4. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Blizzard Entertainment, 2002
Blizzard Entertainment is a stickler for the graphical look and 'feel' of its games. The Warcraft design team didn't want to move to 3D graphics until mainstream computer systems could handle them smoothly and with the kind of detailed animation that would allow their stylized characters to come to life. Considered among the masters of real-time strategy, it wasn't until 2002 that Blizzard finally wowed us with a 3D realization of their classic Warcraft franchise.
Originally announced as a new type of roleplaying and RTS hybrid, the final product -- after years of polish -- eschewed many of the roleplaying elements in favor of good, solid RTS gameplay. And unlike the clouds of units clawing across the screen in other games, they bought the combat down to a much smaller level: For one thing, you rarely used more than a handful of units in an attack. Even more importantly, "hero" units with special abilities -- who grew in level as they fought and could carry special items -- were key to any strategy. Carefully orchestrating an attack and using a hero's special flavor to skew the results your way was a key part of the game.
On top of the sheer graphical beauty and smaller, more intimate gameplay, Warcraft III also managed to present players with four very distinct races, all with their own talents and unique gameplay style. Balancing the four races was a chore, but Blizzard tweaked and tweaked this sucker for years before allowing it to hit the market. Gamers were rewarded for their patience.
While Warcraft III may not be an iconic genre leader like the top 3 games on the following pages, history will look back on it as a beautiful, rock-solid title with airtight gameplay.
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War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
