Master of Orion is a beautiful reproduction of a strategy classic. The game itself remains almost entirely unsullied, with the most notable updates applying to graphics and interface.
Если у меня спросят: "Есть ли такой римейк, который воссоздал старую игру так, что в нее можно играть и старым фанатам и новчикам, при этом ничего не сломав и не испортив?" - я отвечу: "Это Мастер Ориона 2016 года".
Игра полностью воссоздает второго Мастера Ориона на современном движке. Да, она может ничего принципиально нового не добавила - это и не нужно было. Это признание в любви к второй части, перенесено только то, что было в нем. Разработчики не стали "из рпг делать шутер", или добавлять лутбоксы. Римейк мог быть намного хуже, а продолжение могло быть хуже трешки, хотя куда уж хуже.
Я очень признателен разработчикам. Вы молодцы!
Loved the game! i don´t know why some people feel like this game is not up to expectations. Gameplay? Good. Animations? Good. Graphics? Good. Voice acting? Good (well, amazing actually). I love this kind of genre and sometimes feel like there are too many variables to understand exactly what is happening in all the layers; and I didn´t have this problem at all wit MoO, felt in control of my civilization all along.
Unfortunately new MOO misses most of the core points of old MOO and becomes yet another OK’ish but forgettable space game. Hint: if engaging chess-like tactical battles were half of the original game, are simplistic non-tactical battles a good idea? [Sept 2016]
It lacks some features that where present in the old Master of Orion II, and many of the bold ideas Stellaris and Endless Legend introduced to the genre. A playable, fun game, with great production value, but not a game that will stand the test of time.
This reboot falls short of its potential of evolution for the series. It looks newer and prettier but disappoints as a more shallow gameplay experience compared to the first two games.
Master of Orion fails as a remake of the classic SimTex title, and as an attempt to renovate the 4X genre: the gameplay is too simple and limited to offer a real challenge to the player, and a variety of the old mechanics are missing. Despite all this, it can be a pretty good starting point for players who want to become familiar with the genre.
Master of Orion is a visually appealing game, but for a strategy title that tries to impress, it's not enough to sport a pretty face. The wonder of a space exploration strategy is severely lacking, partly due to the arcade-like game design, and partly due to the lack of any real depth.
Very polished and very enjoyable to play. Of course there are many things to be improved as in every 4X game I know, but this game already started right from day 1. My score is in part to compensate all the unnecessary hate. : )
Master of Orion is a typical "another turn then I stop" game.
It is relatively simple, arguably pretty and has a dash of humour.
In its bare form, it is very flawed and it seems the developers aren't working on it anymore : the last patch was in October 2019.
There is however an "Unofficial Code Patch" (UCP) that improves the game quite a lot.
It's worth it if you get it in a sale, especially if you want some variation on your 4X games.
As of 1Q’20 “MOO: Conquer the stars” (2016) has a Metacritic score of 74 and if one sorts our Metacritic scores in brackets like this
90+ - highly recommended for all audience/ genre standard setting masterpiece
80-89 – must buy for genre fans; others may like the game as well
70-79 – genre fans may enjoy this; not recommended for others
Below 70 – pre-release builds
74 is a reasonable estimate of MOO (2016) playability. 74, provided you play it with community designed 5X -The Ultimate balance mod (UBM), unofficial code patch (UCP) and the mod making 5X UBM and UCP compatible (all are listed as “top rated all the time” in Steam workshop. Otherwise, the game hardly deserves above 70 mark and should be skipped entirely in favor of Endless Space 2 or Stellaris.
Pros:
1. Brand equity. Whilst MOO (2016) per se neither adds to it (like MOO2 did in 1996), nor destroys one (like MOO3 in 2003) seeing the same races and familiar interface adds value to the game
2. Lore. Nothing in comparison with Warhammer, but Sergei Lukyanenko’s trilogy “Dream Lane” and Mass Effect game series races clearly inspired by MOO help to enjoy playing
3. Gorgeous concept art for races and ships. Just look at the pdf enclosed; the game retained some of it
Cons:
1. Developers dumped support for the game in 2017. Community fixed major bugs and issues in above listed mods, so they’re must have
2. User interface, in particular planet management and research tree screens resembles MOO2 one, but developers made it uglier and less convenient. E.g. the [original?] art team skipped work on some assets, so combination of poor and high quality images on the same screen makes the overall picture look even worse; MOO2 800x600 planet management screen was able to fit 10 planet lines whilst MOO (2016) can barely fit 8 on 2560x1440
3. Tactical space battles lost their allure after transition to real time, both in terms of battle strategies and graphics quality
4. Events design, diplomacy/espionage and heroes systems stayed on 1996 level
Overall the game would be much better received were publisher and developers (WG Labs/NGD Studios) just took MOO2 patched to 1.50 version and made it run natively in Win10 with 2K/4K screen resolutions.
It's a genuinely bad game and that in itself is worth writing about.
The only thing it has going for it is the looks, but other than that the gameplay feature set is shallow & poorly thought through, the AI is bad, for a strategy game it lacks any depth (it's a clciker more than about thinking, pondering decisions). I rarely regret purchases as I usually am more selective with what I buy, but there was a sci-fi dryspell at the time it was released, so I got it anyway. The problem is that it's not worth the time even if you get it at discount, frankly.
Good points: No major bugs, good voice acting.
Bad points: Not very exciting, poor combat mechanics. No desire to play more after finishing one game.
War-gaming definitely tossed some money at this game with all of the name brand voice actors.
Unfortunately, they didn't have the foresight to hire experienced game designers as the game is
just very lackluster outside of the voice acting.
I was surprised that the priced at the game at $29.99 nstead of $39.99. but in retrospect,
this just shows that the producers don't have faith in the game themselves. I recommend
picking this up at $5-$10. At $30, it's still not worth it. Put your money towards Galciv3, Endless space
and Stellaris instead.
SummaryDiscover Master of Orion as it was always meant to be: A fully orchestrated score, interstellar warfare and exploration against the backdrop of animated far flung galaxies. Confront hostile civilizations, negotiate with mysterious aliens, share knowledge with allies and uncover this newly imagined universe.