Best of 2012
All games are, at their core, exercises of risk versus reward. Few genres demonstrate this more capably than the games we consider “strategic.” The best titles in this field strike a balance by making moment-to-moment decisions feel just as tense and important as considering the larger scope of a scenario, and create a level of investment on the part of the player which makes them feel as though the event at hand has genuine import to their lives.
Here are Destructoid’s nominations for the best strategy game of 2012.
Crusader Kings II
It’s an incredibly dynamic game that seems to perfectly simulate the state of flux that Europe and the Middle East were in during the Middle Ages.Crusader Kings IIis exactly the sort of game I was hoping it would be. As deep and complex as its predecessor, but more accessible.
FTL: Faster than Light
More than any other game I’ve played, more than the incredibly complexXseries, more than the fanboy-titillatingStar Trek: Bridge Commander, FTLmade me feel like I was in command of a starship. Or, rather, a series of constantly exploding starships.
Tropico 4: Modern Times
Tropico 4: Modern Timesgives the core game a much needed content injection, and turnsTropico 4into a better game.
Wargame: European Escalation
Wargame: European Escalationis the closest you’ll get to a full-fledged military simulation of the Cold War era of modern warfare that is still fun to play. It’s a cold, calculated affair set in the last decades of the 20th century where the tradition of the Clausewitz style of military doctrine for large-scale operations was still relevant; a style rendered almost obsolete by postmodern 21st century asymmetrical warfare.
XCOM Enemy Unknown
While the game lacks the polish we’ve come to expect from Firaxis, it stands up as one of the most addicting and fun strategy games I’ve ever played.
Read the fullXCOM Enemy Unknownreview.
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Congrats to all the nominees! We’ll be announcing the official winner on Friday, December 14. In the mean time we wantyouto tell us which game this year was the best strategy title. Plus, be sure to go vote in ourCommunity Choice Awardfor your favorite game of 2012.
Check out all our other categories and nominations:
