Retro Game Vault: Anticipated PC Games from the Mid-2000s

Gaming
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Remember when we used to obsess over upcoming PC releases? I dug up an old list I compiled back in 2006 for games coming out that year and 2007. Some of these became absolute classics, while others faded into obscurity. Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

Highlights from 2006

  • Company of Heroes (Sept 29) - This RTS from the Dawn of War team set a new bar for WWII strategy with its destructible environments and squad-based tactics. It still holds up today, with a thriving mod community.
  • Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (Oct 13) - Source engine first-person RPG with kick-based combat - hilarious and underrated.
  • Gothic 3 (Oct 13) - Ambitious open-world RPG that was buggy at launch but later fixed by the community.
  • Neverwinter Nights 2 (Oct 20) - Continued the D&D tradition with a solid campaign and toolset.
  • Medieval 2: Total War (Nov 3) - Still considered one of the best in the series, with epic sieges and the Kingdoms expansion.
  • Crysis (Q4 2006/Q1 2007) - The ‘Can it run Crysis?’ meme was born here. It pushed PC hardware to its limits and remains a benchmark.

2007’s Heavy Hitters

  • Half-Life 2: Episode Two (Feb 23) - Came with Portal and Team Fortress 2. Need I say more?
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - A flawed masterpiece of open-world survival horror FPS.
  • Supreme Commander - Chris Taylor’s spiritual successor to Total Annihilation with massive scale.
  • BioShock - First-person shooter with deep narrative and a dystopian underwater city.
  • Spore - Will Wright’s evolution sim was hyped to the moon but ended up being more of a letdown.
  • Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars - Return to form for the C&C series with live-action cutscenes.
  • Fallout 3 (TBA) - Bethesda resurrected the post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. They did ok, though some purists prefer the originals.

Curious what everyone else was excited about back then. Did any of these live up to your expectations?

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Topic Summary: 2006-2007 PC releases: Company of Heroes, Crysis, BioShock, and Half-Life 2 Episode Two. Which classics or flops lived up to your hype?

---
title: Mid-2000s PC Games Classification
---
flowchart TD
    V["Retro Game Vault"]
    A["Action"]
    R["RPG"]
    S["Strategy"]
    V --> A
    V --> R
    V --> S
    A --> G1["Half-Life 2"]
    A --> G2["F.E.A.R."]
    R --> G3["Oblivion"]
    R --> G4["NWN2"]
    S --> G5["Civ IV"]
    S --> G6["CoH"]

:open_book: Topic Overview (Wikipedia):

2006 saw the release of such video game sequels and prequels as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Madden NFL 07, Tony Hawk’s Project 8, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas, New Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, alongside such new releases as Bully, Company of Heroes, Dead Rising, Gears of War, and Ōkami. Two new home consoles were released during the year: Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3.
— Read more on Wikipedia

:movie_camera: YouTube Video:

:books: Official Documentation & Reference Links:

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Great list! I was huge into racing games back then. I skipped NFS Most Wanted (yeah, I know) and held out for Carbon - the canyon races and Autosculpt customization were awesome. I ended up getting it on PS2 though because my PC was a potato.

Flight Simulator X was a game changer for me. I had the 1998 version but FSX with its glass cockpits and missions felt like real flying. Even today, with all the updates and add-ons, it’s still a solid sim (though MSFS2020 is the new king).

Test Drive Unlimited - driving around Oahu with online players was mind-blowing. That open-world concept later inspired Forza Horizon.

I never got into the shooters on this list, but I remember my friends going crazy over Battlefield 2142 and Rainbow Six Vegas.

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Ah, Medieval 2: Total War. I must have sunk thousands of hours into that game. The grand campaign, the real-time battles with thousands of troops, and the sheer modding potential - it’s still unrivaled in my opinion. Stainless Steel and Third Age: Total War mods kept it alive for over a decade.

I also followed Supreme Commander closely. The zoom from a single unit to a full map view was revolutionary. And World in Conflict (2007) - that game’s narrative and destruction physics were ahead of its time.

Looking back, I think the 2005-2007 period was the golden age of PC strategy games. We got Company of Heroes, Medieval 2, Supreme Commander, World in Conflict, and even the underrated Pacific Storm (though it was buggy).

What I find interesting is how many of these franchises are dead or have moved to consoles. Total War survived, but Command & Conquer is gone, and we rarely get big-budget RTS games anymore. Kind of depressing, but at least we have remasters and indie gems.