20 – Men of War II
I honestly think the Men of War formula has long lost its appeal in the modern-day strategy scene. A weird mix between the arcadey action of Company of Heroes sprinkled with some aspects of realism might have done it for me during the early 2000s, but right now it just feels that the series has become stale and is unable to offer anything but more units and/or maps. From the Steam description of Men of War 2, it doesn’t feel like Best Way is going to opt for a different route. A recent bout with the demo did everything it needed to convince me that Men of War is no longer the superior series, even in the sub-genre it pioneered. Call to Arms – Gates of Hell: Ostfront is doing a much better job, and with a recent (and massive) Western Front expansion, Men of War just being Men of War is no longer enough.
19 – Millenia
Paradox is officially launching something that’s not DLC for their existing games! Millennia is the name of the historical turn-based 4X game that will take players across all of human history, from the dawn of civilization to space travel. Not a whole lot is currently known, but if the image illustrating this article is anything to go by (with what appears to be generic-looking World War II Wehrmacht soldiers atop what vaguely resembles an M4A3E2(76) Jumbo), then we can expect the usual a-historical, meme-worthy shenanigans that made Paradox so beloved. Here’s to hoping the game comes out and it’s good. I have had a 4X itch since Civilization IV that needs scratching. No release date was announced.
18 – Modern Naval Warfare
Modern Naval Warfare will put players at the helm of the newest generation of the nuclear SSN-774 Virginia-class submarines in the complex battlefields of the 21st century across more than a million square kilometres of intricate and highly detailed underwater terrain. The technology on display during the Home of Wargamers Live 2022 did enough to convince me that Modern Naval Warfare is aiming higher than the end-user market and will be, most likely, going after military contracts in the future.
17 – New Cycle
Core Engage and Daedalic Entertainment have announced that New Cycle will launch into Steam’s Early Access on January 18th 2024. It’s a survival city-builder in the vein of Frostpunk, but instead of the cold, you’re dealing with a post-apocalyptic Earth ravaged by solar flares. It’s a dieselpunk-inspired game that places players at the helm of a group of settlers seeking refuge after the solar catastrophe that destroyed most of the planet. For Core’s Engage first title, this is looking rather neat.
16 – News Tower
An interesting title set during the golden days of early 1900 journalism going over topics such as Prohibition, The Great Depression and, of course, the Mafia. I really hope that News Tower focuses more on the story and management aspect of journalism instead of trying to appease gaming journalists about the struggles of their craft with too many moral conundrums and preachy messages. No one cares about your opinion, weird Kotaku person.
15 – Radio Commander: Pacific Campaign
When I interviewed the Radio Commander: Pacific Campaign team in December of 2022 I was expecting the game to be released sometime during 2023. However, apparently, there was some trouble in paradise, since the team behind it came out on August 16th, 2023, to apologize and appease weary commanders that the game was still under development, but the team had to take time to revamp some of the game’s designs. However, the lack of communication since August, and the tone of this last post have me worried for the future of this “most realistic commander simulation game”.
14 – Ratten Reich
This weird fascination with anthropomorphism is grossly unsettling and I can’t wrap my head around why would someone create a game with fantastic graphics, a gritty atmosphere, invest a lot in small tactics realism, and for some vexatious reasons use rats instead of people. Sure, these disease-ridden scoundrels are gross and lived aplenty in the humid trenches of the First World War but I struggle to recall ever seeing a picture of a mouse holding a Mauser rifle over the trench and shooting Anglo-Saxon mice. From the looks of it, it seems to be running on a probably modified (and prettier) version of the GEM engine from Men of War.
Notice how everyone is doing Men of War better than Men of War is doing Men of War these days?
13 – Roman Empire Wars
Look, I’ll be honest. I don’t even know if Roman Empire Wars is still a thing. I remember hearing about it a couple of years back, with everyone quickly jumping at the opportunity to shout at the clouds that “Finally! Total War is dead!”. Since PlayWay was involved at some point and now, by the looks of the Steam Page is nowhere to be mentioned, it’s not a great sign. Anyway, let’s give it one last chance!
12 – Sea Power: Naval Combat In The Missile Age
The yanked-from-the-dead Microprose has launched success after success since it crawled back- Second Front, Boat Crew, Regiments, and Tiny Combat Arena just to name a few- and it’s now working with the lead designer of Cold Waters (an excellent Cold War submarine sim-lite from 2017) to expand on the work done before and bring to life the naval combat of the Cold War era.
Hopefully, Sea Power: Naval Combat In The Missile Age will arrive next year.
11 – Scramble: Battle of Britain
Remember Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol (and later, Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies)? The colourful, turn-based aerial dogfight generator? Players took turns deciding their aircraft manoeuvers and watching them unfold, hoping to get the upper hand on the enemy Sopwiths? Well, Scramble: Battle of Britain is going for the same concept but taking it to a whole another level by introducing dynamic flight physics, a 3D airspace, and a level of unit control Sid’s classic could never achieve. What’s quite underwhelming is the lack of any mention in the Steam page of the game of any dynamic campaign, mentioning instead “single-player and co-op missions as well as quick skirmishes and competitive scenarios”.
Strategy Games | Strategy and Wargaming 
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