Saw mention of a lot of games on here, including World in Conflict: MW Mod; really glad there's still a player base for gems like that, figured I'd share a few other games that might be interesting to yall:
The Wargame Series, developed by Eugen Systems:
My favorite Modern Warfare RTS; like Total War but modern day. The only thing WIC has over it is the fleshed out narrative for the campaign and the modding potential.
Wargame European Escalation: The first and hardest game in the series provides a trial by fire introduction to the franchise and contains all the key elements: The ability to zoom kilometers up into the air, hundreds of units under your command, incredibly detailed unit models, meticulous attention to the statistical differences between variants of the same vehicle, scalar sound effects that scale with your camera's proximity to the action, management of resources like fuel, munitions, and material, the importance of supply lines and combined arms tactics, as well as the establishment of the overall aesthetic of the series, which is 1970's to '90s Military Exercises leading into actual combat instead of ending, as well as a few other fantastical scenarios.
Wargame AirLand Battle: The second addition to the series finally adds Aerial Combat and a proper cooperative mode. It's the most popular choice for COOP out of the three Wargame titles because the AI in European Escalation was mostly scripted to fit the narrative; the AI in AirLand Battle is designed to kick your ass. Even two players will be challenged by the AI's tenacity and ability to counter your moves and units with airstrikes, helicopter gun runs, and artillery.
Wargame Red Dragon: The most refined gameplay experience in terms of graphic fidelity only. The game looks absolutely great at this point in the franchise, but the campaign is extremely lacking compared to the last two games, as it is essentially multiple games of skirmish with the AI, with a dash of strategy in the form of which units to bring to the Campaign. You're also able to slow the game down to a pause while in singleplayer, which allows you some reprieve against the AI's ability to see you units regardless of FOW. This entry also has the most populated online servers for competitive play, although the online community for the Wargame series is still relatively small.
The Steel Division Series, also by Eugen Systems:
Normandy '44 and Steel Division 2: The Steel Division series is the same as Wargame but now takes place during Historical WWII battles instead of hypothetical Cold War scenarios. Normandy comes off as a little more arcade-like than any other game in the series, but it's also one of the most fun. The scale of battle seems reduced but the MicroStrategy is at its best.
Steel Division 2 is the only game that Eugen Systems still actively supports, and that support has been reduced pushing out $5 DLCs of reskinned units that modders could make if the studio would let them. The Scale of battle has been brought back up because the game now takes place in Russia, and mostly revolves around takes and aircraft over long distances rather than cannons and infantry in French Hedgerows.
Overall Criticisms: The UI changes between each game and its f*cking annoying. Luckily there are some constants in the equation and the UI improves with each entry in the series, but it really seems like the AI is always more capable than you. Eugen systems also seemed to be completely uncommunicative with their community as they developed their games, as certain features like the flesh out narrative and voice acting in European Escalation are all but gone in Red Dragon, only to make a comeback in Steel Division Normandy, then disappear again in Steel Division 2.
Overall Strengths: How detailed the units are and how many you can get on screen at one time. The game engine has the potential to portray at least 6 Divisions worth of personnel and equipment fighting it out over multiple square kilometers. No other game has matched their capability in this regard except the Total War series, who haven't made a more modern entry than Napoleon.
I recommend picking up Wargame whenever the Wargame Series Franchise Pack goes on sale, as the games are not worth their non-discounted prices after you've exhausted every game mode. Same goes for Steel Division Normandy '44, which is more akin to Company of Heroes. Steel Division 2 is balls (in my opinion).
I'll make more posts about more games in the future but seeing people mention World in Conflict as something they like really made me want to share this game, as my interest in WIC led me directly to it.
If you pick it up and want to try out some of the online features with someone whose familiar, drop me a line.
-G