It is hard to pick just one.

Total War - When it comes down to which game requires the best strategic thinker, it has to be total war. These games are a perfect balance between simulation and fun. I just wish they had a better multiplayer system.

World In Conflict - I seldom see this game get the respect it deserves, but this is the best team based RTS game I've played. There is no base management, all of your efforts goes straight to the battle. Without proper teamwork, you cannot hope to win. There, however, lies it's greatest flaw, as people online are dicks. The only fun way to play this game, IMO, is to find a bunch of friends to buy it.

Sins of the Solar Empire - In my, greatest RTS list, this is the closest to having the feel of a traditional RTS. Everything in this game is so well balanced and is the best space based RTS i've seen (sorry Star Trek Armada). Just about my favorite thing in this game are the Star Bases. You can either use them to enhance your defenses, establish your presence in an area you cannot colonize, or take it with you when you attack a planet. Starbases are awesome.

There are a lot of other RTS games I've played, an a lot of classics. However, this wasn't the "most nostalgic" RTSs but rather "Best RTSs".

I'm seriously torn between Warcraft and Age of Empires, but judging by the time I spent playing these games, Warcraft is shoulders ahead.

1. Starcraft

2. Warcraft

3. Dawn of War 40K

4. Total Annihilation/Supreme Commander

5. Homeworld

5. Total War

6. Myth

7. Age of Empires/Mythology

8. Battlezone

9. Command & Conquer/Red Alert

10. Rise of Nations

Never got to a chance to play Sins of Solar Empire or Company of Heroes.  I have them, just haven't spent any time on them yet.

Tough between AoE and Warcraft.

Gotta go with AoE, though!

Voted for Warcraft, though I love all the others too!

Warcraft for me, it would win simply based on Warcraft 2 but is just so happens that the first and third are brilliant as well!

does the total war series count?

I can't stand Starcraft's outdated control system, scrolling the screen is a pain.

I play Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 almost daily and still enjoy it. The Westwood games in the C&C series are phenomenal games, with RA2 obviously being my favorite. Certain factions have small advantages depending on what map it is, sure, but that's generally only on large maps.

A lot of RTS games focus too much on defense, but in RA2 you don't win if you don't apply pressure early and often. No building up your base for 5-10 minutes then attacking, more like building up in 3 minutes then attacking. Although there are exceptions, in most cases games are over after around 5 minutes, sometimes 10. I like that.

KylieDog said: Words Of Wisdom said: KylieDog said: Great game, sadly the sequel was shit in comparison. I loved that game.  Never got to play the sequel sadly.   It had a few good new features but adding a Z dimension to the maps and created too many ship types making many useless and not really filling a good role, plus some outright silly ideas like combining 8 borg cubes for a super cube.  The first game was more simplistic, every ship had a use and the gameplay more about tactics than strength.

It's funny you should mention the super cube.  My favorite tactic in the second game was to steal enemy crew to slow down the enemy until I eventually had enough cubes to form the super cube.  Of course, at that point I would just move my super cube in the middle of their base and watch it destroy everything.

Nope.

Total War is a Real-time tactics/Turn-based strategy series.