Armchair Generals Trivia Quiz

Answer:

More than most, strategy gamers might get some joy out of lists. Here's a bit of information about each of the correct answers included in this quiz, including which are usually considered the best or most noteworthy titles in the series.

(1991): "Sid Meier's Civilization" is a turn-based 4X game that set the standard for what a strategy game could be before the term 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) was even coined. It was strongly lauded by critics at the time, with its sequel "Civilization II" (1996) garnering even higher praise.

Noteworthy title(s): "Civilization IV" (2005) is most often considered the best iteration in the series due to its depth and a host of newly introduced game mechanics. Its expansion pack was also exceptionally strong. Many also consider II, V, and VI to be solid entries.

(1993): "Master of Orion," which might be considered a space version of the "Civilization" oeuvre, was the game that spawned the term 4X that is still widely used today. It is also turn-based. Originally played on MS-DOS, players took control of one of ten races to conquer the galaxy. It still consistently appears on many lists of influential games.

Noteworthy title(s): "Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares" is generally considered the peak of the series, building on the systems of the first game.

(1994): "X-COM: UFO Defense" is an early turn-based tactics and management game in which you control characters in battle scenarios complete with obstructions and hazards. It was almost canceled twice, but despite that, it became a successful franchise in its own right.

Noteworthy title(s): The 2012 relaunch of the game, "XCOM: Enemy Unknown," reinvigorated the tactical battle subgenre and won several gaming awards.

(1995): "Command & Conquer" is a real-time strategy game that helped set the standard for that subgenre. It is set in an alternative historical timeline involving a United Nations-backed organization called the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod. The original earned numerous plaudits.

Noteworthy title(s): While the first game had a strong impact, its prequel, "Command & Conquer: Red Alert" (1996), became a defining core memory etched into the brain of many gamers in the 1990s. Its storytelling is utterly engaging: in another alternative historical timeline, it imagines the Soviet Union sweeping across Europe and the Allied Powers struggling to stop it.

(1997): "Age of Empires" is a real-time strategy game set in the time of ancient civilizations. You battle your enemies across different ages (Stone, Tool, Bronze, and Iron) and can even build wonders on your map, such as the Pyramids.

Noteworthy title(s): "Age of Empires II" (1999) is considered the strongest title, so much so that its Definitive Edition has kept the game alive decades later. Honorable mention goes to the spin-off "Age of Mythology," which added mythical creatures and god powers to the already successful formula.

(1998): Set in a sci-fi world, Blizzard's "StarCraft" is a real-time strategy game that did so many things right. You can play as one of three factions: the Terrans (humans), the Protoss (psionic aliens), or the Zerg (an insectoid swarm species). "StarCraft" was one of the titles that helped popularize professional gaming competitions across the world.

Noteworthy title(s): While the sequel was strong, nothing has surpassed the cultural impact of the first game. Its expansion pack, "Brood War," is considered one of the best ever made and won numerous awards.

(1999): While most sci-fi 4X games up to this point had fixated on conquering multiple planets across a galaxy, "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri" is set on a single planet. The game's mechanics are similar to those of Meier's "Civilization" series, but where it differs is in its rich philosophical and technological flavor. Cutscenes, voiceovers, and pop-up paragraphs packed with lore all combine to make this universe shine, and for those who make "top games" lists, this one still shows up quite often.

(2000): A behemoth in the genre, the "Total War" franchise started with a risk. "Shogun: Total War" was by no means a guaranteed success when it was in production, but it received positive enough reviews to spawn a long-running series. The game combines a turn-based world map with real-time battles between full armies.

Noteworthy title(s): "Rome: Total War" (2004) shot the series into gaming stardom, becoming one of the most beloved games in the strategy genre. It was followed by "Medieval II: Total War" (2006), which is almost equally beloved. Honorable mention goes to "Total War: Warhammer II" (2017), which brings the series into a beautiful (and dangerous) fantasy world.

(2000): Based on a somewhat obscure French board game, "Europa Universalis" became one of the first video game series to be associated with a new subgenre of strategy games called "grand strategy." This subgenre involves a player taking on the role of a political entity on a map, one of many countries or kingdoms that might try to conquer and control the others. Another feature of this subgenre is its numerous and intricate game mechanics, some so detailed that they can become intimidating to players outside the genre.

Noteworthy title(s): "Europa Universalis IV" (2013) is the giant of this series. It became so popular and enduring that its developers continued adding downloadable content for more than a decade before the next iteration was released in 2025.

(2001): "Stronghold" is a real-time strategy game set in a medieval setting. The first game in the series had solid sales and a decent reception.

Noteworthy title(s): "Stronghold: Crusader" (2002) is usually considered the fan favorite, largely because it offered custom battles against computer-controlled opponents in addition to a campaign mode.

(2002): Now synonymous in the strategy gaming world with WWII, the first "Hearts of Iron," a grand strategy game, was not received particularly well by critics. An unpolished release and a ban in the Chinese market hurt its reception. Later iterations performed much better.

Noteworthy title(s): "Hearts of Iron IV" (2016) seems to have hit the sweet spot between playability and depth. It offers a number of possible alternative historical paths that make the gameplay fascinating, and it has also received numerous rounds of additional content.

(2003): "Rise of Nations" combines elements of turn-based empire-building games with real-time strategy gameplay, but it is not limited to one time period. Instead, the game lets you progress from the ancient world to the modern era. This was quite a revolutionary concept at the time, and the game achieved it fairly well.

Noteworthy title(s): The original game sold very well and still holds up, but a later 2006 fantasy adaptation, "Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends," sold less successfully. The franchise suffered as a result, and future releases were eventually canceled.

(2004): "Crusader Kings" is a grand strategy game that, rather than focusing on conquering the most land, is more concerned with cultivating your dynasty. This brings an intriguing role-playing element to strategy games, which is not always a major consideration in the genre.

Noteworthy title(s): "Crusader Kings II" (2012) is usually considered the best game of the bunch for what it did historically for the genre. Also, if you hear dark jokes about medieval practices such as murder and incest coming from the game's players, it is because "CKII" did not shy away from depicting the darker aspects of history.

(2006): "Company of Heroes" is a real-time strategy game in which you capture key areas on the map and try to hold them with your units in a WWII setting. It received strong reviews and sold well upon release.

Noteworthy title(s): The original is generally considered the best of the first three entries in the series, though the sequel earned a stronger reputation after additional features and updates were added.

(2016): "Stellaris" combines elements of the 4X and grand strategy genres. Its mechanics have evolved over the years, and the game has received numerous updates and DLC. One of its more interesting mechanics is its system of crises: a series of cataclysmic events that can rattle the cosmos when you progress far enough, giving the late game a fresh sense of challenge (an area where 4X games sometimes stumble).