Gratuitous Space Battles

 PC
Gratuitous Space Battles Image
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 77 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: GSB is the next game from UK developer Positech Games. It's a strategy / management / simulation game that does away with all the base building and delays and gets straight to the meat and potatoes of science-fiction games : The big space battles fought by huge spaceships with tons of laserGSB is the next game from UK developer Positech Games. It's a strategy / management / simulation game that does away with all the base building and delays and gets straight to the meat and potatoes of science-fiction games : The big space battles fought by huge spaceships with tons of laser beams and things going 'zap!', 'ka-boom!' and 'ka-pow!'. In GSB you put your ships together from modular components, arrange them into fleets, give your ships orders of engagement and then hope they emerge victorious from battle (or at least blow to bits in aesthetically pleasing ways).
    gsb screenshot gsb screenshot gsb screenshot. Gratuitous Space Battles aims to bring the over-the-top explodiness back into space games. The game is for everyone who has watched big space armadas battle it out on TV and thought to themselves 'I could have done a much better job as admiral'. This is not a game of real-time arcade twitch reflexes. GSB is about what ships you design, and what you tell them to do. Your individual ship commanders have total autonomy during the chaotic battle that unfolds. This is not a tactical game, it is a strategic one. These gratuitous space battles are not won by plucky heroes with perfect teeth, but by the geeky starship builders who know exactly what ratio of plasma-cannons to engines each ship in the fleet will need. [Positech Games]    … Expand

Trailer

Play Sound
Please enter your birth date to watch this video:
You are not allowed to view this material at this time.
Gratuitous Space Battles: The Outcasts - Official Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. AtomicGamer
    85
    Gratuitous Space Battles isn't for everyone, as its brand of strategy is entirely weighted towards the setup phase - and the execution is almost completely hands-off. Still, the prospect of building your own ships and using your own unique combinations of general strategies and offensive and defensive loadouts is very compelling for anyone who is a sci-fi space battle enthusiast.
  2. PC Zone UK
    84
    A deeply satisfying game, beneath a humble facade. [May 2010, p.92]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Destructoid
    80
    In the end, for all its talk of being "gratuitous," Gratuitous Space Battles is actually quite a lean, mean game with a unique premise and singularly charming personality. If you're even marginally interested in seeing heavily armed tin cans tear each other a new hull breach with beam lasers and torpedo missiles, give it a try.
  4. PC Gamer UK
    72
    Imperfect spaceship engineering and asynchronous online dueling combine to deliver a flawed star. [Dec 2009, p.94]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Eurogamer
    Dec 23, 2010
    70
    I do like Gratuitous Space Battles. I think it's a great concept, beautifully presented. I just wish it would let me like it more.
  6. Boomtown
    70
    Gratuitous Space Battles manages to strike a respectable balance between casual gaming and deep, engaging strategy.
  7. PC PowerPlay
    60
    The type of player that will enjoy the gratuitous space battles might well be put off by al the number crunching and preparation involved in just getting an effective fleet together. [Feb 2010, p.63]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 11 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 30
  3. Negative: 7 out of 30
  1. superecnate
    Feb 6, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing, and is one of the few amazing games that target a very specific audience, thus if you are in that audience, you willThis game is amazing, and is one of the few amazing games that target a very specific audience, thus if you are in that audience, you will LOVE it, if not, you will not like it. I am happy to find another one-in-a-million games that is actually expirementing in their gameplay (I'm talking about you, hardcore FPS's!). Just be carful to try the demo or watch a video first. I shouldn't need to tell you that much about it, you can tell about it by playing the demo. It's like a natural filter. People who hate it wont look at the demo, and likely won't buy it. however, people who Apriciate True Gaming Art, will look into it!… Expand
  2. dazhat
    Jul 11, 2011
    10
    Absolutely brilliant. For the low price I think it an excellent sci-fi strategy game. Simple and exciting the campaign adds depth and allowsAbsolutely brilliant. For the low price I think it an excellent sci-fi strategy game. Simple and exciting the campaign adds depth and allows players to conquer the galaxy in this not too serious space shooter.… Expand
  4. JasonH
    Jan 20, 2010
    10
    A graphically stimulating game that relies on my imagination without treating me with as much respect as one would treat a mouse attached to A graphically stimulating game that relies on my imagination without treating me with as much respect as one would treat a mouse attached to an electrode that had to figure out which button to push to get the cheese, and which button not to push if it does not want to be painfully shocked? You gotta be kidding me! A game that rewards you for decisions as opposed to button pushing skills is refreshing, and restores my faith in humanity, frankly. Well done sirs!… Expand
  5. keefbaker
    Nov 13, 2013
    7
    TOYS! Make spaceships and set them up to blow each other up. This is the space scalextric set, no controls except what the spaceships are andTOYS! Make spaceships and set them up to blow each other up. This is the space scalextric set, no controls except what the spaceships are and what the formations are. Set 'em up and watch 'em explode!… Expand
  6. AWG
    Jul 6, 2013
    6
    When I play a game I like to, well, *play* the game instead of being forced to read walls of text just to understand the fundamentals. This isWhen I play a game I like to, well, *play* the game instead of being forced to read walls of text just to understand the fundamentals. This is the main reason why I'm not really into strategy games.
    "Gratuitous Space Battles" seems to be a fair game with a lot of things to do but I couldn't really be caught by it.    … Expand
  7. TheSaltyPilgrim
    Jun 10, 2018
    5
    Story and Writing: 2
    Game Play: 5
    Music: 5
    User Interface: 7
    Optimization: 8
    Graphics: 5
    Replay Value: 3
    Would Recommend: No
  8. Nevermind
    Dec 24, 2012
    0
    I have to give this game a zero for shamelessly putting an ad for one of their other games right on the menu screen. The DLC's are also mostlyI have to give this game a zero for shamelessly putting an ad for one of their other games right on the menu screen. The DLC's are also mostly cosmetic and hardly seem to add anything to the game. In other words just another game where business practices have interfered with game enjoyment. Where would be get if every game had an ad for some other? Oh, also this game is a very good exercise in chaos theory.… Expand

See all 30 User Reviews

Trailers

Awards & Rankings

90
#90 Best PC Game of 2009
71
#71 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009

Current PC Games

Full List »
93 Dwarf Fortress
92 Resident Evil 4
91 Chained Echoes
89 Portal with RTX
89 Pizza Tower
89 Hi-Fi Rush
88 Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania
87 Dead Space
86 8-Bit Adventures 2
86 Kynseed
86 The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure
86 Returnal
86 A Space For The Unbound
85 CONV/RGENCE: A League of Legends Story
77 Contraband Police
76 System Shock
75 Atomic Heart
75 Dead Island 2
70 Storyteller
69 Firmament
All Current Games »