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"No Strategy ?"

Owners of all three next generation consoles have plenty to shout about. Gamecube owners have just got their hands on a new Mario, Xbox owners have possibly the best FPS game ever in Halo and the Playstation 2 has tons of decent games coming out nearly every week. In short; console owners right now probably feel they've got pretty much everything games wise.

RTS ? Real Time Strategy ? Heard of it ? Veterans of console gaming will have, as will any PC owners here, but you'd be forgiven for thinking that Gamecube, Xbox and Playstation 2 developers have forgotten it. Because there are none on any next gen console whatsoever.

Okay, I lied. on the Playstation 2 there is Conflict Zone, Age of Empires 2 and the rickety Theme Park World. Cool huh ?

The Command And Conquer series is one of the most successful franchises in RTS, as are many other RTS games. Yet they last appeared on a console in the days of PSone ? Sure, most RTS games are PC ports but whats wrong with making an original strategy game on the console, they're all powerful enough.

Whats going on ? Sure, I love MGS2, Mario Sunshine an all the rest, but I want to control loads of little units dashing across the screen, I want to move massed ranks of troops along the flanks of the enemy base, I want some decent RTS games.

I'll have to keep on wanting as well by the looks of it, the good news is that there are about 5 first person shooter games out every month from now until Christmas, and don't even look at how many driving games there is.

What do you think, do you like RTS games, or do they make the old brain ache :) ?

~~Belldandy~~

Belldandy wrote:
> People said the same about
> FPS games at first on consoles but now they're excellent.
>
> ~~Belldandy~~

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAA!!!!!!!!!!

Well Pikmin is an RTS game, and it worked great.

PC games are too much hassle, I prefer console games because I don't have to sit at a desk and play them, plus theres no technical reason why there shouldn't be RTS for consoles. People said the same about FPS games at first on consoles but now they're excellent.

~~Belldandy~~

good point. I never will for starters.

Ingenium Bartender wrote:
> Last I recall, the PS1 had a mouse, but it wasn't very popular, as
> console owners didn't know what to use it for.
>
> Because RTS gamnes aren't popular, mice aren't popular. Because mice
> aren't popular, RTS games aren't.
>
> Nice little circle, but as more console owners also own PCs, this
> divide should slowyl come down...

But then, if you have a PC, why buy a console RTS?

Last I recall, the PS1 had a mouse, but it wasn't very popular, as console owners didn't know what to use it for.

Because RTS gamnes aren't popular, mice aren't popular. Because mice aren't popular, RTS games aren't.

Nice little circle, but as more console owners also own PCs, this divide should slowyl come down...

How hard would it be to make a console mouse though ? Not very, and if the big three can't design a suitable controller between them it's pretty sad...

~~Belldandy~~

I love RTS games, but they never work on consoles so I only buy them for my PC. As IB said, the control method for RTS games on consoles is too tricky to use, and not fluent enough to peform complex actions which stratagy games require. You really need a mouse to play them properly.

Really, if you like RTS games, you either buy a decent PC, or don't play RTS games. Simple as that.

Now, I hated Red Alert on the PC...does that answer your question?

It's well known that PCs rule the world of the RTS game. Previously this was simply a matter of power. The simple ability of the box to keep up with the demands of the game. Now though, it's a matter of control.

Anyone who played Command and Conquer on both PS1 and PC would invariably have prefered the PC version. Until you can play RTS games on a console with a keyboard and a mouse, they will never be popular.

PC rocks.