W FEATURE
mix. Command & Conquer: Generals, the first post-
Westwood game in the series, switched the setting
to another near-future crisis, ditched harvesters, and
went 3D. Civilization had also returned home to its
creator after some drama, litigation, and Activision’s
Civilization: Call to Power. Civilization III would prove
to be a divisive instalment, but it also introduced the
culture system, changing the ways civilizations could
expand and opening up new paths to victory that didn’t
involve conquest.
In 2002, Blizzard returned to Azeroth with a story of
unlikely ententes, demonic armies, and superpowered
heroes. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos was a fantasy epic
not just driven by armies and resource-gathering, but
by sympathetic, multifaceted characters whose stories
continue to develop today. The plot actually started out
as an adventure game, Warcraft Adventures: Lord of
the Clans. With it, Blizzard wanted to chart the life of
Thrall, the eventual leader of one of Warcraft’s factions,
the Horde. It was ultimately shelved, but the story of
Thrall got a second life in Reign of Chaos.
The importance of these heroes went beyond the
narrative. When Warcraft III was first announced
in 1999, it was a strategy RPG, reminiscent of King’s
Bounty or Heroes of Might and Magic. A lot of the RPG
elements ended up on the cutting room floor, but the
ole of heroes persevered. Heroes were powerful units
who grew as they gained experience, developing handy
new abilities. They could equip magical gear, too, and
even do a spot of shopping to give them an edge. Sure,
hey were surrounded by small armies and fighting in a
world-shaking war, but these were adventuring
RPG heroes.
It was still undoubtedly an RTS, but amid all the
base-building and troop management were nods toTV shows featuring
videogames are usually
rubbish, but not Time
Commanders. The BBC
show gave teams of
four a historical army to
lead and an enemy to
fight, with captains
barking out orders and
the rest of the team
relaying them to staff
from the show. There
were planning sessions,
teams poring over
maps, and tons of
heated discussions, but
the thing that broughtthe battles to life was
our pal Rome: Total
War. Products can’t be
promoted on the BBC,
so the game wasn’t
mentioned, but it was
the show’s linchpin. All
of the Time
Commanders’ orders
were acted out on a
modified version of the
game, and it looked
incredible. Only two
series were produced,
but it was briefly
resurrected in 2016.TIME COMMANDERS
ABOVE: Frost Wyrms
just want to help
everyone cool down.
Honestly!e r w n e t w R b