Command & Conquer

Command & Conquer is one of the landmark real-time strategy games, turning resource gathering, base construction and battlefield management into a spectacularly addictive routine. You build your base, collect Tiberium, manufacture units and then politely explain to the enemy that their base would look much better as a smoking crater. The campaign's live-action sequences, memorable factions and distinctive presentation gave the game an identity beyond its mechanics, while the strategic foundation proved enormously influential. It is fast, readable and surprisingly accessible despite offering plenty of tactical possibilities. Even decades later, Command & Conquer remains a fine demonstration of how satisfying it can be to click on an army and confidently send everyone somewhere dangerous.