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- Iceberg Interactive
- Iceberg Interactive
- Iceberg Interactive
- Iceberg Interactive
StarDrive 2
Released On: Apr 9, 2015
70
5.4
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
70
35% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
65% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
70
35% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
65% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
StarDrive 2 does not dethrone Master of Orion 2 as the best 4X game in space ever made, but damn it gets close. It is almost as deep, it almost has the same rich atmosphere and almost that same inspired gameplay. That may not sound uplifting, but considering the bar we’re looking at, “almost” is a staggering achievement. No one has ever got - this - close.
Stardrive 2 is an extremely ambitious title which I’d strongly suggest for fans of compulsively intricate gameplay.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 105 User Ratings
5.4
40% Positive
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
24% Mixed
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
36% Negative
38 Ratings
38 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 105 User Ratings
5.4
40% Positive
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
24% Mixed
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
36% Negative
38 Ratings
38 Ratings
A sweet game that I have been waiting on for a long time.
Not alla features are there yet, but the developer is working 24/7 to implement those that the community wishes for.
So on some months I think the game will be absolutely perfect, with a lot of different end game options and ways to conquer the stars!
The high scores is based on the developers high ambitions and good respons to the players!
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PC
there will be some review that user are complaining about AI and diplomacy but developer are patching constantly and they are going to right direction. many of reviewer are already writing what kind of game is this so i don't write about it much.
i don't know how i can explain, sometimes many of 4x games are feels like i'm reading the number on the paper and full of inorganic data but this game makes me feels more emotion and life from the creator. this game is already great play feels but i believe this game can be masterpiece if creator decided to release one or two expansion.
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PC
If you’re looking for a fun, clever little strategy game, you could do a lot worse than pick this up.
If you like 4X strategy, this might be very interesting. It lacks multiplayer, but it makes up for it with many customizing options for single player games. Sometimes it lacks balancing, but the gameplay is still very compelling.
The focus on extermination saps excitement and possibilities from the strategic level, and the tactical minigames don’t have the AI needed to make the ship-building system’s depth pay off.
StarDrive 2 offers hours of entertainment to the lovers of the 4X space strategies, unfortunately spoiled by the unfinished parts of the game. Despite its healthy core, StarDrive 2 would simply need a few more months of development; cutting off some minigames could help the game as well.
Combat is only a small portion of the overall experience, but the other aspects of the game don't particularly shine. It's as if StarDrive 2 is content in its adequacy.
Good value. Been playing constantly since release and I have only run into one bug which was fixed about the same time as I ran into it. Which I did not realize until I reloaded the game the day after release. I never closed out on day 1.
Some moo2 features are missing, not a fan of the ground combat. But otherwise I am more than happy. It improves on moo2 in some areas. The AI is about as aggressive as I remember moo2 being if you are weak. AI is weak tech wise.
Diplomacy, interface and AI is better than Moo2. Ship combat on hard is still a bit easy. Your custom designs combined with human tactics will over whelm even 3 to 1 odds. Which makes the highly aggressive AI essential in stopping you from smashing each race in turn too early in the game. Yes I know this contradicts other reviews but this is how both my recent games have panned out. I do still have to avoid some of the master fleets but everything else is usually easy prey if you get your designs right.
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PC
This is a review of SD2, not SD1. I fully understand the frustrations over SD1 since I played it through development and release. SD2 does not feel like a full sequel to me due to the limited time in development between the two titles and the large amount of reused assets.
That said, this is a good space 4x game that should please fans of the genre.
I have played almost every 4x game ever released, and many of the modern crop, including many of the more recent space 4x games. SD2 is easily the best of the modern space 4x games from the last few years, and certainly stands in the company of other top space 4x games. It has the majority of features expected of the genre. It has wonderful graphics and sounds. It includes tactical space and ground combat. It features some new and innovative ideas that are new or uncommon in the genre. While many of these features have rough edges, there is really no reason for this game to be getting a bottom tier score. It is a far more complete experience than most of the other recent space 4x games.
There have already been several balance patches, and I expect more to come. The mod scene is also getting moving, which should help expand the game. If Zero continues to refine the game, and expands it a bit with some additional content, then SD2 will clearly be a top tier space 4x. Once the base game is improved a bit, there is even room for DLC and expansions, which I would be willing to pay for (assuming the base game is fixed this time, unlike SD1).
My favorite parts of the game:
- Instanced combat. I liked the liveliness of SD1's real time galaxy, but I greatly prefer the turn based strategic layer, which feels far less frantic and twitch-focused. Ground combat is also greatly improved by having a separate mode.
- Exploration / Experience. The universe feels interesting, with plenty of different surprises to be found. This could be improved with a larger amount of content so that you don't see the same storyline missions every game.
Things to improve:
- Diplomacy. There are some good systems in place, but it still lacks some basic options.
- Victory conditions. This is very limited and forces you to play for conquest. Really needs some other paths to victory.
I'm far more excited about this game than Galactic Civilizations 3, which looks to be far less exciting and innovative than SD2. Hopefully it will sell well enough for Zero to keep improving it.
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PC
I've got about 7 hours in so far,
As a veteran of Imperium galactic series, Galactic Civ, and SD1 as well as a few others I have to say **** 2 holds its head up high among its piers.
the gameplay is fresh yet familiar. I have to admit I was leery of the new turn based system but in the scheme of things it makes sense and it's a welcomed addition.
Currently I've restarted the campaign 3 times as I wrap my head around some of the new mechanics and because my poor human civilization was blasted to death by alien scum - which means either I'm terrible at this game or it's hard, which is awesome!.
The graphics are beautiful, especially the way space combat looks, the planets are all awesome looking as well, the new hex system and fresh.
The mechanics of researching and building your fleet is pretty much the same as SD1, which is a good thing.
Space combat is enjoyable and satisfying, nice big explosions and a slow motion mode too! One gripe I have in space combat is that weapons don't lead targets, they aim at where the target was, not at its expected position. Missiles don't turn to intercept targets instead they make weird turns trying to catch up to it... it all feels very unnatural and I hope it's addressed in a patch.
When it comes to planet colonization, the variety of planets is massive making the whole experience of picking and choosing where you want to focus the new seeds of your civilization as engaging as it is important.
I like the way they've handled the freighters. Moving food and colonists around really saves us from a lot of the needless planetary micro from SD1. However freighters are not controllable, combine that with the smaller fleet caps and it makes it difficult to protect freighters when your main fleet is off attacking or exploring, they will literally fly directly at an enemy and suicide themselves. We should be able to control freighters, either directly or give us the ability to force them to dock at the nearest planet until the enemy fleet is taken care of.
Fleet Caps: I really don't see the point of fleet caps. Since each ship has an upkeep cost which in itself is the fleet cap, to compound that with an additional cap to me seems redundant. I like the idea of the fleet cap but instead of having it give you a monetary penalty, it might be more interesting if it gave you a penalty to ships rearm and repair rate, maybe even a damage dealing reduction to ships. Reasoning being they just aren't receiving the maintenance they should.
Ground combat. The research and upgrades aspect of it is well thought out and implemented however the actual ground combat is meek, it needs a re-tune. If it would have followed in the footsteps of Fallout 2 or X-COM it would have been amazing! But currently, weapons have a hard limit of minimum and maximum ranges,
Covert Ops: Works similar to the first one, but different enough to be fresh, that being said I think it needs a re-tune. I have 5 spy's doing counter espionage which is the max and I'm still getting tech stolen from me every few turns, which is really quite frustrating. Perhaps remove the spy caps for home defense?
Spatial anomalies, these are quite fun and new, really enjoying them so far and is a very welcomed addition.
Interface: interface is well designed, lots of tooltips and the information is easy to understand and readily available in most circumstances. A few gripes I have, on the planetary screen, when cycling from planet to planet via the arrows - every time you click to go to a different planet, the arrows location move to a slightly different spot, making cycling planets in this way annoying, and dizzying. If a fleet is hovering over a planet, the planet under the fleet becomes un clickable, there's also a few other minor annoyances that needs that little bit extra polish.
Overall, **** is an engaging experience and I will surely play many more hours of it as I attempt to conquer the universe however as much as I like it, it's not quite there yet. everything seems 70-80%. It just needs one more good thick coat of polish to make this game really shine.
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PC
In short, **** 2 is very shallow for a modern 4X space game. Its main focus is combat, which isn't necessarily a problem, but when that combat requires the same rush-tactics each game, **** 2 feels less like a 4X game and more like a turn-based Starcraft clone. Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you're looking for more strategy and more than one dimension in your 4X games, **** 2 should be a last resort. I'm giving it a 4 because I do think it can be improved, if only slightly. Here's hoping the developer puts the work in required to make **** 2 more like a 4X and less like a chore.
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PC
Diplomacy is nonexistent, poor UI, and it seems like a lot is just recycled from the first one. I might recommend this game if the developer had a record of supporting it's products, but it doesn't (see SD 1). The game has potential, but the developer is probably already working on SD3 and this one might not see much improvement. I hope I am wrong on that though.
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PC
Summary The core mechanics of the franchise have evolved to incorporate a turn-based strategic layer, featuring realtime battles.
Platforms:
- PC
Initial Release Date: Apr 9, 2015
Developer:
- Zero Sum Games
Publisher: Iceberg Interactive
Genres:
