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Sins of a Solar Empire

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8.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 52 critic reviews
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Based on 143 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Stardock Entertainment

Developer: Ironclad Games

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy, RT4X, Tactical Combat, Space Strategy

Players: 10

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: February 4, 2008

Summary

Sins of a Solar Empire represents the birth of the RT4X genre, seamlessly blending spectacular tactical combat with grand-scale space strategy. Players must conquer worlds, engage in diplomacy and trade with other civilizations, and use the resources at their disposal to enhance their economy, develop new technology and increase military power. They must then test their mettle on a 3D tactical battlefield, where their ships will fight it out in stunning visual glory. [Stardock]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

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...

Cheat Code Central

Combining elements from different genres is a risky proposition, but Ironclad has managed to create a truly unique hybrid with Sins of a Solar Empire. It may leave purists of either genre confused, but it will undoubtedly cultivate a following of its own.

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GamingTrend

If you enjoy space battles that are featured in Babylon 5 and other space operas, this game is for you.

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Game Chronicles

A must for any strategy gamer's collection. I'd also highly recommend it to sci fi fans looking for something a little different than the next futuristic shooter. Killing alien scum with a laser rifle is so passé when you can vaporize the alien mothership with your trusty ion cannon.

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Gaming Nexus

A great blend of RTS and 4X galactic conquest goodness. With a little upfront effort to get over the learning curve, players will soon see many hours of free time melting away in that “just one more planet” bliss.

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Worth Playing

In a game genre that is normally filled with complex and difficult-to-learn games, Sins of a Solar Empire manages to find some good, solid middle ground. The title successfully delivers a real-time space strategy that offers 4X and RTS fans an experience that is both detailed and easy to learn.

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Game Revolution

Truly an excellent game. Minor flaws and caveats aside, it has been a long time since I’ve played any game so addicting and moment-to-moment enjoyable that it’s actually made me worry about starting it up.

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PC Zone UK

Light years ahead of the competition and to miss it would be unforgivable. And if another reviewer writes a better box-friendly quote than that, I'll piss in their face. [May 2008, p.80]

Jolt Online Gaming UK

The epic feel, ease of control and attention to detail all round makes this a joy to play. You really won’t feel that you are playing a strategy game, but you’ll get the kind of rewards from it that only hours spent on a game like this can bestow on you.

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FiringSquad

It’s been a long time since a developer has taken such risks in development and it is deeply impressive that so many of these risks have paid off for the members of Ironclad.

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PC Gamer

Sins of a Solar Empire bucks the current RTS trends of break-neck speed and small-scale battles, and allows strategy gamers to think big and control an entire war in real time. [Apr 2008, p.58]

GameShark

Blending deep, intricate 4X design into the world of real-time gaming was a daunting task to say the least, but Ironclad and Stardock have pulled it off and in the end have created one of the best strategy games of the past few years.

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GameTap

Sins is an epic space strategy game that has truly and seamlessly blended the traditional turn-based model with the modern real-time formula. And it's a great way to turn four hours into four minutes.

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GameSpot

This isn't just the first great strategy game of 2008. It's also an absolute must-have if you love space strategy.

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Gamer 2.0

Though it is in some ways flawed, Sins of a Solar Empire remains one of the best strategy games to grace store shelves in recent times, and is sure to be one of the sleeper hits of 2008.

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Game Almighty

Sins of a Solar Empire makes no apologies for being ambitiously massive and deep.

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Games Radar (in-house)

With most RTS games shifting towards fast action at the expense of real strategy, it would be an unforgivable sin for a strategy fan to pass by this game on the shelf and not pick it up.

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GameSpy

The reason that Sins of a Solar Empire works is that it truly respects and celebrates both styles of strategy gaming. It marries the grand scope and Nietzschian will-to-power embodied by the best "4X" conquer-the-universe titles with the adrenaline-fueled immediacy and moment-to-moment decision making of a great real-time strategy game.

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Eurogamer

It's one of those rare strategy games that actually has its own view of how the genre should work, which is entirely separate to what the rest of the industry is considering.

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GamePro

Sins easily takes the crown as the most intricate, in-depth real-time strategy game to date.

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Game Informer

A highly polished, very original, and extremely fun strategy title.

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PALGN

A resounding success and the best sci-fi strategy game currently available.

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Pelit (Finland)

The first real time strategy, that can be truly called a strategy game. Awfully long game times in space are troublesome only because they steal so many hours from my life. Very addicting experience though, thumbs up! [Mar 2008]

GameZone

Even though there have been many space-combat strategy games, Sins of a Solar Empire does a really good job of mixing various 4X and RTS games, and gives players a game with deep strategy that will keep them busy for a while.

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Yahoo! Games

Not only is it accessible enough to recommend to the casual RTS player, it's got more than enough depth to please even the most propeller-headed of strategy nerds.

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Strategy Informer

If you're a casual gamer then steer clear, but If you have both the time and the inclination to devote a lot of time to learning the sometimes over complicated set up then you'll have more fun than some kind of space pun I can't think of at the moment.

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DarkZero

Overall the game plays well, looks fantastic and whatever slowdown is caused by the huge space battles can be simplified from graphics card chugging render fest, to a simple set of logo’s flying about simply be zooming out.

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Gamer.nl

Sins of a Solar Empire gives a twist to the RTS-genre. While the game isn’t very accessible for everyone, RTS-fans will really play the game until the early hours of the morning. The Phase-lines ensure the deep tactical but relax gameplay. Already one of the best RTS-games of the year.

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Boomtown

Sins of Solar Empire is a must have for any strategy fan and is definitely a contention for game of the year. For me it just falls short of a score of ten.

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PC PowerPlay

Sins has inherited the most prominent feature of 4X games; the ability to make time completely disappear. [Apr 2008, p.65]

PC Format

Compulsive and enormous in equal measures. [Apr 2008, p.104]

GameTrailers

It feels every bit as deep and engrossing as a traditional four-X title--riding the fine line between accessibility and “dumbing things down” is always a gamble, but here that gamble has paid off handsomely.

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IGN

The experience works so well because the graphics engine works beautifully and the interface is very slick and efficient...The combat is genuinely rewarding and free from the rock-paper-scissors design of most games, which leaves the player free to focus on more sophisticated tactics.

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Gamers' Temple

Overall Sins of a Solar Empire is an easy game to recommend to strategy fans. It may put off RTS gamers who live off of rush tactics or turn-based gamers who like the luxury of taking all the time that they want to plot their next move.

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AtomicGamer

While Sins of a Solar Empire probably isn't a big deal to those who have already played the hell out of a large-scale, turn-based space strategy game, those of us who never got too far into those games will find the RTS action of Sins to offer something with a little more action and excitement.

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Gamers.at

Strategy fans had to wait for a long time but finally there’s a game that might indeed be able to step into the footsteps of Master of Orion: Big galaxies, an addicting multiplayer, nice looks and a lot of freedom make Sins of a Solar Empire one of the best strategy games of the year. Two thumbs up! [Issue#14]

Games Master UK

Give it time and you'll find this to be a deep, involving real-time strategy game that'll last you for months. [June 2008, p.83]

PTGamers

Complex yet intuitive, balanced but still extremely demanding, this is one of the biggest surprises of the year.

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Computer Games Online RO

Despite its shortcomings however, Sins is good game, with a relaxing gameplay, that catches on to you and won't let you go for nights on end, without causing anguish even when you lose.

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1UP

While games like "Medieval II" have tried to marry the tenets of Civilization and StarCraft, Sins is the first game to successfully do so without storing them in separate compartments.

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PC Gamer UK

Epic in both space and time. [Apr 2008, p.72]

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Play (Poland)

The best space strategy since Homeworld and Hegemony. The smooth zoom from the star map to the command of an embattled fleet is impressive, but the battles are won and lost mostly in the strategic view - the choice of clever tactical tricks and ship designs is much more limited than the vast array of technologies and logistical choices.

Edge Magazine

Sins is undoubtedly a unique achievement, unifying realtime battle and empirical strategy where others have only managed to offer them as separate components. [Apr 2008, p.94]

games(TM)

Solar Empire doesn’t force players to choose between giant locales, depth of gameplay, and explosive real-time space battles, it simultaneously provides them all. [May 2008, p.106]

G4 TV

It's hard to ignore the game's addictive nature, however. By removing many of the needlessly complex details from earlier empire-building titles, developer Ironclad Games has placed the emphasis back on grand strategy over babysitting. Sins is one of the biggest surprises thus far in 2008, a game no self-respecting galactic grognard will want to be without.

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GameDaily

Sins of a Solar Empire combines the depth of traditional turn-based games like Civilization with the action of real-time strategy (RTS) games like Command & Conquer. The result is a rich and highly detailed game that pleases fans of both types of strategy.

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Gameplayer

Just enough strategy to balance the combat. Loads of fun.

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Meristation

Maybe not your average RTS, but Sins of a Solar Empire achieves something that other games don’t: it’s a compelling game, and from the moment you pick it up, you can’t avoid playing it until the end. With missions that last several days or weeks, users can exploit the deep gameplay thanks to its easy interface, in a very tactical game, but also really fun, both offline and online.

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Thunderbolt

Its depth and flexibility are great for letting a player define their own experience but are also part of a laundry list of features that will discourage the new strategy player from exploring this universe.

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VideoGamer

The slick blend of genres and the sheer size of the game make it hard to give an unreserved recommendation: Sins of a Solar Empire will not be everyone's cup of tea. However, if you've been hooked to titles like Galactic Civilizations, experiencing '4X' strategy in a real-time environment may be a revelation for you.

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AceGamez

A brilliant game, and also a very long one. The shortest missions will take several hours, if you're lucky, with online missions having the added bonus of being saveable so you and your friends can carry a private war out over a course of days if necessary.

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Wired

But If you're willing to put in the time to learn the game's nuances however, and don't mind losing days of your life to faux interstellar conquest, Sins of a Solar Empire is easily the finest game to hit PCs this year.

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2404.org

The problem with Sins isn't that it begs, borrows and steals; it's that it combines everything improperly and streamlines it so much that it whittles away its own soul.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 143 User Votes

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

Christopher P. gave it a9:
The flashiest, most well-presented RTS I've played in a while. It's second-to-none in its gargantuan scale. The best part of it is how beautifully cinematic it is when a big game comes together. It's technically an RTS, but with the scale presented, the battles that take place with enormous fleets of dozens of ships, both big and small, on each side, are freaking gorgeous. They look and sound absolutely fantastic. The ship models are not static 3D images--their parts move, arming, loading, aiming, and firing various weapons in spectacular fashion. Get a few capital ships and a fleet of LRM and flak ships, plus some support ships, and watch the ensuing chaos as you invade a system. Capital ship "abilities" (a lot like Warcraft 3's hero system, even having the ships get "ultimates" at level 6) can be very powerful, and they have the flash to show it. The game also sounds truly wonderful in the heat of things. Mute the drab music and listen to the individual sounds of the ships. From the bassy booms while bombarding planets to the whirring machinery on capital ships to the catastrophically enormous and loud explosions when huge ships explode, it's a serious audio treat that even reminds me of a game presented with the flash of Call of Duty 4, only in a different context, of course. Big fleet battles look and sound like huge space wars and are an absolute joy to watch. (Use that cinematic mode button up top when it's taking place and watch the fun without any icons in the way. Unreal.) There are a couple issues that hinder it a bit. It's a little too complicated and has unnecessarily complex research trees with way too many techs, which I think should have been cut by half. With all the research options, you have to get a lot of largely worthless techs to get to the ultra-costly big ones, which doesn't seem right. Having four or five individual techs with multiple point systems just for mining resources is unnecessary. I'd much rather just have a few big techs that take a long time to research, instead of needing to research a ton of pointless cheap techs first. Also, although you can turn them off, the system of paying mercenary pirates to attack other players doesn't really work, and only consists of a battle of the players to pay them the most money before they attack the target of the highest bidder. It's not really that interesting a feature, and it seems to complicate things a bit too much. The individual planets take some getting used to to manage, and have too many building options for my taste. I would have preferred if tactical and logistics slots were merged so I wouldn't have to spend time balancing each, which takes up too much time and isn't any fun. Also, some of the options, like exploring the planet to find hidden techs and the huge variety of buildings available, just seem to be too complicated for their own good and become excessively difficult to manage. In short, there's just way too much stuff to pay attention to, and it gets tiring. It doesn't help that the brief tutorial only teaches you the basics of commanding units and simple planet functions, but it doesn't go into any detail of how to make it all work, and never says anything about the multitude of late-game mechanics necessary to learn, but only on one's own. But, if you stick with it long enough to learn the necessary nuances, it does get easier and soon becomes fun. It's a great concept by merging the massive scale of big TBS games with RTS gameplay, and for anyone who's intrigued by this kind of thing, it's worth trying. Just keep in mind that it's not easy to learn and has a whole lot of stuff you wish you didn't have to worry about while playing.

Aaron L. gave it a9:
Overall, epic game, but the lack of a campaign is disappointing. It is also a huge time sink, considering a medium sized map can take up to 5 hours of gameplay. Overall, good UI, great graphics and engine, sweet online game play, just add a campaign.

Dan B gave it a3:
Fun, but the game's take way too much time. I played a multiplayer game with a friend of mine. We picked a decent medium sized map, and it still took just over 7 hours to complete. We saved halfway and started back up on another day so it was not all in one session, but still, a game should be fun. This game is just too boring to keep playing when the games get too long.

Andrew gave it a10:
To Start off this game is by no means a short game, or a game that is meant to use a quick rush. You must be thoughtful and tactical to accomplish what you want in this game and with the three different races there is enough differences to make you use a different strategy while still keeping the game balanced. Another Plus is that this game is that you can play an epic space game on a budget. I am playing this game below specs and it still runs smooth on medium, so there are no requirements like crysis to play a cool game. It is a very deep game making you choose where you put you defensive structures, because you can only have so many on any planet. The best part of all is that you can design your own star systems to play using galaxy forge and that it is that you can mod the game. The only downside i can possibly see is that the game is TOO epic, but me liking massive long drawn out wars of survival in space while staying un-dumb downed and not to complex. I love this game and if you like epic drawn out space battles for the survival of your people and see epic space battles close up then this is your game. and Long Live the Unity.

John N. gave it a10:
This game is the perfect mix between Galactic Civ and Homeworld. Its slower pacing (compared to recent RTS games) and more thoughtful gameplay make for a renewed, fresh experience. It is also surprisingly scalable and will work on almost any machine, even slow laptops which struggle with playing Solitaire. The depth of this epic creation will most likely keep you and your friends awake deep into the night... And if that wasn't enough, Stardock and Ironclad are supporting this game like I've never seen before! Oh and, this game is just about DRM free, which is a real treat. Makes for a change in this "security"-ridden modern world.

Joe F gave it a9:
A truly epic strategy game. Though it takes elements from 4X, it is essentially an RTS at much bigger scale. Fans of more generic RTS games like C&C will need to have half a brain, though. Lack of a "campaign" is of little consequence (does anyone complain that the Civ games don't have campaigns?), though the races and backstory are a bit clichéd.

Autre31415 gave it a10:
A great strategy game with an easy to learn interface and features that make it very addictive, even to casual players like myself. Don't believe the comments about "Overly complicated UI" It's very simple, build your ships and defense, increase the size of your empire, and research ways to make things easier, pair up with an empire and destroy your enemy. I love the combination of tactics and the fact that no two games will play out the same way.

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Sins of a Solar Empire

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Summary

What The Critics Said

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