1. HerrKohlrabi

   10

   Nov. 22. 2012.
   While the game still has a small number of bugs and missing features, it is the greatest sci-fi 4x game I have encountered so far. It does well in comparison with Sins of a Solar Empire, Endless Space, Masters of Orion etc, but is a totally different game. One comparison would be a Total War game in space, but that doesn't do SotS II justice at all. Sword of the Stars II has great lore, beautiful and fun tactical battles, and great strategic gameplay, and the different aspects of the game ties together really well, creating a sum larger than its parts.
   The game does have a great deal of complexity though, and the game differs from it's peers in several aspects, which might scare away newcomers to the game and to the genre.
   Players that are able and willing to do just a little reading in the beginners guide, the manual, the wiki or the forums won't have any trouble.
   Give the game a few hours, and you'll never regret your decision!… Expand

   • Helpful? 5 of 5 users said Yes.
2. Birdyman

   8

   November 17, 2012 - I registered to metacritic just to write this review. I do seriously enjoy this game and while is USED to have its fair share of glitches and whatnot, Kerberos has turned this ship around. It speaks a lot when a company stands by their product for over a year - constantly making upgrades and patches to make it what it should have been. Yes, it is arguable why it was released in such a poor state in the first place but that is in the past. Hats off to all the developers for the extreme amount of hard work it took to overcome the pile this used to be.This game is fantastic if you are looking for a very complex and deep 4x strategy game - I mean each race has their own means of traveling between stars! I love the fact that the tech tree is randomly generated - meaning one game you might be able to get the super-ginormous-fusion cannon and the next game, you can only get basic lasers. It adds a unique factor to the game and forces you to modify your strategy. As an added bonus - Kerberos has just announced a FREE expansion which includes another race as well as some other bonuses! So why just the 8? Truthfully, last time I played with a bud (before the "All clear"), there were some minor glitches and fixes still needing to be done. I have yet to confirm if these have been fixed but have no doubt they will be in due time. Off to play!… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 2 users said Yes.
3. Seboss

   7

   This game has a troubled history to say the least. But the developers have been beating it into shape via relentless patching and support and it's now fairly close to its intended glory.
   It's not yet in a 1.0 state, but it's definitely getting there. And since the game can be found for a very cheap price, I'd definitely recommend it.… Expand

   • Helpful? 7 of 9 users said Yes.
4. Iyunzusto

   1

   Dec 7 2012. It's ugly, right from the title screen. The ship models are distorted and messy - they look unfinished and cartooney against the sharp, industrial look of Eve Online or Sins. The UI is also hard on the eyes, although the actual starmap looks pretty good. The gameplay is also dull. Exploring and colonizing systems is done via 'missions', which are essentially the same as other 4X games except that they take 4x the number of mouseclicks to initiate. To colonize a planet, you don't just build a colony ship.. you have to build a command ship, then a colony ship, then a supply ship, then attach an admiral to create a fleet, THEN select your destination. I've heard this game called 'deep' but 'convoluted' comes to mind. The first time you enter into combat, you're greeted with more of the terrible graphics, and absolutely no inkling as to what tactics might benefit you. Unlike the Total War series, where it's clear that higher terrain is good for archers, while hiding in the woods is a good defense from missiles, etc., instead you are floating around in space with the only discernable strategies being.. move there, or shoot that. The UI is counterintuitive at every turn. You could pick up MOO2 and learn it without looking at a single manual or forum. This game is a dog's breakfast and you will be forced to look at the manual (which is awful) the beginner's guide (which is also awful, but longer) then the wiki (which is entirely incomplete). Here's an excerpt from the beginner's guide: "Once the core modules of a ship have been decided upon, you can begin to arm the space-craft with weapons across the breadth of it's surface. The amount of weapon points available will vary depending on the hull type, size and command, mission and propulsion modules selected". This is the entire section on ship weapon design. Great, so I can put weapons on the ship. Brilliant. What's the point of having mounts in particular locations? Is there a directional advantage? Would there be a benefit to placing certain weapons in certain slots? This game is complex in the same way walking around someone else's house in the dark is complex. Here's another example - trade is fundamental to a successful empire, and these require freighters. There is no section on freighters in the manual and no in-game explanation. What are the devs smoking? All of this aside, once I got into the game and had a dozen colonies with a humming economy, several naval bases and attack fleets, I found I was having the same amount of fun that I was at the start, i.e. none. I think the recent high scores for the game are because people are impressed it's actually out of alpha 1 year after its launch. It's just a shame that the game looks 15 years out of date and is boring as bat sh!t. UPDATE 8 December 2012. After playing this for a whole day, this game is even worse than I thought, so changing the 5 rating to a 1. So many of the mechanics make absolutely no sense. For example, I had 3 fleets defending an outpost planet that was close to enemy territory. Sure enough, the enemy attacks.. but I can only enter combat with 1 fleet while the other 2 wait. Why? There's no logical reason for this.. if you have fleets stationed at a system, they should all be able to fight. Another example - each fleet has a home system. If a fleet leaves the system for a mission, once the mission is completed, it has to return to its home system to refuel and resupply. Why? Why not just fly to the nearest system to refuel? Basically, the developers have invented these mechanics to create their gameplay - and they are all nonsensical. They all serve to make the game more complicated, less elegant, and less logical. Combine that with the steep learning curve and lack of information, and it's just a mess. If you decide to embrace all of their illogical mechanics, you might have a great time after about 20 hours of learning the fundamentals, but I'd rather spend time on a well-made game… Expand

   • Helpful? 4 of 4 users said Yes.

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