Games

Best of 2009 | 08 |07 | 06 | 05
Advanced Search

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor

EMAIL PRINT pc

7.8 User Score:

Universal acclaim

Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 28 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >

Game Info

Publisher: Stardock

Developer: Stardock

Genre(s): Turn-Based Strategy

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: April 30, 2008

Summary

The galaxy is being consumed by the fires of war as we enter the final act of the Dread Lord saga. Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor is the second expansion pack to the award-winning PC strategy game, Galactic Civilizations II. Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor expands the gameplay of Galactic Civilizations in all new ways. New campaign detailing the final chapter in the Dread Lords wars. The Terror Star arrives, capable of destroying any star. Unique technology trees for all 12 civilizations. Unique planetary improvements for each civilization. New 3D engine powered map editor. New Scenario Editor for creating highly detailed custom games. New Campaign Editor for players who want to create their own custom epic campaigns for themselves or to share with others. New Metaverse Tournaments: Specific maps & scenarios recorded to the Metaverse with prizes for top players. [Stardock]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Galactic Civilizations Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

G4 TV

It caps the mini-trilogy with a flourish and makes us very, very eager to see what the next proper release in the franchise will have to offer.

Read Full Review >

100

1UP

For better or worse, Arnor is an add-on that completes its parent game rather than simply expanding its scope.

Read Full Review >

100

GameSpy

The technology trees alone make it impossible for someone who's sampled Twilight of the Arnor to ever go back to just playing Dark Avatar. Add to that impressive customization tools, new gameplay dynamics, better AI, graphic upgrades, new ship-builder components and completely re-done flavor text and hundreds and hundreds of smaller tweaks, fixes and changes and what you have is an absolute triumph and a new standard for turn-based-strategy games.

Read Full Review >

100

GameShark

A marvelous addition to an already stellar turn-based strategy series and if you have even the slightest interest in this type of game, you need to own the entire series. This is the type of game, particularly with this final add-on, that will stay on your hard drive for a long, long time. We simply cannot make it any more plain than that.

Read Full Review >

100

Gaming Nexus

Galactic Civilizations 2: Twilight of the Arnor is one of the best expansions I have ever experienced in my many years of gaming.

Read Full Review >

Cheat Code Central

If you're looking for something to do with the rest of your life, you might want to check this game out. If this game had a dedicated multiplayer mode, I would want to live forever.

Read Full Review >

GamingTrend

If you love 4X games, this is the game to get. Due to all of the content, this game is the king of the hill in this genre.

Read Full Review >

Computer Games Online RO

Aside from the small bugs and the controversial tech-tree redesign, Twilight of the Arnor delights us with lots and lots of new features, and I believe that even months from now I won’t discover all its secrets.

Read Full Review >

IGN

There are no two ways about it: if you like space strategy games, you have to play Galactic Civilizations II. And if you play Gal Civ II, you have to play Twilight of the Arnor.

Read Full Review >

PC Gamer

Old school still rules. [Aug 2008, p.67]

GameZone

This game just became elevated to my personal list of all-time PC favorites.

Read Full Review >

PC Gameworld

After so many iterations it's impressive that Stardock has maintained their standard of quality in this series.

Read Full Review >

PC Gamer UK

A dramatic and ingenious rethink. [July 2008, p.78]

GameSpot

Adding this much new life to what should be a very familiar game is an amazing achievement.

Read Full Review >

LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Guys from Stardock Interactive know very well what gamers want. Galactic Civilization II: Twilight of Arnor is the best choice in case of cast away. Endless playability and tremendous entertainment guaranteed for beginners and hard core players along. [Aug 2008]

PC PowerPlay

It’s more than just new content, it is a concerted effort to make Galactic Civilisations as polished and complete a product as possible. And you know what? Mission accomplished. [Sept 2008, p.58]

PC Format

This particular Twilight makes the GalCiv 2 strategy universe burn brighter than ever. A gme for vets and newcomers. [Aug 2008, p.102]

Play (Poland)

The add-on is huge and packed to the brim with new shiny toys... I mean features. But it turns out that the world destroyers are not the biggest treat. They are hideously expensive and require escort. The best thing are the new technology trees, unique for each race. [July 2008]

Armchair Empire

Twilight of the Arnor does an excellent job adding more meat to an already meaty game. It's a bit raw and bloody deep in the middle, but still quite satisfying.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 28 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jon W. gave it a10:
I think that this is a suberp game. I understand that there is a lot frutsration towards turn based games, however this game is exactly what it sets out to be. And what it sets out to be is the ultimate in resource management, fleet strategy, creative ship design, and compelling and competitive artificial intelligence. Be warned, this isn't a game that you are going to firing up at a frat party anytime soon, however if you enjoy really poring over the details of your empire and carefully picking your battles then this is without question the ultimate expression of a eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate title. Again though, if you don't like chess, then you will definately not like this game. There are minor balancing issues with the individual races however Stardock has released several tune ups to the game as well as several new pieces of content to the game post release. Truly an example of an independant labor of love in the gaming industry.

Jason gave it a7:
I really haven't gotten all that far into the game because it's hard for me to get into. The complexity of the game is staggering, even after watching all of the tutorials. Trying to just earn enough BCs (or billions of credits, I guess?) is difficult and when I had to raise taxes to actually make a buck or two, the people (naturally) get angry. So, you have to cut production down which means that technologies take forever to research and things just don't get done. It is an interesting concept, however, and the ability to set up a spacial empire sounds like a lot of fun. I'm sure if I actually could get into it more, it would be a really fun game (which is why I gave it a 7 instead of a lower grade, since the game is largely unexplored). I think the slow start-up is really what gets me the most. When you compare it with Civ IV, Civ goes much faster (and perhaps too fast) and you can get into the game much easier. Also, the tutorial never covers the "Wonders" that are being built all around me. All of the sudden I would see this notice of a galactic wonder being built and I had no idea how I could even build one.

Captain Chaos gave it a9:
Turn Based Games rule!! It's too bad there aren't more on the market with the glut of RTS simulations out there. The overall franchise is an excellent successor to MOO2 (I would even comment on MOO3) for those of us patiently waiting for a space 4x game. My only gripes are that StarDock should publish tech trees so we can plan, the espionage system could be better and the economic system is very difficult to figure out until you play a few times.

James B. gave it a7:
I find the game, like the Civs, too slow to develop a really fun war. I almost always win by technology victory.

Balazs C. gave it a3:
A "could be nice" game, but its suffering from serious playability issues with large empires and its also shallow. Technologies have no real substance to them. Too many xyz I, II, III, IV, V, ... kind of technologies on the tech tree. All in one, the game i think has like a handful of really unique technologies and the rest of the tree is filled with improvement versions. Thats a sign of lazy game design for me. The only real positives i could think of is the good AI (nothing you cant achieve with some advantages to the AI in other games) and stardock's approach to patching their game (this is really unique and gives much of the 3 points i give to this game). Total: 3/10. Weak game that gets lots of hype because of the nice developers behind them.

Chris W. gave it a10:
I won't berate those who've given this game a mediocre score -- it definitely isn't for everyone. Most video games are fast-paced, point and shoot affairs. The TBS genre caters to a very specific niche -- those who harbor fond memories of board games like Axis and Allies or Risk. That being said, for those who appreciate these types of games this is a must have! As a fan of similar games (Civilization, MOO, Alpha Centari, etc.) I have to say that this is one of the best I've played. As you can see from the reviews above, most professional game critics agree with me. I won't try and list all the virtues of this game (the list would go on forever); I'll simply limit myself to some of the most outstanding: - Unique races with unique technology trees (this makes the game more believable and adds to the replay value). - Awesome A.I. (the best I've seen in any strategy game, period). -Beautiful starship design and customization (nothing is more fun than watching a ship you designed mop the floor with your enemies). Again, this game is not for everyone. An average PC gamer (let alone TBS fanatic) will probably spend a little time getting through the learning curve and getting his clock cleaned, even with the A.I. turned down to easier levels. Nevertheless, once you figure out what you're doing a victory in this game really does bring a lot of satisfaction. Perhaps the biggest reason to buy this game is the company that produced it -- Stardock. No other company is as responsive to customer feedback, and Stardock will release patches and improvements for about a year for any game it makes -- even after sales have tapered off. While it is obviously in the business to make money, games like this are clearly a labor of love, and it shows. If you have any interest in serious strategy I can't recommend this game highly enough.

dissection gave it a10:
Twilight of the arnor definitely is one of the best expansions i have seen for any game. The new tech trees add so much depth tio the game. You have to adjust your strategy in all aspects to the needs of your race, which really gives an unique feeling to every race in the game - a thing that i really wished to have in this kind of game. Normally changes that big in gameplay stay on your wishlist, but Stardock really did a greaat job with fulfilling the gamers wishes. Besides i have never seen before a game where players are that involved in the design, you can go to the SD-homepage, give your suggestions and get direct contact with the developers. Twilight is as good as it is, because those that play the game also helped in creating and improving it. And it is not over yet, some improvements waiting in upcoming patches. Dread Lords was very good, Dark Avatar great and Twilight just did what the developers intended: To create a game that can be played for the long time we are waiting for GalCiv III without getting bored by it. P.S.: Just some comments to statements others made here. A 4X game may not be the type of game, anyone is enjoying. If as a matter of taste you do not like Football you cant just barely say, Football is a bad sport. In its genre the game is excellent, if you do not like the genre - do not blame the game that you dont. The devs did their best with it and if you like 4X you will like this game. If there ever has been a real sequel to Master of Orion II, this game might be the most likely one.

Games

Sony

Microsoft

Nintendo

Other Platforms

Upcoming &Recent Releases

Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor

Game Info

Summary

Also On Metacritic

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases