If you think this is all there is for strategy games you're in for a pleasant surprise! Watch my other list videos in the playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLYVqUDxY6COh7bkuJoBb1koNRX7mAX2yp They're the most comprehensive upcoming games lists you'll find!
Zakh, you’re doing a great job. I want to help you out: the word “ahistorical“ actually means “not historical.” It’s like atypical, apolitical, or asymmetrical. The word you’re looking for is just “historical.” Keep cranking out great content!
@@GraysonKamm Thank you! And I do actually mean 'not historical'. It's because those games aren't following history, they just have historical themes and designs but are not historical at all. Like Civ and Humankind, they are not historical games. 'Ahistorical games' tend to mean that they look historical, but aren't. In some cases it's 'alternative history', but not always.
Haha well apparently SimCity ended up okay. They expanded city size and removed the always online DRM, but it couldn't save it because Cities Skylines was already a thing. If Paradox didn't swoop in, SimCity would've done a lot better.
We've been immersed in the world of "Heroes of Might and Magic," starting with the third installment, then progressing through parts 5 and 6. While my friends weren't as enamored with it, I appreciated the impressive graphics. Eventually, we ventured into the seventh installment. After three years, the excitement waned, and unfortunately, the Heroes series didn't live up to its past success. Eager for a new hotseat game, we happily stumbled upon "Song of Conquest," which evokes the nostalgic charm of the Heroes series.
Personally not that interested in a 1 hour grand strategy game. Part of the pleasure is settling in for the long haul. Makes it feel like the stakes are more real, even if it means playing over several saves. That's just me though
Civ 2 your first game? Such a young lad. I played Civ 1 in the 90s. So much that I remember the game vividly to this day. And my back and knee hurt, not because of the games, just because of my age.
I'm in my mid-30s and been married for a decade, at what point did people stop calling you a young lad? Because I got back and knee pain too haha. And Civ 2 wasn't my first game, it was my first 4X.
@@GamerZakh I'm 39, but people don't perceive me as a young lad because of my bald head. So we are not that different in age, but you look to be under 30, congrats!
Curious about Millennia and Songs of Silence. I'm an alpha tester for Ara and that game is shaping up really REALLY well. I'm actually not sure if I'll even bother picking up CIV VII because of how much potential Ara has. They have been releasing dev diaries for a bit and they are worth the watch.
What an absolute let-down Stellaris Nexus is. I'm so sick of the push to make multiplayer games for everything. Yes, there are some games that are best enjoyed with friends, but 4X games aren't it. Yes, I understand some people play them with friends, but the vast majority play single-player. The 4X games aren't exactly filled with young teens eager for action, its usually middle-aged people that want to take their time and enjoy the grand strategy and depth that 4X games bring.
Songs of silence's turn based overworld and real time combat reminds me of a very old turn based game in the vein of HoMM called lords of magic. Alliance of the sacred suns, Revival: Recolonization and Zephon sound interesting, gonna keep an eye out for those.
Solium Infernum is releasing on 2/22/24 (5 days from when I'm watching this vid). It's interesting that this used to be Nightingale's release date, which was moved to 2 days earlier. Looks like early 2024 is gonna be fun! Another great vid adding to my already immense wishlist. 😀
Most people don't consider Heroes of Might and Magic to be 4X. No diplomacy, no procedurally generated maps, no settling, etc. Great video. Wish I had time for good stuff like this...
You would have a lot more experience discussing the 4X genre haha, I just wouldn't say those limitations stop a game from being a 4X. Diplomacy isn't really a part of explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate, neither is procedurally generated maps. Settling is part of expand but conquering other cities counts for that too.
@@GamerZakh it's a debate for the ages, but if we look at the games that define the genre, like Civilization, Master of Orion, etc, then diplomacy and procedural maps are aspects of the genre. The "4Xs" aren't the only criteria for a 4X game, in our humble opinion ❤️
@GamerZakh, have you ever played Kohan, immortal sovereigns, and its follow up game, Kohan, Ahriman's gift? They have amazing things going on, with novel mechanics and a really cool lore. Unit composition and city management systems are truly original I suggest everyoner eading this check the games out.
I agree, Kohan were great games with a superb combat system. Kohan and Humankind have the two best combat systems. Civ needs to dump the combat resolution in place since the first Civ game.
I've found it takes about 10 hours to 'get' a grand strategy game. Under 10 hours and it's not that you're bad at the game but it takes more time to even understand the rules and mechanics.
I loved HoMM 5 but gawd damn it took so long to finish a single game , i always wished for a fast paced version of it ! Fast paced is something u can finish under 3 hours in this case xD
I hope one day we'll have 4x strategy games... that you can say... ok put me in first person in the government building or on the battlefield or in a space battle or in a plane or something... a crazy strategy game that an AI could generate the 1st person view of that world on the fly. Probably gonna take 20 more years.
So, I just posted this on the other video, but the section here seems to be copied so I will post it here too: It's a bit surprising that you didn't mention Millennia's biggest gimmick at all: Alternate Ages. A possibility of different development of world technology and mechanics seems interesting.
I was kind of wanting to say that the game is 40K-like, because it's clearly 40K but without the licensing. But listening back I didn't actually say '40K-like' but I just said '40K', my bad.
Civilization franchise is my first and favorite love. Im a late comer to the Stellaris games and with a wife and 3 kids I cant quite get a handle on it.
Age of Wonders FTW !!! My very first turned based strategy was Civ followed closely by Master of Magic (each time they try to remake it, it's a total failure) After that, in 3rd position, it was Heroes of Might and Magic 1 ! I can also clearly remembered how I got obsessed over Civ 2 Test of Time (and playing the atlantean with their underwater empire). But since I discovered Age of Wonders, it's the only turned based game I'm obsessed by. (I only wished they would make underwater a plane)
@@GamerZakh If I remember correctly, there were underground, underwater and the sky... It was almost too big, but the underwater plane was quite pretty + I loved the feeling of being able to come up at any point and surprise the enemy. Now, Solium Infernum is the one I'm really eager to get my hands on. (they also will make, finally, a PC version of Neuroshima Hex, now it's more simple and tactical rather than strategy but I'm a fan of the board game)
I'm also a fan of the Age of Wonders games. First one is still my favourite, even though I can acknowledge some of the good changes that were made in later games. There's a certain beauty in simplicity though, and in allowing for more customisation and player freedom, I feel like the factions/races ended up getting more and more generic with each title. Why have a bunch of different races in your game if they are all functionally the same?
Version numbers don't have a standard format. Many games don't go 0.1 to 0.9 then 1.0. They go to 0.10 (ten) if they're still in development. Rising Lords isn't on 0.2 (point-two), it's on 0.22 (point-twenty two).
Yeah a few of these were in there but most are new. This year I'm just gonna make a video for every subgenre because I've realised people often don't watch unless it's exactly about what they're looking for. Got a DM the other day asking for a 'Spore-like' list even though I covered all those in the God Games list. So I'll probably just redo that list to just the Spore-likes a bit down the line.
I've tried some of these games. My opinions are as follows: Songs of Silence (demo): Looks like a good introductory game for someone new to the genre, but not much here to interest veterans. It's kind of like Age of Wonders with cards and an auto battler. Revival Recolonization (demo): Very generic 4X. Nothing here gets me excited. Songs of Conquest (Early Access): This is basically HOMM with minor upgrades, which is a good thing, and makes it considerably better than the last couple of HOMM releases. Solium Infernum (demo): Looks like a decent game with some depth. This is the one I'm most excited for. I'm also following Ara:History Untold and Millenia with interest
Looking forward to Civ7. Hope they move back towards the Civ5 style graphics, keep the Civ6 district system, and put some effort into "flattening" game complexity between the eras- by that I mean making the early game more engaging/complex, but making the lategame less overwhelming. (Am I the only one who often plays until the industrial era and just starts a new game?)
Me as well... 50% of the time was that I liked the earlier game music of each nation and industrial era onwards the music all sounded way too "epic" for my liking
If Paradox is throwing in their weight on a 4X title it will probably scare CIV a bit. What I have seen so far of Millennia I do have some doubts if it will reach that level. But I am at least hopefull to see more games in the genre. Paradox should be consider a long term "threat" if they commit and Millennia is successfull.
I wonder if Stellaris Nexus is having legal issues with their name. Paradox has a lot invested in the Stellaris franchise and I doubt they would be happy with a 4X using such a similar name.
As you say it's not quite the right category, even if they call itself a 4X it's a little different than the other games here. But also the first line of the description says it'll release by the end of 2023, and it is likely that it'll be delayed into 2024 but I feel I have to stretch a bit too far for this list. I can however have it in the general strategy list no problem.
I am baffled that next to none of the Space 4X games have come close to the feel of Master of Orion 2 neither the other MOO titles nor many of the "spiritual successors" somehow they are all lacking. Usually it is the tactical combat, sometimes it is the actual planet management. (Seriously who makes systems where you can build like 2 improvements on a small planet and 5 on a huge planet) best one I've found so far is Stars in Shadow
@@GamerZakhThat'd be perfectly acceptable of course. More options is always a good thing, but there'd need to be the option for something more lengthy as well.
I wouldn't call Solium Infernum 4X at all. There is no exploration, you only have one 'city', ways of building up your domain are limited. It's pretty unique experience.
There's many different definitions of 4X people are using. One was that HoMM isn't a 4X at all because there's no diplomacy. Even though 'diplomacy' isn't one of the Xs, the original 4X games had diplomacy so some have that as a requirement.
Can we have a new game monarch for this genre? No Because older games were made with soul and passion They were clunky They had terrible graphic whee you could count the pixels But they had an engaging gameplay The birth of One more turn for tonight and then I quit The developers could not count on flashy effects 3 d views and models good animations They had to focus on good gameplay It is the reason why even after playing modern games like the last age of wonders might and magic civilization Many people still compare them in their mind and still find better games like age of wonders 1/2 might and magic 2/3 and civ 2/3 The problem is that the level today of the gameplay is far worse And it doesn’t help that many games go out gutted of the main content that will be realeased as paid dlc Sometimes to comical bad levels like paradox stellar is Europa universal is hoi and crusader kings where the base game cost 30 and you have 300 of dlcs
It's not going to replace long 4X games but it's something that's becoming a standard option to have. Like Civ 6 got 30-60 minute game modes but it doesn't replace the main game.
I don't think any of them have been confirmed for consoles yet, but console announcements and releases tend to come later for strategy games. Like Civ 6, that released on consoles 3 years after the PC release.
2023? Definitely not, even the shortest game announcements are at least 2 months before. We have seen nothing of Civ 7, so a surprise release would be terrible marketing.
I was kind of wanting to say that the game is 40K-like, because it's clearly 40K but without the licensing. But listening back I didn't actually say '40K-like' but I just said '40K', my bad.
'alliance of the sacred suns' is just a remake of 'emperor of the fading suns'. nothing new under the sun. still playing aow og. works fine on windows 10, no vid card needed.
When a game title is similar like that, it's specifically trying to be a spiritual successor. They'd make a sequel if they owned the license. Emperor of the Fading Suns copied older games too.
@@GamerZakh yeah, but i never got to play those older games it was based on. bloody hard game, too. do you remember ssi's general series? i believe i had all of them, at one point. their "successors" diverged enormously from the originals. actually, now that i consider it, space general may have preceded EoTFS, but i could be wrong about that. i also used to enjoy koei's romance of the three kingdoms games. had several of them over the years, too.
@@SkyFly19853 I have listed all of those multiple times in the past for years. It's just they aren't upcoming anymore and it's not like Paradox isn't in this list multiple times already.
4X as it stands pushes away a lot of gamers. Hexarchy just released as '4X in an hour' game and it's got a smaller but very positive following so far. Plus the shorter games seem to be maps or game modes, they can still go long.
I don't understand why no one just does HoMM with modern graphics? It's always gotta be some additional gimmick, like cards, auto-battle, or other artificial limits instead of the classic stuff that HoMM near-perfected.
@@GamerZakh I do like it, but the last time I played it I got bugged in the middle of a campaign and it made me drop it. Also, could take or drop the graphics since I don't care either way about pixel art. It can look beautiful at times, but can also look too busy so you're not sure what you're looking at.
Underwhelmed by so many games with cartoony graphics and "board game" or "card" mechanics. Man, I love AoW1. Shame about the ease of making superheroes in it.
@@GamerZakh I did like that, and the Sunrider series which is also sci-fi. But I also like historical and grand strategy, such as Field of Glory: Empires.
But half of this is the same as the other one. What's the point of two half-identical videos? Is it an experiment on which title and thumbnail attracts more views?
Because it turns out, most don't watch these videos unless it's exactly what they're looking for. I'm getting DMs of people asking me to make a video on 'games like Spore', even though those are already covered in the God Games list. They didn't watch the God Games list because they don't think Spore is a god game. Last year, I reuploaded the Strategy list but just the RTS games, and the RTS list got 3 times as many views as the Strategy list that already listed all the RTS games. Even this video, it's been live for less than half the time as the Civ list, but has as many views, and those views across these two similar-ish videos are from mostly completely different people. I can tell you from the analytics, those watching the Civ list are older, while those watching this one lean younger. The Civ list is more US/UK viewers, while this one is more spread out globally. Generally keep in mind that about 65-70% of viewers are not subscribed to a RUclips channel, so on the Civ list and this one, only 12,000 viewers on each are subscribers out of 193,000 subs, and those 12,000 aren't the same subs on both videos. So taking the same games and just relisting them with a different context reaches completely new audiences. And not doing that is basically keeping games hidden from people who are looking for something very specific.
@@GamerZakh Weird to think people wouldn't consider Civ a 4X, but it was also weird for me to see Spore listed as a god game, so I guess everybody has their own sense of what is "common" sense, lol.
@@HanakoSeishin Yeah that's what I generally have to always explain, people just don't think of genres the same. There are also people saying HoMM is an 4X and those adamant it isn't. It isn't up to me to say who is right or wrong, so to be fair I should just upload every list imaginable and remix the upcoming games wherever they fit because that's how people look for games. It makes some people very angry at me for being 'wrong' about genres but that doesn't matter because no matter how I define a genre someone comes along and says I'm wrong. The choice is, do I get called wrong for saying HoMM is a 4X or do I get called wrong for saying HoMM is not a 4X? And is that really a choice? Some even say I'm wrong for even questioning it because the answer is 'obvious'. Even with the latest poll on whether Stronghold DE is a remake or a remaster, sure 'only' 17% says it's a remake but that's a solid 160 people who would disagree with me if I call it a remaster. Plus there are comments that literally say, "Definitely a remaster and there's no argument to be had. People who call games like this "remakes" are just plain wrong." Then I explain what the DE is and they realise they're wrong and they actually recognise it as a remake. People so sure of their stance but actually missing a key bit of information that would flip their opinion when presented. That poll is likely skewed by people who don't know Stronghold DE is rebuilt in a new engine.
@@GamerZakh Well, the way I see it, saying it's a remake might me technically correct and maybe useful for the developers, but it's not useful for the players, because for the sake of playing the game it doesn't matter what's under the hood, what matters is the experience you get. And if that experience is undistinguishable from a remaster, then it's more useful for the players to call it a remaster, because that way the term would actually describe your player experience.
I was kind of wanting to say that the game is 40K-like, because it's clearly 40K but without the licensing. But listening back I didn't actually say '40K-like' but I just said '40K', my bad.
crazy to hear the words "live up to civilization". civilization was good for its time in the past, recently (last 15 years) firaxis just spits out unbalanced, uninspired nonsense that requires 10 dlcs
You can say that but Civ 6 is consistently in the top 25 most played games on Steam right now. It's still one of the biggest games in the world. No competition has come close to beating it.
SimCity was getting better, they got rid of the always online requirement and expanded cities, even got an expansion, but with Cities Skylines becoming a thing and dominating the market there was no point continuing to fix SimCity. Plus with CS being so big, no chance of another SimCity game because why bother competing. You can see no big publisher ever made another modern urban city builder since CS. If Paradox didn't swoop in there's a much bigger chance SimCity would still be a thing.
i hate multiplayer and realtime. I don’t have the time for ‘real time’ because I have a real life😅 been gaming for 30 years and just want to game against AI. Play for an hour or 2 and the put the game away for a few days. Turn based is the game for me.
Saving doesn't help when you're working 2 jobs and have kids and you only get to play games once every 2-3 weeks. You save, life happens, come back after a few weeks and load up your save but you forgot what you were doing. A recent example, The Yogscast have a Civ channel. They've been playing through Civ 2 Test of Time. Video parts 1-5 ish were from one recording, then they took a 1 month break. The next part in the series they loaded their game and forgot almost everything they were doing. Things they built at the end of the last part, they forgot what they were for and just got rid of them. Cities they were going to build, forgot to be built, etc. A perfect example of how saving and loading a month later isn't a great experience.
@@thehellyousayWhatever you want to label it as, the 1-hour 4X games are quite successful. Ozymandias, Hexarchy, Nexus 5X. Even games like Civ have plenty of 1-hour experiences and scenarios in them, particularly for multiplayer. That's another area where 1-hour 4X is very useful. Yes you can save and load, but can you synchronise 4 different people playing together? That's almost impossible in most adult friend groups over multiple sessions. Either way, you're not the first to not get their purpose but it's already a foregone conclusion. Many 1-hour 4Xs have released now and people love them. Niche audiences compared to full 4X games of course, but for that smaller group of players it filled a need.
The games you have shown here aren't even close to CV series. It doesn't matter CV 7 come or not those games simply doesn't have the potentiality to compete with CV.
If you think this is all there is for strategy games you're in for a pleasant surprise! Watch my other list videos in the playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLYVqUDxY6COh7bkuJoBb1koNRX7mAX2yp They're the most comprehensive upcoming games lists you'll find!
HOMM III (heroes of might and magic 3) is still KING of KINGS.
Zakh, you’re doing a great job. I want to help you out: the word “ahistorical“ actually means “not historical.” It’s like atypical, apolitical, or asymmetrical. The word you’re looking for is just “historical.” Keep cranking out great content!
@@GraysonKamm Thank you! And I do actually mean 'not historical'. It's because those games aren't following history, they just have historical themes and designs but are not historical at all. Like Civ and Humankind, they are not historical games. 'Ahistorical games' tend to mean that they look historical, but aren't. In some cases it's 'alternative history', but not always.
Kind of fun fact: Millennia is being made by the veterans from Ensemble Studios, the team that created Age of Empires 1 & 2.
That makes me even more excited about that game.
Good to know ! I'll check this game in depth thanks to you, thank you for the heads'up :D
Is that the same ensemble that made the first halo wars?
I´m sure you already found out, but its probably one of the worst strategy games of the decade, big dissapointment
I'm not interested in new features or graphics, I just want better AI.
City Skylines didn't kill Sim City. EA did that. (21:45)
Haha well apparently SimCity ended up okay. They expanded city size and removed the always online DRM, but it couldn't save it because Cities Skylines was already a thing. If Paradox didn't swoop in, SimCity would've done a lot better.
We've been immersed in the world of "Heroes of Might and Magic," starting with the third installment, then progressing through parts 5 and 6. While my friends weren't as enamored with it, I appreciated the impressive graphics. Eventually, we ventured into the seventh installment. After three years, the excitement waned, and unfortunately, the Heroes series didn't live up to its past success. Eager for a new hotseat game, we happily stumbled upon "Song of Conquest," which evokes the nostalgic charm of the Heroes series.
Have really enjoyed Songs of Conquest
To bad it looks really bad. I cant stand pixel graphics.
Civ2 and MoO2 were my first 4x and what made me love the genre. I still sometimes go back to MoO2 when the nostalgia hits.
Personally not that interested in a 1 hour grand strategy game. Part of the pleasure is settling in for the long haul. Makes it feel like the stakes are more real, even if it means playing over several saves. That's just me though
i agree whats the point playing game for one hour and thats it ...i want to play over days months .
Sounds fun to me, I find end games pretty boring
Kind of waters down the whole "Grand" part of Grand Strategy, no?
Ah, Age of Wonders. I will always remember you fondly. I still listen to the soundtrack.
That music just sounds so iconic, something about the simplicity.
@@GamerZakh AoW3's soundtrack is very different, but appealing as well.
Thanks for putting this together 🙂 Hope you're doing well
Thank you! You too
Zephon stsnds out for me. It really has that sci-fic post apocalyptic alien horror vibe i have seldom seen. Will be on my wish list. Thanks, Zakh!!
It is pretty different from the rest. Glad you found a new one!
Civ 2 your first game?
Such a young lad. I played Civ 1 in the 90s. So much that I remember the game vividly to this day. And my back and knee hurt, not because of the games, just because of my age.
I'm in my mid-30s and been married for a decade, at what point did people stop calling you a young lad? Because I got back and knee pain too haha. And Civ 2 wasn't my first game, it was my first 4X.
@@GamerZakh I'm 39, but people don't perceive me as a young lad because of my bald head. So we are not that different in age, but you look to be under 30, congrats!
Curious about Millennia and Songs of Silence. I'm an alpha tester for Ara and that game is shaping up really REALLY well. I'm actually not sure if I'll even bother picking up CIV VII because of how much potential Ara has. They have been releasing dev diaries for a bit and they are worth the watch.
I hope civ7 improves AI. This is what we working guys need, not a rushed one night game.
What an absolute let-down Stellaris Nexus is. I'm so sick of the push to make multiplayer games for everything. Yes, there are some games that are best enjoyed with friends, but 4X games aren't it. Yes, I understand some people play them with friends, but the vast majority play single-player. The 4X games aren't exactly filled with young teens eager for action, its usually middle-aged people that want to take their time and enjoy the grand strategy and depth that 4X games bring.
Songs of silence's turn based overworld and real time combat reminds me of a very old turn based game in the vein of HoMM called lords of magic.
Alliance of the sacred suns, Revival: Recolonization and Zephon sound interesting, gonna keep an eye out for those.
Lords of Magic was one of my favorite games as a kid!
Solium Infernum is releasing on 2/22/24 (5 days from when I'm watching this vid). It's interesting that this used to be Nightingale's release date, which was moved to 2 days earlier. Looks like early 2024 is gonna be fun! Another great vid adding to my already immense wishlist. 😀
wait why would they release same day as car game. now i gotta choose.
Most people don't consider Heroes of Might and Magic to be 4X. No diplomacy, no procedurally generated maps, no settling, etc.
Great video. Wish I had time for good stuff like this...
You would have a lot more experience discussing the 4X genre haha, I just wouldn't say those limitations stop a game from being a 4X. Diplomacy isn't really a part of explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate, neither is procedurally generated maps. Settling is part of expand but conquering other cities counts for that too.
@@GamerZakh it's a debate for the ages, but if we look at the games that define the genre, like Civilization, Master of Orion, etc, then diplomacy and procedural maps are aspects of the genre.
The "4Xs" aren't the only criteria for a 4X game, in our humble opinion ❤️
@explorminate so cool to see you here! Picked up Gladius cus of your rec, thanks!
Always like your vids......i still watch your game play on caesar which is my all time fav game and others .
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it.
@GamerZakh, have you ever played Kohan, immortal sovereigns, and its follow up game, Kohan, Ahriman's gift?
They have amazing things going on, with novel mechanics and a really cool lore. Unit composition and city management systems are truly original
I suggest everyoner eading this check the games out.
I agree, Kohan were great games with a superb combat system. Kohan and Humankind have the two best combat systems. Civ needs to dump the combat resolution in place since the first Civ game.
Been playing Warhammer Gladius recently, haven't won once and am relatively new to 4x. I find they have quite the learning curve.
I've found it takes about 10 hours to 'get' a grand strategy game. Under 10 hours and it's not that you're bad at the game but it takes more time to even understand the rules and mechanics.
Warhammer Gladius, is a interesting Civ style 40K game
Gladius is very hard, even for vets of the genre. You can always tweak the settings a bit to help.
I loved HoMM 5 but gawd damn it took so long to finish a single game , i always wished for a fast paced version of it ! Fast paced is something u can finish under 3 hours in this case xD
I hope one day we'll have 4x strategy games... that you can say... ok put me in first person in the government building or on the battlefield or in a space battle or in a plane or something... a crazy strategy game that an AI could generate the 1st person view of that world on the fly. Probably gonna take 20 more years.
So, I just posted this on the other video, but the section here seems to be copied so I will post it here too:
It's a bit surprising that you didn't mention Millennia's biggest gimmick at all: Alternate Ages. A possibility of different development of world technology and mechanics seems interesting.
Zephon does not seem to be set in 40K. Proxy Studios has made several 40K games, but this appears to be a new setting.
I was kind of wanting to say that the game is 40K-like, because it's clearly 40K but without the licensing. But listening back I didn't actually say '40K-like' but I just said '40K', my bad.
Civilization franchise is my first and favorite love. Im a late comer to the Stellaris games and with a wife and 3 kids I cant quite get a handle on it.
It's so hard picking up grand strategies as an adult haha
Age of Wonders FTW !!! My very first turned based strategy was Civ followed closely by Master of Magic (each time they try to remake it, it's a total failure)
After that, in 3rd position, it was Heroes of Might and Magic 1 ! I can also clearly remembered how I got obsessed over Civ 2 Test of Time (and playing the atlantean with their underwater empire). But since I discovered Age of Wonders, it's the only turned based game I'm obsessed by. (I only wished they would make underwater a plane)
I do really love layered maps like that, was my favourite thing in Test of Time.
@@GamerZakh If I remember correctly, there were underground, underwater and the sky... It was almost too big, but the underwater plane was quite pretty + I loved the feeling of being able to come up at any point and surprise the enemy.
Now, Solium Infernum is the one I'm really eager to get my hands on.
(they also will make, finally, a PC version of Neuroshima Hex, now it's more simple and tactical rather than strategy but I'm a fan of the board game)
Song of Conquest was awesome. It got that old school feel.
Nothing can beat Civ 4 for best 4X games, it still got tons of players today.
For that style of 4X i'd agree, but Stellaris (proper) has it beat in the space setting
Awesome video, thank you! So many cool games on the horizon!
MOO was great, MOO2 was superb, MOO3 blew chunks. CIV, the 1st one, was outstanding in its day.
but but but I want 4X games that last ages!!
Haha don't worry, many of these are like that and even the ones with short modes they also have long modes.
I'm also a fan of the Age of Wonders games. First one is still my favourite, even though I can acknowledge some of the good changes that were made in later games. There's a certain beauty in simplicity though, and in allowing for more customisation and player freedom, I feel like the factions/races ended up getting more and more generic with each title. Why have a bunch of different races in your game if they are all functionally the same?
I'm hopeful for rising lords but its only on like version 0.2 so i doubt it comes out in 2024 id be a bit wary about that one
Version numbers don't have a standard format. Many games don't go 0.1 to 0.9 then 1.0. They go to 0.10 (ten) if they're still in development. Rising Lords isn't on 0.2 (point-two), it's on 0.22 (point-twenty two).
Funny. The best looking and most exciting footage is the AOW 1 scenes from the outro.
Haha that is still my favourite AOW game.
Mine too! The grafics and music is still unmatched by any successor. A real masterpiece of art and immersion!@@GamerZakh
homm3 is definitely the most iconic even tho civ is more well known
It's time they make another Alpha Centauri
Didn't you already do this video a short while back?
Edit: Ahh that was "Civ Like Games" which had a few of these in it.
Yeah a few of these were in there but most are new. This year I'm just gonna make a video for every subgenre because I've realised people often don't watch unless it's exactly about what they're looking for. Got a DM the other day asking for a 'Spore-like' list even though I covered all those in the God Games list. So I'll probably just redo that list to just the Spore-likes a bit down the line.
I've tried some of these games. My opinions are as follows:
Songs of Silence (demo): Looks like a good introductory game for someone new to the genre, but not much here to interest veterans. It's kind of like Age of Wonders with cards and an auto battler.
Revival Recolonization (demo): Very generic 4X. Nothing here gets me excited.
Songs of Conquest (Early Access): This is basically HOMM with minor upgrades, which is a good thing, and makes it considerably better than the last couple of HOMM releases.
Solium Infernum (demo): Looks like a decent game with some depth. This is the one I'm most excited for.
I'm also following Ara:History Untold and Millenia with interest
Backed alliance of the sacred suns. Alpha and closed beta is outstanding so far.
yeah im buying paradox games only end of lifecycle lol. they are going completely nuts on doc pricing rn
Millennia in short - Civilization 6 with MORE Monetization. Just what we need, can't have enough of that.
Civ 1 When i mistok the settler for a monster :) :) also MoO2 is a never ending Classic
Oh boy a GamerZakh list today was a good day.
I'm glad you're enjoying them!
I thought this list came out already
No it's different
Looking forward to Civ7. Hope they move back towards the Civ5 style graphics, keep the Civ6 district system, and put some effort into "flattening" game complexity between the eras- by that I mean making the early game more engaging/complex, but making the lategame less overwhelming. (Am I the only one who often plays until the industrial era and just starts a new game?)
No I think a lot of people are like that. I also much prefer the early game Civ than late game.
Me as well... 50% of the time was that I liked the earlier game music of each nation and industrial era onwards the music all sounded way too "epic" for my liking
Ara looks awesome
You should make a list of games on your wishlist for upcoming steam Holiday sale!!
Definitely, Zephon, Revival.
Sceptically, Ara, Millennium.
If Paradox is throwing in their weight on a 4X title it will probably scare CIV a bit. What I have seen so far of Millennia I do have some doubts if it will reach that level. But I am at least hopefull to see more games in the genre. Paradox should be consider a long term "threat" if they commit and Millennia is successfull.
As someone who played Solium Infernum demo - it was incredibly fun. Really looking forward to it, especially multiplayer.
I just want new Heroes... People make many copies but they are never the same esp Age of Magic series....
I wonder if Stellaris Nexus is having legal issues with their name. Paradox has a lot invested in the Stellaris franchise and I doubt they would be happy with a 4X using such a similar name.
They are working together on it
@@Illyrien I guess that works. :)
no mention of dom 6? accepted, the exploration aspect is smaller there, but it more than covers itself in the other 3 aspects.
As you say it's not quite the right category, even if they call itself a 4X it's a little different than the other games here. But also the first line of the description says it'll release by the end of 2023, and it is likely that it'll be delayed into 2024 but I feel I have to stretch a bit too far for this list. I can however have it in the general strategy list no problem.
It was Civ4 for me.
ara is the best game of the list
HOMM3 was the best game for me.
I am baffled that next to none of the Space 4X games have come close to the feel of Master of Orion 2 neither the other MOO titles nor many of the "spiritual successors" somehow they are all lacking.
Usually it is the tactical combat, sometimes it is the actual planet management. (Seriously who makes systems where you can build like 2 improvements on a small planet and 5 on a huge planet)
best one I've found so far is Stars in Shadow
Master of Magic (;
thanks!!
17:24 hahahahaha🤣😅😂
Stellaris Nexus is weird.... it's a spin off tactic-Strategy game from the Grand Strategy 4X game Stellaris.
Yeah it's basically for those who want to play Stellaris but don't have the time.
Soooo cool my friend ♫♪♫♪
any of these comming to ps5. I just got age of wonders and crusader kings and humankind. might get war hammer but not sure.
If you can finish a match in an hour, I think you're going from 4x to just a regular RTS. 4x are a time investment, and fans of the genre know this.
What if it's just a mode in the game and there are still longer games?
@@GamerZakhThat'd be perfectly acceptable of course. More options is always a good thing, but there'd need to be the option for something more lengthy as well.
I wouldn't call Solium Infernum 4X at all. There is no exploration, you only have one 'city', ways of building up your domain are limited. It's pretty unique experience.
There's many different definitions of 4X people are using. One was that HoMM isn't a 4X at all because there's no diplomacy. Even though 'diplomacy' isn't one of the Xs, the original 4X games had diplomacy so some have that as a requirement.
hello, did you try Zephon? i am curious what you think of it. I hate 4x games but i liked the demo for it
I didn't manage to try it myself, but it does stand out in this list.
26:13 - Wich game is that on the background?
That's Age of Wonders 1, the one I say is my favourite in the intro.
@@GamerZakh Oh, i see. Thanks!
又不缺遊戲玩啦!感謝分享
Im hoping amplitude makes an endless legend 2
Civ7 will have a future settings.
Can we have a new game monarch for this genre?
No
Because older games were made with soul and passion
They were clunky
They had terrible graphic whee you could count the pixels
But they had an engaging gameplay
The birth of
One more turn for tonight and then I quit
The developers could not count on flashy effects 3 d views and models good animations
They had to focus on good gameplay
It is the reason why even after playing modern games like the last age of wonders might and magic civilization
Many people still compare them in their mind and still find better games like age of wonders 1/2 might and magic 2/3 and civ 2/3
The problem is that the level today of the gameplay is far worse
And it doesn’t help that many games go out gutted of the main content that will be realeased as paid dlc
Sometimes to comical bad levels like paradox stellar is Europa universal is hoi and crusader kings where the base game cost 30 and you have 300 of dlcs
I really hope we don't go the direction of "4x game in 1 hour". That's exactly what I DON'T want in a video game.
It's not going to replace long 4X games but it's something that's becoming a standard option to have. Like Civ 6 got 30-60 minute game modes but it doesn't replace the main game.
which one of these games will be released on XBox?
I don't think any of them have been confirmed for consoles yet, but console announcements and releases tend to come later for strategy games. Like Civ 6, that released on consoles 3 years after the PC release.
Songs of Conquest made me sad because it’s made for a hardcore audience apparently so I got steamrolled.
Anyone know if CIV VII is gonna come out 2023? Cus I've heard that is should.
2023? Definitely not, even the shortest game announcements are at least 2 months before. We have seen nothing of Civ 7, so a surprise release would be terrible marketing.
@@GamerZakh Oh, yeah I read it wrong it said 2024 is the soonest we could hope for.
Zephon is not 40k but it's really a complete reskin of Gladius.
I was kind of wanting to say that the game is 40K-like, because it's clearly 40K but without the licensing. But listening back I didn't actually say '40K-like' but I just said '40K', my bad.
Rising Lords appears to be by a different studio than Battle Brothers, but they're totally ripping off the BB art style.
'alliance of the sacred suns' is just a remake of 'emperor of the fading suns'. nothing new under the sun.
still playing aow og. works fine on windows 10, no vid card needed.
When a game title is similar like that, it's specifically trying to be a spiritual successor. They'd make a sequel if they owned the license. Emperor of the Fading Suns copied older games too.
@@GamerZakh yeah, but i never got to play those older games it was based on. bloody hard game, too. do you remember ssi's general series? i believe i had all of them, at one point. their "successors" diverged enormously from the originals. actually, now that i consider it, space general may have preceded EoTFS, but i could be wrong about that.
i also used to enjoy koei's romance of the three kingdoms games. had several of them over the years, too.
Hexarchy
That fully released in October this year, so it's not an upcoming game for 2024.
But what about Europa Universalis, Victoria, and Hearts of Iron series ?
No news about a new EU or HoI. Victoria 3 just released last year.
@@GamerZakh
I see.
I think those games deserve lost of attention as well as Civ like games.
@@SkyFly19853 I have listed all of those multiple times in the past for years. It's just they aren't upcoming anymore and it's not like Paradox isn't in this list multiple times already.
@@GamerZakh
Yeah, unfortunately.
Paradox is NOT innovating...
4X in an hour is bull...will push away lots of gamers
4X as it stands pushes away a lot of gamers. Hexarchy just released as '4X in an hour' game and it's got a smaller but very positive following so far. Plus the shorter games seem to be maps or game modes, they can still go long.
HOMM Always
I don't understand why no one just does HoMM with modern graphics? It's always gotta be some additional gimmick, like cards, auto-battle, or other artificial limits instead of the classic stuff that HoMM near-perfected.
What about Songs of Conquest do you not like?
@@GamerZakh I do like it, but the last time I played it I got bugged in the middle of a campaign and it made me drop it. Also, could take or drop the graphics since I don't care either way about pixel art. It can look beautiful at times, but can also look too busy so you're not sure what you're looking at.
What is the name of the last game images of this video?
You mean during the credits? That's Age of Wonders 1.
That´s it, thanks! I found it. I was curious.@@GamerZakh
Hello 👋 😊
Underwhelmed by so many games with cartoony graphics and "board game" or "card" mechanics.
Man, I love AoW1. Shame about the ease of making superheroes in it.
I do like turn-based, but not 4X. It just makes me feel like I'm in the prehistoric era, which would be fine if that really were the case.
Ah yeah I can see that. You prefer more tactics kind of games like XCOM?
@@GamerZakh I did like that, and the Sunrider series which is also sci-fi. But I also like historical and grand strategy, such as Field of Glory: Empires.
But half of this is the same as the other one. What's the point of two half-identical videos? Is it an experiment on which title and thumbnail attracts more views?
Because it turns out, most don't watch these videos unless it's exactly what they're looking for. I'm getting DMs of people asking me to make a video on 'games like Spore', even though those are already covered in the God Games list. They didn't watch the God Games list because they don't think Spore is a god game. Last year, I reuploaded the Strategy list but just the RTS games, and the RTS list got 3 times as many views as the Strategy list that already listed all the RTS games. Even this video, it's been live for less than half the time as the Civ list, but has as many views, and those views across these two similar-ish videos are from mostly completely different people.
I can tell you from the analytics, those watching the Civ list are older, while those watching this one lean younger. The Civ list is more US/UK viewers, while this one is more spread out globally. Generally keep in mind that about 65-70% of viewers are not subscribed to a RUclips channel, so on the Civ list and this one, only 12,000 viewers on each are subscribers out of 193,000 subs, and those 12,000 aren't the same subs on both videos.
So taking the same games and just relisting them with a different context reaches completely new audiences. And not doing that is basically keeping games hidden from people who are looking for something very specific.
@@GamerZakh Weird to think people wouldn't consider Civ a 4X, but it was also weird for me to see Spore listed as a god game, so I guess everybody has their own sense of what is "common" sense, lol.
@@HanakoSeishin Yeah that's what I generally have to always explain, people just don't think of genres the same. There are also people saying HoMM is an 4X and those adamant it isn't. It isn't up to me to say who is right or wrong, so to be fair I should just upload every list imaginable and remix the upcoming games wherever they fit because that's how people look for games. It makes some people very angry at me for being 'wrong' about genres but that doesn't matter because no matter how I define a genre someone comes along and says I'm wrong. The choice is, do I get called wrong for saying HoMM is a 4X or do I get called wrong for saying HoMM is not a 4X? And is that really a choice? Some even say I'm wrong for even questioning it because the answer is 'obvious'.
Even with the latest poll on whether Stronghold DE is a remake or a remaster, sure 'only' 17% says it's a remake but that's a solid 160 people who would disagree with me if I call it a remaster. Plus there are comments that literally say, "Definitely a remaster and there's no argument to be had. People who call games like this "remakes" are just plain wrong."
Then I explain what the DE is and they realise they're wrong and they actually recognise it as a remake. People so sure of their stance but actually missing a key bit of information that would flip their opinion when presented. That poll is likely skewed by people who don't know Stronghold DE is rebuilt in a new engine.
@@GamerZakh Well, the way I see it, saying it's a remake might me technically correct and maybe useful for the developers, but it's not useful for the players, because for the sake of playing the game it doesn't matter what's under the hood, what matters is the experience you get. And if that experience is undistinguishable from a remaster, then it's more useful for the players to call it a remaster, because that way the term would actually describe your player experience.
Zephon does not appear to be set in 40k.
I was kind of wanting to say that the game is 40K-like, because it's clearly 40K but without the licensing. But listening back I didn't actually say '40K-like' but I just said '40K', my bad.
xcom 3
Not quite a grand strategy haha
i dont want civ 7 to go realist, keep it "cartoony" its called stylized animation. Its more colourful and greater
crazy to hear the words "live up to civilization". civilization was good for its time in the past, recently (last 15 years) firaxis just spits out unbalanced, uninspired nonsense that requires 10 dlcs
You can say that but Civ 6 is consistently in the top 25 most played games on Steam right now. It's still one of the biggest games in the world. No competition has come close to beating it.
Civ 7, with grouping units and real action combat
I don't think Skylines killed SimCity... more like SimCity committed suicide.
SimCity was getting better, they got rid of the always online requirement and expanded cities, even got an expansion, but with Cities Skylines becoming a thing and dominating the market there was no point continuing to fix SimCity. Plus with CS being so big, no chance of another SimCity game because why bother competing. You can see no big publisher ever made another modern urban city builder since CS. If Paradox didn't swoop in there's a much bigger chance SimCity would still be a thing.
i hate multiplayer and realtime. I don’t have the time for ‘real time’ because I have a real life😅 been gaming for 30 years and just want to game against AI. Play for an hour or 2 and the put the game away for a few days. Turn based is the game for me.
the games take too long? what part of saving a game do people no longer understand?
Saving doesn't help when you're working 2 jobs and have kids and you only get to play games once every 2-3 weeks. You save, life happens, come back after a few weeks and load up your save but you forgot what you were doing.
A recent example, The Yogscast have a Civ channel. They've been playing through Civ 2 Test of Time. Video parts 1-5 ish were from one recording, then they took a 1 month break. The next part in the series they loaded their game and forgot almost everything they were doing. Things they built at the end of the last part, they forgot what they were for and just got rid of them. Cities they were going to build, forgot to be built, etc. A perfect example of how saving and loading a month later isn't a great experience.
@@GamerZakh if those are the contraints being faced, i can understand a preference for tactical games rather than strategic
@@thehellyousayWhatever you want to label it as, the 1-hour 4X games are quite successful. Ozymandias, Hexarchy, Nexus 5X. Even games like Civ have plenty of 1-hour experiences and scenarios in them, particularly for multiplayer. That's another area where 1-hour 4X is very useful. Yes you can save and load, but can you synchronise 4 different people playing together? That's almost impossible in most adult friend groups over multiple sessions. Either way, you're not the first to not get their purpose but it's already a foregone conclusion. Many 1-hour 4Xs have released now and people love them. Niche audiences compared to full 4X games of course, but for that smaller group of players it filled a need.
WHERE ARE HOMM?
The games you have shown here aren't even close to CV series. It doesn't matter CV 7 come or not those games simply doesn't have the potentiality to compete with CV.
wrong actually
Don`t bother with songs of conquest .. It looks terrible (I know they ment it that way) The spells are really porley done and it gets boring quickley.
It's a bit weird to tell people to not bother with a game that has 87% positive user ratings. 9/10 people would disagree with you.
Hi Zakh
Hi!