Suffice it to say, 2004 was a great year to be a PC Gamer. No matter what type of game you liked, there was a good chance that something released in the past year would sate your thirst. Well, adventure gamers had it hard, but they always have it hard. And single player RPGs were in very short supply. For the most part, though, gamers had it good.

Strategy gamers in particular had a lot to be thankful for. Rome: Total War and Sims 2 proved that reliable franchises do not have to just phone it in. The Thrones and Patriots expansion for Rise of Nations expanded that great game without breaking the precarious balance of cultures that makes it so much fun. Paradox looks like it has beaten the bloat disease by releasing a preciously simple game like Crusader Kings – the hardcore Victoria players hate it, but I can’t really see why.

There were some real sleeper titles too, like Sunflower’s Knights of Honor and the ever underappreciated Timegate’s Kohan 2 (What do these guys have to do to get some respect from the average gamer?). I’m hearing good things about Armies of Exigo, so I should probably check it out, too.

Disappointments? Axis and Allies proved that Timegate is mortal after all – it was an ill-conceived mess, IMO. And Golemlabs proved that they never learn from their own mistakes, because Superpower 2 was terrible.

The theme of the year was World War 2. I can’t count how many WW2 games were out this year – both strategy players and shooter afficianados had lots to choose from.