Hey all, thanks for the kind words, and I'm always happy to talk about classic RPGs!
Some of you mentioned non-violent ways to defeat final bosses in other games, which is interesting, and certainly related to what I was talking about, but it's not entirely the same. There's still a big antagonist who's the driving force through much of the game.
@saregos - I think you're right about that. It's a fairly easy way to make the storyline seem manageable by a single hero or small group of heroes.
@MNRA - Was it a fully fleshed-out story with characters? I only played the original Total Annihilation, and the "story" was just occasional narration before battles. If so, it sounds interesting.
@Therumancer - Although I agree with most of what you said, if anything, we've got fewer sequels these days. Ultima got to 8 or 9 before it petered out, and then there are the multiple Wizardries, Might and Magics, Final Fantasies. And those games demonstrate pretty effectively that sequels can lead to innovation.
@Crimson Dragoon - When I saw this topic in the list, I had to decide between whether I wanted to write about this topic or whether I wanted to write an article praising Suikoden II and its dual-villain approach. Luca Blight is fantastic - one of the few "pure" evil villains in game history who actually deserves the fear the other characters give him.