24. Rome: Total War (PC)
Rome: Total War is a captivating mix of turn-based and real-time strategy that is responsible for devouring a shamefully large portion of my life. The empire building aspect is pretty sweet in itself as you take control of a House of Rome and go about the business of bringing civilization to barbarians, developing settlements, and doing the Senate's bidding. Managing your family tree lends a nice RPGish aspect to the game, and more than once I've wept with pride as some young good-or-nothing grew into a battle-scarred military genius. This would make a decent game all on its own, but combined with real-time battles with hundreds and even thousands of troops marching across huge, sweeping battlefields (which look dated now but were downright cinematic in the day), it transcends into greatness. There is little else in gaming that matches the thrill of breaking a massive, snarling horde on your city's walls with little more than a skeleton force at your disposal... unless it's telling the SPQR to suck it, cracking through the massive walls of Rome, and conquering it for your own! Oh yeah! I wish I could say that I'm also proud to say that Rome: Total War marks the last time I gave Activision any of my money, as Sega has published all installments of the series since.
