1. Mordachai

   9

   8.5 to be more exact. Kerberos has dedicated more than a year to making their baby work right, and it is now damn impressive. It still has some bugs, unfortunately, and it still suffers from a UIX that only a mother could really love.
   
   However, it's a better UIX than Dwarf Fortress, the visuals can be epic, the tech tree is epic, the lore is rich, and the possibilities are endless.
   
   Kerberos definitely likes to push the boundaries and explore new ways of approaching 4X / strategy games. So although you won't be jumping in comfortably seeing all your old Total War style interfaces and abstractions, you will learn a hell of a lot, and see 4X with new eyes of a newbie. There are some brilliant ideas to explore, and they generally lead to warships worthy of song and legend.
   
   Slow down, be willing to learn something different, and RTFM first. Then - in game - you can open the chat (single player or multi) and be connected with everyone else online to share stories, ask questions, and **** the time away while you immerse yourself in one of the best war games ever made.… Expand

   • Helpful? 12 of 16 users said Yes.
2. Embair

   8

   While still a bit rough around the edges, SotSII currently offers a fun, immersive 4X experience with depth that is simply unparalleled in the genre. The deep tactical combat simulation engine makes for incredibly rewarding space opera (no surprise there for fans of the original game) featuring your custom-designed ships. The strategic layer of the game was significantly expanded resulting in a slower pacing and more thoughtful gameplay. That might be a disappointment for some who liked the simplicity and fast pacing of the original, and delight others (me included).
   
   Since it's disastrous release in 2011 the developer showed incredible dedication in continuously improving the game via free patches, and intends to keep at it for years to come (same as with the original).
   
   The one remaining gripe that I have with the game at the moment is a somewhat lacking AI, but this too is a subject of continuous improvement.… Expand

   • Helpful? 11 of 14 users said Yes.
3. Galwail

   6

   After the infamous launch, Kerberos delivered a year worth of patches with a free expansion and turned Sword of the Stars II into nice, playable game. It expands on ideas from the original game and adds many more new features as well. The core game-play is a turn-based empire building simulation with engaging real-time tactical battles.
   
   The variety of ships that can be sent against your enemy is mind-blowing. From smallest battle-riders to gargantuan leviathans bristling with guns. Most of the ships are modular. Individual sections and weapons can be combined in hundreds of ways allowing you to fine-tune your designs against your enemies. Tactical battles are probably the best part of the game.
   
   The strategic game-play lets you control many aspects of your galactic empire like colonization, balancing of budget, research of new technologies, designing ships, interstellar trade, diplomacy and espionage. Sadly, it is the strategic part of the game, which suffers from several issues, that makes it less game and more empire management enterprise application.
   
   The missions system is very bare bone, it… Expand

   • Helpful? 13 of 18 users said Yes.
4. Ursyn

   4

   Sequel to one of my favorite strategy games of all time, SOTS 2 is prime example of ambitions overgrowing actual capabilities. Launch of the game was a disaster: it wasn't even a beta. Now, after tons of patches and free expansion with new playable race, Sots 2 is definitely better at every aspect - but it still falls way short of meeting expectations. It's very complex game, with great variety of options and possible strategies - however, it is also one of the least approachable games I have ever seen. Unclear interface, cryptic tooltips and utter lack of any tutorial in game are obstacles for any new players. If you manage to overcome them, you will find good sides of this game - and they are plenty. However, they all fade when you realize that AI is COMPLETELY broken, and does not present any threat whatsoever. Seriously - computer controlled empires not only cannot beat player, they also fail to defend against random encounters game throws at them and often collapse due to missmanegement of economy and mounting debt. I am willing to bet that anyone giving this game super-high score has not played it long enough to actually measure AI capabilities. Maybe after another year it will get acceptable - for now, if you value single player at least, I recommend to stay away from this game.… Expand

   • Helpful? 3 of 4 users said Yes.

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