TelcontarVI

Turn-based strategy games probably peaked in the 90s. You had a huge variety of options: Heroes of Might and Magic, Civilization, X-Com, Colonization, Master of Magic, Master of Orion, and many more. The list felt almost endless. Maybe that was why Incubation struggled to become a commercial hit. It received great reviews, and I personally thought it was brilliant, but it sold rather poorly. It stands out for its impressive (for the time) 3D graphics, tense atmosphere, and a mix of turn-based strategy, squad management, and RPG progression. Incubation (also known as Battle Isle Phase Four) is a classic 1997 turn-based tactics game developed by Blue Byte. Set in a futuristic human colony on the planet Scay'Hallwa, the story follows an elite squad of space marines fighting to contain a catastrophic alien threat. A mysterious virus has mutated the native Scay'Ger into monsters after the protective energy shield fails, turning the colony city into a battlefield. You command a squad of up to eight marines, each with different skills, weapons, and roles. They gain experience and can level up throughout the campaign. For a game that's nearly 30 years old, it still holds up remarkably well. Just like the rest of the Battle Isle series (also by Blue Byte), I'm surprised it doesn't get mentioned more often among classic strategy fans.

Elite (1984) was a masterpiece. Frontier: Elite II (1993) was and still is beyond anything I can understand, and still struggle to make sense of. It was shipped on one main floppy disk for most versions, with a second disk that was purely optional and not required for gameplay. Now, here comes the kicker: The game simulated approximately 200 billion stars (try to imagine that number...), and was modeled after our real galaxy's estimated star count, with stars distributed in a realistic density map - meaning denser toward the galactic core. Nearly every star had its own star system with planets and moons. Systems could have up to 20+ planets/moons. The game had millions of visitable planets and moons, and you could visit any planet or moon in any system, with realistic 1:1 scale orbits, gravity, and physics. All on ONE (!) disk...

Give me the kind of good news from around the world that nobody ever talks about... but should.

Exactly 30 years ago today, The Settlers II was released by Blue Byte (April 17, 1996). It was a highly regarded real-time strategy and city-building game (also known as "Die Siedler II" in its original German title). A major hit across Europe, it is still considered a classic in the genre today. In the 90s, Blue Byte was a real powerhouse - they also developed the Battle Isle and History Line series. The Settlers franchise is without a doubt their biggest legacy, with over 10 million copies sold across the entire series.