#37: Warcraft 3

This is the one strategy game on my list.  That's because I play strategy games differently than many people.  I play strategy games strictly for the single player.  I rarely like jumping into competitive multiplayer, and if I did, I'm sure that Starcraft would be on the list.

However, Warcraft was the first RTS that I played that incorporated a heavy level of RPG systems into the campaign.  Your protagonists (or antagonists that you controlled) leveled up throughout their personal campaigns.  Realizing that the character was yours to control and improve gave the player a larger attachment to the hero's plight.

The level up system wasn't the only attachment I had to the game.  The story was an excellent look at the political and social issues of the fictional universe.  I loved the real emotions shown between the fake characters.  It led me to beat the game multiple times over the years just to get back into the lore of Azeroth.

Many people would have the Command and Conquer games on this list.  For me though, there's one key difference between Warcraft 3 and the C&C games.  Unlike Command and Conquer games, the separate playable armies actually play differently in Warcraft.  They aren't just color schemes and paint jobs.

Either way you look at it, for a single player RTS'er, Warcraft 3 offered a grand experience.