that I'd love to get around to one of these days, if not for the demanding time commitment a lot of them ask for.
Criteria is as follows:
I own all of these games, usually on GOG or Steam though maybe a handful on consoles as well.
These are all games I have an interest in playing. This discounts the number of random tactical and strategy games in my libraries that I know I have no honest intent to play. Sorry King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame, I don't really know what I was thinking when I picked you up.
Because a lot of strategic stuff is aimed around replayable matches rather than a single end-point, this also includes games that I have sunk some time into but have a vague inclination to sink more time into.
Some of these games could probably be put on my RPG list as well.
To be perfectly frank: some of these choices are pretty tentative/vague and reflect more of a curiosity than a genuine desire. Unlike my RPG list, which is filled with games I'd like to see to some sort of grand conclusion, this list has a few games that I want to understand more than anything else.
Most of these games are pretty old, by simple value of the fact that there are a lot of weird, obscure, and potentially Russian strategy games hanging around GOG and Steam that I've picked up over the years. Also, there isn't exactly a ton of modern strategy/tactics stuff that I want to play, y'know? Well, I'll pick up Might and Magic: Heroes VII one of these days out of morbid curiosity, but that doesn't mean I want to actually play it.
Showing 1-10 of 18 items
1. Total War: WarhammerTotal War: Warhammerhttps://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/Total_War_WarhammerOpens wiki page
"Vaguely Modern and/or Relevant"
So I actually played more than a dozen hours of this game, mostly over Christmas break. I enjoyed what I played and would like to play more, maybe finish that Dwarven campaign I had going. I'll be the first to admit I'm not great at Total War, but man is it cool.
2. Disgaea 5: Alliance of VengeanceDisgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeancehttps://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/Disgaea_5_Alliance_of_VengeanceOpens wiki page
Disgaea 5 was the first game in that series I made any sort of headway with. Maybe I should actually get around to playing more of it one of these days.
I really liked the original campaign for Dawn of War II, so at some point I'd like to play the expansion, right?
4. Expeditions: ConquistadorExpeditions: Conquistadorhttps://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/Expeditions_ConquistadorOpens wiki page
I played a few hours of this and was vaguely impressed by its weird tactical combat and resource management.
5. Legends of EisenwaldLegends of Eisenwaldhttps://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/Legends_of_EisenwaldOpens wiki page
Like a lot of modern strategy games, I bought Legends of Eisenwald because it looked vaguely like Heroes of Might and Magic and that was enough but of course I haven't touched it at all.
6. Europa Universalis IVEuropa Universalis IVhttps://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/Europa_Universalis_IVOpens wiki page
"Obligatory Paradox Grand Strategy Section"
Of the two big Paradox Grand Strategy games I own, Europa Universalis is the one I think I grasped a little more.
7. Crusader Kings IICrusader Kings IIhttps://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/Crusader_Kings_IIOpens wiki page
But of course, Crusader Kings is the one I hear people raving about more oft than not.
8. S2: Silent StormS2: Silent Stormhttps://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/S2_Silent_StormOpens wiki page
"Old and Venerable"
It's like X-COM but in World War 2 and with insane destructible environment tech. Also it's made by Russians and there are mechs at some point. Will use mods.
9. EtherlordsEtherlordshttps://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/EtherlordsOpens wiki page
Also made by Nival Interactive. It's basically like Heroes of Might and Magic if you had to play Magic the Gathering every time you engaged in combat. I dunno, that sounds okay, if fraught with the usual jank and peril games from Russia endure.
10. Jagged Alliance 2Jagged Alliance 2https://giantbomb.com/wiki/Games/Jagged_Alliance_2Opens wiki page
Jagged Alliance 2 is honestly on the same level as something like Arcanum in terms of how long it's been a backlog white whale. It's been just long enough that I think I'll give it another try one of these days to see if I can overcome its daunting learning curve.
