There are many reasons for you to use an online arcade to play your strategy games. I personally prefer online arcades because they provide a special breed of action that is hard to find these days. They allow great planning to mix with fast action. Battles can take up the span of a few minutes with good tactics rewarded with complete domination. This isn't the only draw of an online strategy game though. There are benefits in the form of free entertainment and in sheer simplicity.



I do consider the speed of the games to be the real draw though. For the most part you will rarely have fast strategy in your hands like you will with an online arcade version. Setting up your defenses can take hours in a retail real times strategy game. It will take hours of campaign play to work through the story until you get to a really good fight.

This isn't so online. Arcades are built for people who just want to kill a few minutes with simple play. This means that you will be faced with a full scale invasion as soon as the game starts. The whole thing will be a desperate fight that has your adrenaline rushing. This speed is great for someone who just wants some cool tactics without a whole lot of complications. Its for people who want a game, not a simulation.

Another big advantage is that online arcades are free. You can expect to pay a good chunk of change for any type of strategy game on the retail market. If you can get a similar experience for free, why wouldn't you. There are obviously times when you will want to splurge for a good game, but you will probably want a chance to just play around with a free game for a few minutes too. You can't beat a free game. It may not have all the flair and polish of a full video game, but it will have all the basics that a good strategy game needs. It's an understandable trade off for the times when you just need a quick fix to fill those few spare minutes in your day with a little free fun.

Finally, there is something to be said about a simple defense game. Online arcade games don't require you to spend a lot of time setting up perfect defenses for your resource lines. If they use any resource system it will come in the form of money. Even this is usually just acquired by killing enemies. This limits your background work to just include the simple tactics of war. Like I said, not everything has to be a giant strategic experience. There is something to be said about building up your forces and watching the fight. These arcades don't feature long stories or slow buildups. You don't have to work through hundreds of menus or building levels. Just click the start button and get started.

I've always had a great fondness for the strategy genre. There's something very satisfying in out smarting the mechanics of a cruel AI. If you enjoy that feeling then you should take a little time and enjoy one of the many online strategy games available.