Want to rewrite history? Make Scotland a superpower, push Mexico against Europe, save Joan of Arc from burning, or simply repeat the feat of famous military leaders of past centuries? This is possible only with the help of global strategies. Companies involved in the development of computer toys provide a wide field for activity, so it is not at all necessary to get into politics "in real life" - no one bothers you to conquer fantasy worlds or outer space.
The dominance of shooters, open-world RPGs, MMOs, MMORPGs and other projects marked "online" have made the genre almost exotic. Even sensible indies come out almost every day, unlike good global strategies. Organizations and private projects on Kickstarter are trying to revive the genre, but they are failing poorly. All that we have is, in fact, the continuation of already existing ideas and universes with a prefix in the name - 2, 3, 4, etc., and something new and fresh, alas, is represented by single samples or is completely absent in game year.
So, let's try to identify the best global strategies that are distinguished by their quality component, interesting plot, entertaining gameplay and positive user reviews. The list is based on reviews of gaming publications, but for the most part it makes no sense to distribute projects by rating, because they all deserve attention, and a specific setting is an amateur. Someone likes space, someone cannot live without a sword and armor, but some do not care where and how - just to win something.
Top global strategies look like this:
- Total War: Shogun 2.
- Crusader Kings 2.
- Europa Universalis 4.
- Sid Meier's Civilization 6.
- Stellaris.
- Endless Legend.
- Endless Space 2.
- Anno 2205.
Let's take a closer look at the games.
Total War: Shogun 2
Practically all series of "Total War" are divided into two main components - these are real-time battles and global economic strategy in turn-based mode. The player, in addition to mass massacre, needs to develop settlements, hire military leaders, deal with taxes, conduct diplomatic negotiations and send special agents on risky missions.
The global strategy with the economy in "Total War" may not be as well thought out as in other projects, but you can't call this part a "tick" in any way. In "Shogun 2" both components turned out to be well developed. And let the turn-based mode on the global map be just a prelude to epicbattles, it is no worse than mass battles.
In the pluses, you can add a very beautiful and well-created setting of Japan in the 16th century, as well as a perfect balance and atmospheric musical component. The world of global strategies of "Total War" has always been easy to master, and "Shogun 2" was no exception: the threshold for new users to enter is minimal.
Crusader Kings 2
As for the second "Crusaders", the game interface and the process itself can not be called friendly for beginners. The threshold for entering the international global strategy is quite high, and in the first hours of the game, the lion's share of the time will be spent on studying the menu branches, maps and other tactical options. But the material is properly reinforced by the training campaign, so there are no serious problems here.
After you understand the controls and properly understand the process, the realization will come that "Crusaders-2" is one of the best global strategies among other representatives of the genre. Describing the game, we can say that this is an excellent generator of addictive stories and adventures dedicated to family squabbles, betrayals, conspiracies and other intrigues that took place in medieval Europe.
In this global strategy, you can become a petty lord from some godforsaken Scottish county and, passing through the bones of enemies, as well as through the diplomatic jungle, unite your lands and become a contender for the royal title. Each new campaign generates a chain of random events, so we can talk about monotonydo not have to. The game is especially popular among fans of the Game of Thrones series due to the similar setting and similar intrigues. The latter feel at home in The Crusaders.
Europa Universalis 4
If in the previous game you had some individuals at your disposal, then in Europa Universalis 4 you will manage entire empires. There is no place for small conflicts here - only grandiose military campaigns.
At your disposal are entire states that will need to be led to victory in various wars, whether colonial or religious. In this case, the player becomes not the king of his subjects, but the leader of the nation, so there is no time to unravel the intrigues - you need to have time to conquer the world before someone else does it.
Sid Meier's Civilization 6
The "Civilization" series can be called a classic representative of the global strategy genre. Sid Meier managed to create an original and addictive product that you can disappear for weeks or even months.
Unlike other games of this type, "Civilization" is not tied to any particular period. The strategy guides the user through a whole chain of epochs, starting with a small one. At first, you build a small settlement, hunt, farm and fight negligent neighbors with spears, bows and axes.
Strategy Features
But after a few hours or even days, under your command is no longer a small village, butan industrialized country where skyscrapers and nuclear power plants grow. The instruments of influence on neighbors, of course, are also changing: tanks, fighters, laser weapons and nuclear warheads.
As for the sixth "Civilization" specifically, beginners will relatively easily master the basic controls and, thanks to a competent training campaign, will quickly be drawn into the process. This is an extremely high-quality strategy that took only the best ideas from past series and brought them almost to perfection. "Civilization" is really the place where you can disappear for a long time and enthusiastically build your world.
Stellaris
This is a global space strategy for those who are cramped and stuffy on a small planet Earth. An ambitious player is given the opportunity to conquer the entire galaxy for any of the presented races.
The player will have to colonize new worlds, develop existing ones, improve technologies, and also give a lot of time to diplomacy. If the last option does not suit you in any way, then you can go exclusively along the military branch and, having collected a huge fleet, exterminate all objectionable and subdue the recalcitrant.
Distinctive features of the strategy
Random generation of events will not let you get bored in the vast universe. You never know in advance what awaits you on a particular planet. You can meet an unfamiliar alien race, find a valuable artifact, or activate a whole chain of additional quests, the completion of which will bring you or your interstellar empire usefulbonuses.
Same as in the case of "Civilization", here you can hang for a very long time. Equipping one planet after another and getting involved in military strife, you will not notice how the whole day (or night) will fly by. This is a very thoughtful and high-quality project that can be recommended to all ambitious conquerors.
Endless Legend
"Endless Legend" is a kind of similarity to the aforementioned "Civilization". But this does not make the game any less quality. Both titles have similar gameplay, but "Legend" stands out for its original and memorable setting.
Here we have some sci-fi/fantasy pun with a very clever implementation. Infinite Legend is devoid of similar factions. Each individual group has its own distinctive features. For example, the Lords of Dust (ghosts) do not need food and, as an alternative, consume energy resources. While monsters or necrophages do not have diplomatic relations with other races at all, they get provisions by devouring conquered tribes.
One of the main features of the "Endless Legend" is first of all survival, and only then wars and other feuds with neighbors. Seasons in the game change quite quickly and chaotically. Winters are harsh, and the ruler, who has been escaping to neighboring tribes for half a year and not paying due attention to the domestic economy and peaceful industry, risks not surviving until next spring.
Endless Space 2
"Endless Legend" and "Endless Space" aregames from one developer. And if the rulers of the first strategy did not leave the Earth, then there are no barriers for the second ones. The manner in which the campaign is presented and the development branches are somewhat similar in games, but there are still specific and critical differences.
The game attracts with its graphic component, which has been noticeably improved compared to the first part. You can choose which way to develop your empire. If you want to defeat your opponents with technical superiority, please invest in the appropriate branches, and not a single enemy military ship will even come close to your planets. The enemy fleet will simply be sprayed with defense systems into atoms. If you like to manage beautiful interstellar ships and forcefully resolve all urgent conflicts, then the aggressive development branch is just for you.
At the beginning of the game, each player is given an equal number of planets and opportunities. By developing basic and specific skills, you choose your own style of play, and "Endless Space" does not limit you in anything, but only indulges your desires.
Anno 2205
The Anno series is a city building and economic simulation game. The action of past games in the series took place on land and under water, but on planet Earth. The new strategy allows us to master our satellite - the Moon.
But in order to get there, you will first have to build several factories, research centers and launch mines on the ground. After the resources have been collected and the necessary buildings have been built, you can proceed tosatellite exploration with all the ensuing space realities like weightlessness, meteor showers and anarchists who always confuse plans.
Game Features
Despite the fact that the game is positioned by the developer as a city-building and economic simulator, there are more than enough combat operations in it, where global strategists can fully express themselves.
We should also mention the visual side of the project. Magnificent panoramas of the general view, along with meticulous detailing of small details, are simply amazing. Despite all the beauty, the game only added a little to the system requirements, and the level of acceptable FPS was largely achieved through competent optimization.
As for the threshold of entry, an intelligent training campaign will not let you get confused in the interface and will guide you step by step through all the hot spots of Anno. After an hour or two, beginners' discomfort disappears, and they already feel at ease, ready to conquer the earth's satellite.
