Xbox Economist (08-14-10)

Hello, and welcome to another session of the Xbox Economist! The feature where we show you the best way to spend your buck, and give you the best fun to price ration possible. As always be mindful that there might be small spoilers, and that this is not a review (it's a friendly recommendation). Also there may be naughty language.

This week we declare war on expensive games, and introduce you to a rare genre of games. That being the console RTS. However unlike other popular RTS tittles that sucked (Star Craft 64 anyone?) this game does not! So for those who have no knowledge of RTS games you should know that this might not be for you. However it should be tried! Still here? Ok, let's continue.


Like other RTS games you are out to gain resources, build your army, and if you feel like it kill and take over your enemy's cities. However this is not what you need to win. You actually can play it nice, sit in the corner, and still win. There's actually four ways to win. Building the UN, getting 20,000 gold, exploring space in your space ship, and of course killing everything that moves! Speaking of choices you also have 16 choices of who to play in your four player skirmishes. Each having their own minor ability that might help you out at some point.

Sure the gameplay is classic Civ, but even I believe RTS games are meant for the PC only. However I will make the one exception for this game, because it works so well with the controls it uses. So if you are new to the RTS world you might want to check it out. It is light enough for beginners, but heavy enough to stand up to other RTS games. You can pick it up on Amazon for just under $20 new, but they have used deals as well that might save you some more cash.