Originally Posted by
RaZDaZ
The games that require the most skill at the highest level imo although less knowledge on MOBA as I refuse to play them but I still watch them competitively:
SC: Brood War >>>>>>>>>> SC2 > Quake > CS 1.6 > Natural Selection 1/2 > DOTA2 > HoN > LoL > AvP2 > Halo > WoW > Call of Duty
Comments on some of the games:
- Brood War is so brutally tough compared to the rest. Only SC2 can compete with how complex, mechanically demanding, intellectually stimulating, memory dependent, mind games involved, emotionally dependent, meta development and strategy refinement of which these factors decide the overall complication of the game that even MOBAs are an utter joke in comparison.
- Quake is up there as well. It's like StarCraft but FPS. Accuracy of twitch aim and tracking, movement, dodge, twitch reflexes, positioning, memory, map control, engagement terms and understanding, knowing your enemy and map specific strategy. Very fast paced gameplay with surprisingly intricate depth.
- CS 1.6. More team oriented but still tough. Requires more accuracy and twitch reflexes than Quake overall except for railgun twitch. Lacks the individual depth of Quake but still stimulating for team play.
- Natural Selection 1/2. A game most haven't heard of but by god is it hard. A unique game that employs the team play of a MOBA, the accuracy and positioning of Quake, the strategy of StarCraft and asymmetry of AvP2. You have to know how to play a flawlessly in multiple styles of play. Marine rifle, marine shotgun, fade, lerk, skulk, onos. All are different and all are difficult. You have to know how to play them all as teams swap races every round. Both races have a huge amount of depth. Teamwork is the forefront, possibly more teamwork and strategy than DOTA.
- AvP2. An older game but one that I played for years. Asymmetry with multiple styles of play, less emphasis on teamwork but individually, it has a huge skill cap with the more tougher weapons. Nothing is quite like the speargun, combi, predalien or sniper in any other game. I'd possibly rank speargun even harder to use than railgun or LG from Quake despite it being a high damage weapon. It has a travel time and twitchy model movement make it difficult to hit fast and evasive targets. This game didn't have much of a competitive scene so the level of depth has never been explored fully.
- LoL. I can't see how people would find this as a high skill cap game compared to most others on the list, even if you include teamplay. The only depth is how many variation of champions and builds there would be but this isn't even close to the depth than StarCraft would have. It's not a mechanically demanding game in the least. The only complication is the team play but I'd be willing to bet that it's lower than NS2, DOTA and CS 1.6. The only reason it's popular is because it's more casual and easier than the other MOBAs and it's genre is currently the "big thing" right now just how RTS was popular in the 90s but is virtually extinct now. There's a reason why lesser SC2 players switch to LoL.
- Halo. Don't know too much about Halo as I never liked the multiplayer but I do know that this is a game where accuracy matters. Quite surprising for a console shooter. Being able to land consistent headshots is important. More of a duel based FPS where shots matter. Map control leads to weapons and buffs but due to helath regen, lacks the depth of engagement choice and stacking. A mix between Quake and CS 1.6.
- WoW. At the highest highest highest level, I would say yeah that WoW is definitely tough. Despite what people think, there's more than 1shot macros and instant CC. A very imbalanced game that is highly dependent on class/comp but it still requires a lot of mechanical strength, knowledge of class spells, twitch reflexes and especially positioning. Coordination like a MOBA is probably the most important concept to grasp.
- Call of Duty is imo, an absolute joke. Only promod for CoD4 is comparable. The main game is so easy that if you have half a working brain and some bare essentials then you can be a pub stomper. At the highest level, accuracy doesn't matter since it's a non issue to track your target, usually it's influenced by your connection and weapon/perks. The only individual skill I see in CoD is positioning. Team play falls short of anything on this list. The only communication that is used is to call out enemies, strategising on individual positions or for group assaults which is bare bones compared to NS2. CS 1.6 and Quake has all of this, a shit tonne more depth and a HUGE accuracy requirement to be competitive.
My opinion. Some of it wrong but I do believe most is applicable, especially where RTS is defined as the most complex and most difficult. Nothing compares to it and is the only genre that is relatable to the complexity of Chess.