{"id":154,"date":"2026-10-14T16:42:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T16:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.theicealphawolfden.com\/?p=154"},"modified":"2026-10-14T16:42:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T16:42:37","slug":"eight-futures-one-misplaced-god-pc-gaming-worlds-fantasy-science-fiction-strategy-ranking-revisited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.theicealphawolfden.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/14\/eight-futures-one-misplaced-god-pc-gaming-worlds-fantasy-science-fiction-strategy-ranking-revisited\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight Futures, One Misplaced God: PC Gaming World\u2019s Fantasy & Science Fiction Strategy Ranking Revisited"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dansk PC Gaming World<\/em> issue 7\/2005 put eight games in its \u201cFantasy & Science Fiction\u201d strategy ranking. There were space fleets, dinosaurs, fantasy armies, role-playing elements and a giant creature helping you play god. Looking at the list now, I understand why it sounded exciting. I also know how quickly some of these games can lose me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I played Star Wars: Empire at War<\/em> with my friend Shilka, tried Heroes of Might & Magic V<\/em> a little, and really liked Black & White 2<\/em>. I cannot remember whether I ever played SpellForce 2<\/em>. Rise of Legends<\/em>, ParaWorld<\/em> and Dragonshard<\/em> never got played. I tried one Warhammer 40,000<\/em> game, but I do not think it was Winter Assault<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, the strongest game here is Black & White 2<\/em>. I never completed it, and I found it a little too hard. Make it more user friendly, push its good and evil paths much further, and give its creatures more variety and meaning, and I think it could be the best game ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eight games, eight forecasts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This was a preview ranking. The printed positions judged games that were still coming, rather than eight finished campaigns the magazine had already reviewed. That matters when a short paragraph promises something extraordinary without explaining how it will work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rank and game<\/th>Printed release window<\/th>Original PC release period<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1. SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars<\/em><\/td>Q4 2005<\/td>Spring 2006<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
2. Star Wars: Empire at War<\/em><\/td>Q4 2005<\/td>February 2006<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
3. Black & White 2<\/em><\/td>Q4 2005<\/td>October 2005<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
4. Rise of Legends<\/em><\/td>Q1 2006<\/td>May 2006<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
5. ParaWorld<\/em><\/td>Q4 2005<\/td>September 2006<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
6. Heroes of Might & Magic V<\/em><\/td>Q1 2006<\/td>May 2006<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
7. Dragonshard<\/em><\/td>Q4 2005<\/td>Autumn 2005<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
8. Dawn of War: Winter Assault<\/em><\/td>Q3 2005<\/td>September 2005<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Regional launch dates varied; these are the original 2005\u20132006 PC releases, rather than later storefront release dates. Five of the eight games arrived after the quarter printed in the magazine.<\/strong> ParaWorld<\/em> moved from late 2005 to September 2006. The first-place SpellForce 2<\/em> also became a 2006 game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A delay does not tell me whether a game is good. It does show how much uncertainty sat behind this confident-looking list. A numbered preview can make excitement look settled when the release schedule alone is still moving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. SpellForce 2: a hybrid I cannot place in my memory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The magazine put SpellForce 2<\/em> first. Its paragraph describes a mixture of role-playing and real-time strategy, then spends much of its space on new technology, a detailed world and a revised command system. At least the hybrid identity comes through: heroes and their development share a game with resources, buildings and armies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official Anniversary Edition description<\/a> still identifies that RPG\/RTS mixture as the series\u2019 core. It packages Shadow Wars<\/em> with Dragon Storm<\/em>. The original Shadow Wars<\/em> received a PC Metascore of 80<\/a>, so the magazine\u2019s first choice became a well-received game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"SpellForce<\/a>
Hero portraits share the screen with army resources and construction controls. SpellForce 2<\/em> screenshot published by Quest for Gaming<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I have SpellForce<\/em> games on Steam, but I cannot remember whether I ever played SpellForce 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Recreated<\/a>
PC Gaming World<\/em> 7\/2005, rank 1. Recreated layout with the printed wording and forecast retained. Untouched original photograph<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Empire at War: Shilka liked this sort of game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I played Star Wars: Empire at War<\/em> with Shilka. He likes this kind of game. I usually find it too slow. If I can fall asleep while playing, it is way too slow for me.<\/strong> That is why I more or less leave these kinds of strategy games alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The magazine leads with Episode III having reached cinemas, then offers space battles and familiar planets such as Hoth and Tatooine. The licence does most of the selling. The interesting design question is how commanding a galaxy, fighting over a planet and directing a fleet fit together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Star<\/a>
The galactic layer: Hoth is selected, with other planets, income and production choices visible. Screenshot from bit-tech\u2019s February 2006 review<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Petroglyph\u2019s game reached PC in February 2006 and received a Metascore of 79<\/a>. Its separate strategic and tactical layers gave the Star Wars setting something substantial to do. They still asked for a pace and patience that did not suit me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Recreated<\/a>
PC Gaming World<\/em> 7\/2005, rank 2. Recreated layout with the printed wording and forecast retained. Untouched original photograph<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3. Black & White 2: the one I really liked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I really like Black & White 2<\/em>. I never finished it. My main problem is that it is a little too hard, and I wanted the experience to be more user friendly. The idea is so good that I kept wanting a version that made it easier to enjoy everything it offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its combination makes much more sense to me as a god game and city-building hybrid than as another fantasy army game. You build settlements, look after their inhabitants, train a giant creature and decide how to gain control. An impressive city can attract people peacefully; an army can take territory by force. That is already a much more interesting starting point than simply choosing an army colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Black<\/a>
City building in Black & White 2<\/em>: buildings, resources and the settlement\u2019s alignment display remain visible. Screenshot published by Playground.ru<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here is the beginning of my own playthrough, Part I: Black & White 2! Will the Ice Wolf Choose Good or Evil?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n