I need a recommendation for a GOOD real time strategy game

My older brother is going into heart surgery tomorrow. After the surgery he'll be in bed for about 4 weeks. I want to get him a GOOD real time strategy game so that the 4 weeks pass fast.
He's a character:
He's rigged to an IV on one side of the bed with his laptop already placed in the food table that slides over the bed.
Just wait until the Hospital finds out we "smuggled" in his notebook.


I know he finished (and loved) Empire Earth.

I know nothing about Real Time Strategy games.

Can someone recommend a GOOD pick to give as a get-well gift?

Thanks!

 

May God bless both you and your bro, I understand your feelings and wanting to be supportive. I never really got into pure "strategy" type games like Risk. But the closest I got was a game called "Lords of Magic" I am a strick Crpger but I liked this game so much I didn't even bitch. Your kingdom (army) is represented by one of the elements (Earth, Air, etc. or the undead) You get to make legions of dragons or unicorn or Liches combat each other. It was really cool I even liked the graphics, plus it's kind of old so it shouldn't cost and arm and a leg :thinker: Another kind of strategy game that i like is the Sims. Not pure strategy but you have to do alot of planing and the add on mods are very cool 0

 

Give your brother my best, Menkhur. Tell him that guy he's never met from TA wishes him well.

I'm not a fan of RTS, but can give some limited opinions.

Battle Realms is good, I think, and has an expansion or sequel or something coming out soon. It has some cool spells and units in.

Star Wars Battlegrounds is a fairly standard RTS. Well done, but probably more for Star Wars fans than RTS fans.

The one I haven't played but really like the look of is Shogun: Total War. It also has a sequel or something, Medieval Total War, out soon. My brother finished Shogun and he normally has the attention span of a speed freak holding a remote.

 

I loathed that game.

*edit: Lords of Magic, that is*

Try Starcraft, Warcraft II (both can be found fairly cheap these days), or either Command and Conquer: Red Alert.[/i]

 

What about Tribes (II)? Is that a stratagey game?

 

Tribes 2 is an FPS. Menkhur, why limit it to just RTS? I would have thought something like Empire Earth could whittle away a month, but apparently not...

Okay, try Warcraft 3. That'd be good for a week or two (depends how much time he actually spends playing the game), then he can try out the skirmish mode and stuff. Otherwise, I'd also go for something like Shogun Total War or Shogun Medieval War or whatever it's called. I'm not familiar with the particulars, but I've heard good things about those games.

If you want something that'll make that month disappear, go for Civilisation 3. It's turn based, but it will take your life, soul and time. Easily a month's worth of high-quality distractions, but only if he likes that type of game.

Then again, the computer might just piss him off so much that...well, I'd better not go into that. Rage is probably not a good emotion for somone recovering from heart surgery.

 

Warcraft III probably won't last him a full four weeks, especially since he's going to be putting alot of time into it. I'm starting in on the game now and I did about five chapters in a few hours. I think there's about 40 or so chapters before the campaign ends. Then, like Jar said, all you have left is skirmishes against the computer. I don't imagine he'll be able to hook up to Battlenet at the hospital. If he's really into RTSes, then this might be fun enough to last him the full four weeks.

I'll second Civ3 even thought it's not real time. This game is a real time eater.

 

I'll third that.

 

Arcanum would last the full four weeks 3

 

Thanks for the best wishes.
It's really nice to read these posts which I will gladly print for him.

Thanks to all for the great recommendations.

It seems I have made up my mind:
Civilization III.
I AM looking for a time-eater.

Have you ever caught yourself staing blankly into the screen at 04:00am playing Arcanum (or another RGP) thinking: "Oh! Shit! I did it again! I really should go to bed now. I have to work tomorrow ... but maybe I'll just finish this little dungeon first ....".

Well, that's him with a RTS game.
We know the drill.
Every man has his poison...
So, Civ III it will be.

(Hel Kat: I recommended Arcanum. He laughed. He said he doesn't have the time (or patience) for an RPG....
I failed to remind him he WILL be 4 weeks in bed. )

Thanks!

 

Always happy to help a fellow (or soon to be) Civ player out. Don't worry, he'll be cursing Ghandi, Catherine, Elizabeth, Xerxes, Hirawatha, Bismarck, Shaka and all the rest during his 4 week stay...

Just remind him that the computer fucks everyone over .

 

Well, I was gonna suggest a RTS game, but seeing how it's been decided already.. :wink:

Give your brother my best. Tell him that smelly, kinda retarded guy at TA said Get Well Soon.

The RTS I was gonna suggest is Age of Empires: Age of Mythology......

{EDIT} Wait, I dunno if it has been released yet.....Oh well. Maybe when the Play the World ex. pack comes out, maybe your bro would love some fresh meat to whip up on. (That would be me.) :wavey:

 

Oh well Menkhur, atleast we Tried! :wink:

 

FYI:
Heart surgery completed. Aorta vein restored with titanium valve. Will remain at intensive care 24 hours.

And Best Buy (store in the US) out of copies of Civ III, so it MUST be good.

Thanks, again, for the good wishes and advice.

 

I suggest Warcraft 3.

And may your brother get well soon.

 

Sounds like your brother is on the mend. I would like to belated change my vote to Civ3, although you have to blame Retard and Milo if he doesn't like it.

*secretly remembers the pressure of recommending Civ3 to people*

 

I hope your bro gets well quick, I am sure he will he sounds like a fighter :minigun: How old is he anyway?

 

How does he sound like a fighter? Really. What in all of this thread made you say he sounds like a fighter? How much responsibility is laid at his feet for surviving an operation? None - it's all up to the surgeons and nurses.

Now, if he'd lost an arm and a leg, and then driven himself to the hospital, then he's a fighter, as well as one hell of a driver to not pass out and crash'n'burn'n'die'n'cost-a-helluva-lot-of-money-to-clean-up-and-pay-for-the-funeral.

 

Actually, he's not a fighter.

He's an Economist with an MBA from the London School of Business who happens to have a heart condition for the last 29 years. (Since he was born).

But he'll live.
Truth is, if this was the year 1991, I'd be concerned...
But since this is 2002, then everything will be all-right.

Thanks.