M.A.X. is planetbound, but I'd still recommend it, if you can get it working on your computer.
First the opponents pick a side. All have different bonuses to different things (one builds longer range missiles etc.). Then you buy a team of units to colonize/mine a planet, and to defend that colony. You choose a landing site, and start building mining bases. The materials you get from them go into production facilities for building surveyors, tanks, gunturrets, habitats, airplanes, submarines, you name it. Gold can be used for buying upgrades.
It's turnbased, all units have different strenghts, no single strategy is a sure winner, and a simple upgrade in the right situation can change the whole situation around. You can go all airpower, or all infantry, or turrets, or a mix of everything, and they can all work. The game is also heavily based on sensors. You only see what your sensors see, and having longer range on your tanks is useless if they can't see as far as they can shoot. It's brilliant.
The only problem is that the matches tend to last too long. I had one game against a friend that took a whole week to get through. The whole map was filled with bases. And the computer really gives a challenge so very few matches actually ever ended quickly (and those were ones were the other player focused on nothing but fast units).
You can play it hotseat with a friend and if I remember correctly you can even play together against the computer.
Oh, and don't bother with the sequel.
