Dune was one of the first mouse-based strategy games, and it saw fantastic popularity in its day. After a couple of sequels that didn't match the success of the original, the franchise died out around the turn of the century. The series deserves a new chance; it should return with modern graphics and updated gameplay.

This genre fell off after the '90s, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted—there's almost nothing more exhilarating than flying through open space and blowing up everything you can point your spacecraft at. The Star Wars X-Wing and TIE Fighter games were a blast, as were the Freespace titles. Descent crossed this genre with the first-person shooter, letting players twist and turn themselves in any way they saw fit with "six degrees of freedom."

Today, space combat occasionally makes a cameo in other genre's games, such as Halo: Reach and Red Faction: Armageddon. But we could use a new game that's all space combat, all the time. How about TIE Fighter II, or Freespace 3? The majesty of space and the awe-inspiring flames of huge explosions would truly come alive in a modern graphics engine, and we all need an excuse to buy big joysticks for our PCs. Those things are sweet.

By Robert VerBruggen Contributing Writer Date: June 11, 2012

*The views expressed within this article are solely the opinion of the author and do not express the views held by Cheat Code Central.*