Key Takeaways
- Vintage strategy games like MechCommander 2 offer nostalgia and a dose of epic battles with mechanical soldiers.
- Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor was discontinued due to limited fanbase and poor sales despite being daring.
- Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 offers strategic gameplay set on a futuristic planet with 4 factions fighting for resources.
Many veteran gamers agree that vintage strategy games are among the best in the genre’s catalog. Not only do they offer a feeling of nostalgia, but they also have great mechanics, especially for their time. The 90s and early 2000s saw the birth of many franchises that are still successful and releasing games to this day.
Unfortunately, many of these timeless classics now live only within players’ memory, as they can no longer be bought through traditional means. No online outlet sells them, and while there are a few “free” sites where they can still be downloaded, they’re not official and can be dangerous. Here are some strategy games you cannot buy anymore.
5 MechCommander 2
Battle With Massive Mechanical Soldiers
- Platform(s): PC
- Released: July 17, 2001
- Developer(s): FASA Studio
- Genre: Real-time tactics, RPG
- Issues with the BattleTech IP caused this game to stop being sold.
- Players command Mechs to win battles and defeat their enemies.
Set in the BattleTech universe, MechCommander2 will have players command a company during a civil war. Houses Steiner and Davion will fight against each other in an endless struggle for control and supremacy by leading and controlling powerful mechanical soldiers. The game involves loadout resource management and a ton of tactical strategies. As the game progresses, players will encounter increasingly difficult challenges and obstacles that they’ll have to try to overcome through any means necessary.
MechCommander 2 stopped being available mainly due to issues with the BattleTech IP. Now, it sadly can’t be purchased anymore except for a few second-hand copies available online.
4 Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor
A Risky Take On An Established Franchise
- Platform(s): PC
- Released: December 8, 1997
- Developer(s): Westwood Studios
- Genre: Action Strategy
- This title took a different approach to the Command & Conquer formula.
- The game was discontinued due to poor sales and a limited fanbase.
This game was daring in many ways. It stepped out of the classic Command & Conquer formula by only having multiplayer mode and incorporating a last-man-standing approach, similar to modern battle royales. In Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor, players take control of a single tank or soldier through different maps as they try to survive and defeat their competition.
While the game presented players with a completely new experience, it wasn’t very well received, as fans of the franchise were very comfortable with the old game mechanics. This led to poor sales and a limited fanbase, which quickly resulted in the title being discontinued. While the Command & Conquer franchise continued to thrive, Sole Survivor could never be part of its success again.
3 Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3
Four Factions Fighting To Control A Planet’s Resources
- Platform(s): PC
- Released: June 11, 1998
- Developer(s): 7th Level, Ion Storm
- Genre: Real-time Strategy
- Early 3D graphics in a game of its genre.
- The game stopped being sold when developer 7th Level closed down.
Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 is a futuristic real-time strategy game set on Gift 3, a war-torn planet where four factions (Scorps, Darkens, Mercs, and Humans) are in control of its valuable resources. Heavily based on resource gathering and management, as well as large-scale tactical combat, this game’s storyline intertwines the perspectives of the four factions in their race towards controlling Gift 3’s precious resources.
This title was also one of the few games that were already introducing 3D graphics into games of its genre, which made it visually impressive for its time. Unfortunately, when developer 7th Level closed down, the game was no longer available. These days, it can be purchased online through second-hand sellers, but new instances of the game are almost impossible to come by.
2 Dune 2000
Houses Atreides, Harkonnen, & Ordos Fight For Arrakis
- Platform(s): PC, PlayStation
- Released: August 31, 1998
- Developer(s): Westwood Studios, Intelligent Games
- Genre: Real-time strategy, Action Game
- Remake of the 1992 classic, Dune 2.
- Three different factions fight over control of Arrakis, a precious spice planet.
Dune 2000 is the remake of the original 1992 game, Dune 2. Like other games of this genre, Dune 2000 follows the story of three different factions (House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and House Ordos) as they fight over control of the precious spice planet Arrakis. This title will have players building bases, managing resources and leading large armies into tactical, real-time battles.
Each faction in the game has unique abilities that help make the interesting storyline even more exciting. Dune 2000 paved the way for later real-time strategy games and helped keep the Dune franchise alive. Sadly, though, after a few licensing issues regarding the franchise’s IP, the game was pulled from stores, rendering it unavailable thereafter.
1 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth 2
A Strategic Take On The Franchise’s Epic Battles
- Players can control up to six different factions.
- There’s a Good Campaign and an Evil Campaign.
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth 2 expands beyond the events of the film and includes precious material and lore from J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary masterpieces. Players will control different factions, including Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, and the forces of Sauron. The game also allows players to either defend Middle-Earth in the Good Campaign, or conquer it as Sauron in the Evil one.
With tons of customization options and iconic battle locations, including Dol-Guldur, and Rivendell, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth 2 is a great classic that many veteran players surely remember. After the licensing agreements with the Lord of the Rings IP expired, the game struggled to keep selling due to legal issues. Players can still purchase a copy from several second-hand outlets, but they’re expensive, and the item’s condition can vary.