Grindy turn-based combat is the name of the game here. You will lose demons and you will often die yourself. In fact, it’s probably best not to get too attached to party members because SMT III is known for its steep difficulty. Sure, in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster you have a party just like in Persona, but instead of getting to know a set character roster through a scripted story, over the course of SMT III you recruit demons that you fight in the world to round out your party, and they’re typically dispensable. Persona games tend have a heavy focus on up-beat teenage stories of a team taking on the world, while the SMT games are typically darker and solitary. While the Persona series has seen more popularity in the west, the mainline Shin Megami Tensei JRPG series is very similar, yet very different at the same time. Better yet, it’s a strong foundation for updates yet to come, and you can play it for “free” as part of a monthly Xbox Games Pass subscription, the best deal in PC gaming. It’s not quite as deep as AoE 2 is yet-that game has been out and being tweaked for over 20 years-but Age of Empires IV is nevertheless fun and deep. Each civilization brings its own quirks and advantages to the table, and as always, you can win the game in several different ways, from scoring a religious victory to building and holding a late-game Wonder. Age of Empires IVstays true (almost too true, at times) to the classic formula, offering four campaigns (each with branching civ-specific landmark choices that change your empire’s direction in different ways) and eight different empires to play in skirmish battles or multiplayer clashes.

All these years later, Age of Empires II remains a gold standard in the real-time strategy genre, and it’s only getting stronger with the extra attention devoted to the recent Definite Edition release-but that’s not the only way to scratch that AoE itch.

Best simulation games of 2015