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Remasterizado Command & Conquer, refeito O Senhor dos Anéis: A Batalha pela Terra Média, e a Idade dos Impérios rejuvenescida pode dar vida ao gênero RTS em extinção

Mais de 30 milhões de jogos Command & Conquer foram vendidos entre 1995 e 2009. (Fonte de imagem: EA)
Mais de 30 milhões de jogos Command & Conquer foram vendidos entre 1995 e 2009. (Fonte de imagem: EA)
O gênero de estratégia em tempo real (RTS) tem sido eclipsado nos últimos anos pela altamente popular arena de batalha online multiplayer (MOBA) offshoot. No entanto, parece que os fãs do RTS não foram completamente esquecidos, pois os amados títulos do gênero, como Command & Conquerth, Battle for Middle-earth, e Age of Empires, estão todos fazendo uma espécie de retorno.
Opinion by Daniel R Deakin
Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author.

Houve uma época em que os jogos de estratégia em tempo real eram os gigantes do mundo dos jogos: Populoso, Duna II, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, The Settlers, and Command & Conquer anunciaram em um período de jogos que era dominado por títulos que incentivavam os jogadores a construir bases, coletar recursos, fazer avanços tecnológicos e superar rivais. Age of Empires and Total Annihilation juntou-se à lista em 1997, e não foi uma espera muito longa antes de títulos famosos como StarCraft, Empire Earth e The Lord of the Rings: A Batalha pela Terra Média somou-se à abundância de delícias que estavam disponíveis para os fãs do RTS.

Dune II from 1992 was one of the first true RTS games. (Image source: Westwood/1001Games)
Dune II from 1992 was one of the first true RTS games. (Image source: Westwood/1001Games)

The rise of multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) titles seems to have shifted a lot of the focus in game development away from pure RTS to these popular games that have taken the esports sector by storm, such as League of Legends. The RTS genre is not completely dead, but it can be argued that it has grown close to expiration at times. When a giant franchise like Command & Conquer struggles in this area, you know things are not looking good: 2010’s Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight was met with a lukewarm reception and Command & Conquer (Generals 2) was cancelled in 2013. The popular multiplayer RTS game Age of Empires Online was shut down a year later, in 2014, meaning big name publishers like Electronic Arts and Microsoft were far from content with their RTS-related IPs.

Not even the enigmatic villain Kane could rescue C&C 4. (Image source: EA)
Not even the enigmatic villain Kane could rescue C&C 4. (Image source: EA)

However, there was something of an excited rumble in the RTS community when plans to remaster (“Definitive Edition”) the first three games in the Age of Empires series were revealed, and then Age of Empires IV was announced in 2017 with a potential release date in 2021. The rejuvenated franchise is one of the cornerstones of the RTS genre, and the 2019 gameplay footage for the fourth installment looks mouth-wateringly good. The Command & Conquer series has also helped breathe new life into the moribund genre thanks to the art of remastering. 2020’s Command & Conquer Remastered Collection has already received over 13,000 customer reviews on Steam and has maintained a “very positive” response as gamers get to choose between a legacy view and remastered view of the genre-defining classic during play.

Age of Empires IV is still in development. (Image source: Microsoft/Windows Central)
Age of Empires IV is still in development. (Image source: Microsoft/Windows Central)
The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection includes modding support. (Image source: Electronic Arts/Steam)
The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection includes modding support. (Image source: Electronic Arts/Steam)

It is RTS fans themselves that are also keeping the genre alive. For instance, Project Celeste has managed to get Age of Empires Online back up and running, and the team behind the project is even close to finishing the long-awaited Roman civilization - and the game is completely free to play. A non-commercial development of the RTS classic Battle for Middle-earth is being worked on by the devoted fans at BFME: Reforged who recently released a gameplay reveal video to show how much effort they have put in to make this much-loved 2004 title look better than ever. With a new big-budget Dune film also on the horizon, perhaps developers and publishers might be tempted to revisit the IP that arguably breathed life into the genre in the first place.

Age of Empires Online will soon have a playable Roman civilization. (Image source: Project Celeste/Microsoft)
Age of Empires Online will soon have a playable Roman civilization. (Image source: Project Celeste/Microsoft)
Battle for Middle-earth: Reforged is a work in progress. (Image source: Kotaku/BFME: Reforged)
Battle for Middle-earth: Reforged is a work in progress. (Image source: Kotaku/BFME: Reforged)
Opinion by Daniel R Deakin
Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author.
Opinion by Stefan Hinum
Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author.
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> Análises e revisões de portáteis e celulares > Arquivo de notícias 2020 08 > Remasterizado Command & Conquer, refeito O Senhor dos Anéis: A Batalha pela Terra Média, e a Idade dos Impérios rejuvenescida pode dar vida ao gênero RTS em extinção
Daniel R Deakin, 2020-08-20 (Update: 2020-09-30)