The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici (1996): The Strategy Game Where Nobody Takes Orders
Here’s what still surprises people about The Settlers II: you never directly control a single unit. Blue Byte’s 1996 sequel […]
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X-COM: Terror from the Deep (1995) Review — The Sequel That Turned the Difficulty Way Up
Ask any longtime X-COM player which game in the series broke them, and there’s a good chance the answer involves
Jagged Alliance (1994): Sir-Tech’s Mercenary Blueprint
Before Jagged Alliance 2 became the game people actually remember, there was this: a scrappier, rougher 1994 original from Madlab
Panzer General (1994): SSI’s Wargame for People Who Hate Wargames
Most wargames of the early 1990s assumed you already owned a rulebook the size of a phone book before you
Sid Meier’s Colonization (1994): MicroProse’s Underrated Economic Strategy Game
Sid Meier had already conquered human history once with Civilization. In 1994, working with designer Brian Reynolds, he zoomed in
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (1996) Review — Still the Gold Standard of 4X
How do you follow up a game that’s frequently called one of the best strategy titles ever made? If you’re
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (1995): The Sequel That Turned Blizzard Into a Powerhouse
Before StarCraft was a household name, and long before World of Warcraft turned Azeroth into a place millions of people
Ravenloft: Strahd’s Possession (1994): SSI Brings Gothic Horror to AD&D
Ravenloft: Strahd’s Possession first-person exploration. Screenshot via the Internet Archive. A Vampire Lord Built From Tabletop Dread By 1994 SSI
Stonekeep (1995): Interplay’s Long-Delayed, Ambitious Dungeon Crawler
Not many DOS RPGs can say they spent years stuck in development limbo before release, but Stonekeep can. Interplay’s first-person
Anvil of Dawn (1995): DreamForge’s Underappreciated Dungeon Crawler
Ask a room of DOS RPG fans to name the great first-person dungeon crawlers of the mid-90s and you’ll hear
Albion (1995): Blue Byte’s Sci-Fi RPG That Deserved Better
In 2227, the interstellar factory ship Toronto arrives at what its survey data insists is a dead rock, good for
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (1993): SSI’s Boldest AD&D Gamble
Most Advanced Dungeons & Dragons computer games of the early 1990s dropped you into familiar territory: green forests, noble knights,