Star Control: Origins

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 112
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 112
  3. Negative: 40 out of 112

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  1. barren_sky
    Sep 21, 2018
    5
    Notice how most of the 10/10 scores are from users with new accounts with just this one game reviewed?
  2. The_Dengsta
    Sep 24, 2018
    4
    THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.

    I was a "Founder" backer of this game and have finished the game, as well as having played very much of it in beta. I never felt strongly enough about a game to write a review on metacritic before now. Star Control: Origins had promise, but it's marred by blatant attempts to copy the first few games. What's original, fresh, and innovative in this game is    THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.

    I was a "Founder" backer of this game and have finished the game, as well as having played very much of it in beta. I never felt strongly enough about a game to write a review on metacritic before now.

    Star Control: Origins had promise, but it's marred by blatant attempts to copy the first few games. What's original, fresh, and innovative in this game is generally great, but the developers spend too much time trying to prove they're making a "true sequel to Star Control" as their CEO loves to endlessly rant about when talking **** about Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford. But this game isn't a sequel. Or a prequel. It's a standalone Star Control game that on its own would make a good Star Control if it weren't for all its problems.

    But the problems with this game aren't the fault of his most hated evil "SJW" conspiracy on Twitter, or the fault of the creators of Star Control (oh darn, Stardock! I said it! I called Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford what they are!). They are the fault of a development team that spent too much time copying the first two games and wasting precious development time inserting ****y ripoffs of the Arilou and Melnorme to try and support their aggressive trademark claims. A developer who decided that a long campaign of lawsuits over some cover art and retweets, public **** talking to other game developers and threats to shut down the fan community was more important than just making a great game. If all that effort was spent on fixing SCO's problems, it would be an easy 8 or 9.

    POSITIVES:

    ~Star Control gameplay!
    ~Lots of stuff to explore
    ~A big variety of ships and more than one kind of ship per species (big improvement from other SC games)
    ~Some cool, funny and creative species

    NEGATIVES:

    ~Except for a twist at the end (which is vaguely reminiscent of Star Control 3), the overarching plot follows the exact same beats as Star Control 2. The species may be mostly original but the overall plot certainly isn't.

    ~Tries too hard to copy other Star Control games. Precursors, Arilou, Melnorme (sorry, you renamed them "Maelnir" now).

    ~The lander gameplay just sucks. It's boring, awkward to drive, and the cartoony art style means the terrain is exaggerated and hard to navigate sometimes. And despite what the developers and their brainless fanboys keep replying to Steam interviews with, you DO have to do a LOT of this to get anywhere in the game. It's the only real way to make money unless you want to hopelessly grind enemy ships for a pittance of Resource Units.

    ~The art style is cartoony. The other games had some cartoony moments, but this is World of Warcraft sort of cartoony. It's grating and makes the game feel corny and stupid, which is annoying because the game generally ISN'T those things.

    ~Battles are fun, but the arena is way too big and the AI is really, really boring to fight. Most of your time in combat will be spent flying around and not actually doing much.

    ~The writing is very inconsistent. For every great joke, line of dialogue or intriguing piece of writing, there's 10 bland, "look at how funny I am" moments. It just feels amateurish - most of the writing in this game desperately needs several more passes to get to a level where it's good, but I guess the developers were too busy posting in forums, chat rooms and social media about how evil the creators of Star Control are for retweeting some tweets that had "Star Control" in them. Spend more time on your game, improving the ****y dialogue, and less time blasting fans for their opinions.

    Overall, Star Control: Origins comes across as a game with a lot of missed potential. What's original about this game is generally great, but the developers spent too much time trying to re-create a Star Control 2-like experience. They should have focused more on their strong point - the creativity and original things that THEY created - and more time revising their dialogue. And less time ripping off what other people created just so they can boost the strength of their trademarks.

    Maybe if they had of done that, the gameplay problems wouldn't be so glaring. But that's a what if. The reality is that this game is decent, but it's not worth full price. I wouldn't pay any more than $15-20 for this game. Wait until there's a sale, because the game just isn't worth the money.    … Expand
  3. TsukasaHiiragi
    Sep 21, 2018
    4
    + Star Control!!
    + Large Galaxy to explore
    + Lots of collectables + Build your own ships - Large Galaxy is boring to explore - Lander gameplay is very boring and tedious - Can't take the story too seriously - Ship configurations are mostly useless fluff - No classic aliens like Ur Quan Again, with the paid and/or company reviewers giving 10s...when it clearly doesn't deserve    + Star Control!!
    + Large Galaxy to explore
    + Lots of collectables
    + Build your own ships

    - Large Galaxy is boring to explore
    - Lander gameplay is very boring and tedious
    - Can't take the story too seriously
    - Ship configurations are mostly useless fluff
    - No classic aliens like Ur Quan

    Again, with the paid and/or company reviewers giving 10s...when it clearly doesn't deserve it, This isn't the Star Control you was looking for, I'm sure you're going to see many glowing reviews from veteran SC fans, I myself was a fan of the original back in the 90s and with that, is the reasons why I'm being more harsh rather than writing a bias positive review.

    First off, the start of the game is very slow paced - your starting ship as you can imagine is pretty much empty of gear/weapons and gadgets which leads you to the near never ending resource collection grind on planets which is buggy and exceptionally boring, your lander is essentially made of paper and is destroyed far too easily.

    The ship to ship combat which is the big draw is pretty much the same as previous games just with added extras such as power-ups, its nothing amazing but it works and this is the core of the fun aspects of the game, everything else is too boring or drawn out and quickly becomes tedious. The galaxy is large and expanse but ultimately feels like a chore to explore because everything is slow and cumbersome early in the game.

    The artstyle is fine, but the writing is weird for a game trying to be somewhat serious but when you get space slug aliens who want to constantly hug you, and give you a free "cuddle drive" any immersion doesn't work, Feels like it was written for Android/IOS devices rather than a full blown PC release if I'm being honest. Music/voice overs are fine, no issues.

    Overall, this game is going to be a matter of taste and if you can stomach the long grindy nature of the campaign mode. If your interested for the nostalgia factor, then fleet battles is the way to go.    … Expand
  4. Dagfinn
    Sep 22, 2018
    0
    Not a real Star Control game. Avoid.

    This is nothing like the amazing Star Control 2: The Ur-Quan Masters. Everything is a dull slog. Exploring, combat, conversation, the works.

    The game also has incredibly long loading screens that take forever for some reason.
  5. Noviere
    Sep 23, 2018
    0
    Utter garbage. Tries and fails to capture what made the series great. This is not the Star Control you are looking for.
  6. Danfritz
    Nov 5, 2018
    6
    "A lack of navigational tools, dull resource collecting, and oversimplified space battles all conspire to knock the game down a peg. Star Control: Origins serves up a lively galaxy worth exploring, but sometimes the commute can be a killer." It's a quote and it sums up the whole game.
  7. angelkurisu
    Sep 21, 2018
    6
    On the surface, this looks pretty good. Solid art, great music, some snappy voice-acting, and occasionally hilarious writing. When you dig deeper, it's not *bad*, but it does feel very lacking in areas. The lander is frustrating, buggy, and a massive time-sink. Combat is okay, but not nearly as interesting as SC2. Lots of ship configurations just feel completely worthless. A lot of theOn the surface, this looks pretty good. Solid art, great music, some snappy voice-acting, and occasionally hilarious writing. When you dig deeper, it's not *bad*, but it does feel very lacking in areas. The lander is frustrating, buggy, and a massive time-sink. Combat is okay, but not nearly as interesting as SC2. Lots of ship configurations just feel completely worthless. A lot of the writing is great, but there are frequent cringe-inducing bad moments. It's enjoyable enough to finish, but it does start to drag after the repeated "get 1 type of good - oops, you sold it?" quests.

    It is very okay. Not amazing, not bad, and probably more interesting to SC veterans than newcomers.    … Expand
  8. ShiArch
    Sep 23, 2018
    7
    Pros :
    1. Music is nice,art style and humor.
    Cons: 1. Bugs in lots of quests making you unable to finish them. 2. Horrible resource grind. Absolutely boring. 3. Ship upgrades are organised terribly. 4. Lack of polish everywhere. Could have used 6 more moths of work at least. 5. Galaxy is dull. 6. Can't even buy resources. So if you need 100 of a resource but have only 95 of it    Pros :
    1. Music is nice,art style and humor.

    Cons:
    1. Bugs in lots of quests making you unable to finish them.
    2. Horrible resource grind. Absolutely boring.
    3. Ship upgrades are organised terribly.
    4. Lack of polish everywhere. Could have used 6 more moths of work at least.
    5. Galaxy is dull.
    6. Can't even buy resources. So if you need 100 of a resource but have only 95 of it then go around wasting hours instead of a neat option to buy the 5 resources at high price. How could they possibly miss it.
    7. No resource marker or radar. Waste your time looking for stuff.
    8. Has steep difficulty curves which are sudden sometimes.

    Why I gave it 7? Because I used cheatengine and gave myself unlimited money. As soon as I stopped grinding resources the game became much more fun. I finished it in approx 20 hours with decent exploration. Despite numerous bugs I had fun chiefly due to good writing.    … Expand
  9. Fabsusu
    Sep 24, 2018
    4
    This isn't a terrible game. It has its moments and fun bits, but dang does it ever fail to be what it aspires to be. Star Control 2, a game from 1994, had better combat than this, better writing, it had more interesting mysteries, it had twice the amount of content such as alien races, dialogue, size of the galaxy, playtime etc.

    The thing that was expanded here is the grindy resource    This isn't a terrible game. It has its moments and fun bits, but dang does it ever fail to be what it aspires to be. Star Control 2, a game from 1994, had better combat than this, better writing, it had more interesting mysteries, it had twice the amount of content such as alien races, dialogue, size of the galaxy, playtime etc.

    The thing that was expanded here is the grindy resource collection, which forces you to spend copious amounts of time on planets collecting resources in an extremely boring minigame, wheras in the original landing on planets and taking off again would be accomplished in a much smaller amount of time.

    Yes, you can avoid the grind, but then you don't get to outfit your ship because upgrades are expensive as hell.

    This game doesn't quite suck. It's addictive and a good 20 hours worth of fun. But it's a far cry from brilliant, the story is superficial and boring.

    It's a bit like a good piece of fan fiction for the original game, but it doesn't deserve the name.    … Expand
  10. ptm2007
    Sep 29, 2018
    6
    It was ok, I liked the appearance of the planets and some of the races but the story was a bit underwhelming. For the most part it was quite pretty. Space combat looked out of place with the rest of the game, very arcadey whereas the rest was not (for instance there are powerups in space combat but nowhere else). I enjoyed most of the playthrough I did, but I probably won't return to itIt was ok, I liked the appearance of the planets and some of the races but the story was a bit underwhelming. For the most part it was quite pretty. Space combat looked out of place with the rest of the game, very arcadey whereas the rest was not (for instance there are powerups in space combat but nowhere else). I enjoyed most of the playthrough I did, but I probably won't return to it to try alternate approaches to things. I wish it had been better.… Expand
  11. awoland
    Sep 25, 2018
    7
    In general, "Star Control: Origins" has turned out to be a very good sequel to the original series. It should be noted that Stardock succeeded in an important thing - to preserve the spirit and atmosphere of the original Star Control. Even visual stylistics and graphics are maintained in the original style. But still I believe that Stardock should have added and some modern technologicalIn general, "Star Control: Origins" has turned out to be a very good sequel to the original series. It should be noted that Stardock succeeded in an important thing - to preserve the spirit and atmosphere of the original Star Control. Even visual stylistics and graphics are maintained in the original style. But still I believe that Stardock should have added and some modern technological visual effects for the new incarnation of Star Control. Without them, the game looks too archaic. In this form, it is certainly attractive only to fans of the original opera Star Control.… Expand
  12. clarky
    Oct 4, 2018
    2
    I played it for a few hours, then i quit out of it to see what I was actually supposed to be doing. The movement is tedious, the fuel stuff is tedious, the resource part is tedious, the UI is terrible. etc etc etc.
  13. Anamnesis
    Jul 8, 2020
    2
    I was also a founder for this game and have great love for the franchise. UQM was a high water mark to measure against, a very simple game with easy mechanics that would be a cinch to emulate today, made by a small crew on a tight budget. It was clever, witty, fun, and filled with fast, tight gameplay. It had heart, soul and heaps of imagination despite its meager roots.

    SCO has its    I was also a founder for this game and have great love for the franchise. UQM was a high water mark to measure against, a very simple game with easy mechanics that would be a cinch to emulate today, made by a small crew on a tight budget. It was clever, witty, fun, and filled with fast, tight gameplay. It had heart, soul and heaps of imagination despite its meager roots.

    SCO has its moments. Story is alright, character animations are good, voice acting is fine. But it ultimately feels like an unfinished product halfway through development, and the most interesting aspects of UQM are the ones that were most neglected.

    Discovering different types of critters in UQM was one of the most fun aspects of exploring planets. There were a few dozen critter types and there were an interesting variety of them. In SCO, you can count the number of critter types on one hand, and the galaxy has been copy pasted with this small selection. Same set of creatures everywhere you go, and nothing breaks immersion and the suspension of disbelief like seeing the same creatures on EVERY SINGLE PLANET. It's like you're exploring the same planet over and over again for hours. Structures are so boring that a six year old could build something better in Minecraft.

    Consistency problems with voice acting. Casual encounters in space are sometimes just written text, while others have voices. There is no consistency in how these are handled, it's just a crap shoot as to whether or not aliens actually speak to you or if you have to read their text messages.

    UQM's melee was snappy, intense, and short lived because of the close quarters combat. SCO combat feels like a game of fly fishing because the arenas are enormous and do not behave the same way. You spend a lot of time positioning for attack and not much time attacking, or having your movement slowed or stopped by the environment. It is not bad combat, it's just not great. UQM combat gives the same rush today as thirty years ago, while this feels like it is still in testing even as a finished product.

    Lander gameplay is repetitive, a concern during development that remained unresolved upon release. They failed to address the tediousness. There were big plans to differentiate planets distinct geological features, bodies of water to jet across, etc. None of that was even attempted. I know because I watched the game evolve and can testify that what you see in the final release barely evolved from what they had early on in development. Lander mechanics are not suited to racing across terrain; it frequently gets lopsided as a result of poor game mechanics, not lack of player skill. Feels like the environment and vehicle were designed by different teams who never were asked to meet and make it fun to play. There are so many other games that they could have taken inspiration from. Could have added a jet pack to leap over obstacles and reduce the amount of time to travel a long distance. I guess that sounded like work so they went and had lunch instead.

    UQM had tight lander gameplay; you were always in pursuit or retreating. You could land and take off within a minute or two. You could choose to land near a specific area to reduce travel time. SCO feels like all the same ideas but in slow motion, with little going on during landings to make them interesting or beyond different planet surface textures. You cannot choose where to land, increasing travel times. So it's largely a resource grinder without much combat grinding, all while staring at boring scenery that never changes because they've rubber stamped the game with the same art, models and textures a thousand times.

    The crime here is that there was a ton of conceptual art produced by some talented artists at Stardock for many different types of creatures and environments during development. I was looking forward to just going to different planets and seeing all the visual splendor of each unique location. Absolutely none of it was developed, and I know because I read all the developer diaries and played the betas.

    The excuse is that they just “had to scrap” so many great ideas. Yeah, no, not buying it. There was documentation of development setbacks, creative direction changes, and multiple iterations on the same ideas. A lot of effort that amounted to nothing. This game was not given appropriate time and resources. And to insult the intelligence of players with excuses about scrapping development ideas is the height of hubris when there are many examples of action exploration games from small studios that have pulled this off.

    I decided to give it some credit for at least being playable. The kicker is that the director of Stardock spends a lot of time in online communities and message boards defending himself, which he can do until he's blue in the face. At the end of the day, this is still an unpolished and unmemorable product that plays like a giant beta test, and it's really a damn shame.    … Expand
  14. jinxcase
    Oct 3, 2018
    8
    Pros
    -So much to do
    -Lots of ship upgrades
    -Fun & interesting world/universe
    -Easy to play

    Cons
    -Interface is clunky
    -Lots of fetch questing
    -Slow Progression
    -Game Engine is buggy

    Would play again.. or more. Sense of urgency is real. Caught myself putting in 6-12 hours per session.

    Highly Recommended
  15. Brian1234
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    This game genuinely does capture the feel of Star Control, and equals or exceeds SC2 in every way. An excellent game that is well worth playing. The gameplay is really fun, the writing is top notch and laugh out loud funny at times (especially chats with the Tywom, the first alien species you will meet), and the plot is, well, this is a space RPG/adventure game, the plot is similar to allThis game genuinely does capture the feel of Star Control, and equals or exceeds SC2 in every way. An excellent game that is well worth playing. The gameplay is really fun, the writing is top notch and laugh out loud funny at times (especially chats with the Tywom, the first alien species you will meet), and the plot is, well, this is a space RPG/adventure game, the plot is similar to all the other space RPG games out there I suppose, but there's also a ton of side-content that varies from funny to serious. Top notch, excellent game.… Expand
  16. psymin
    Sep 24, 2018
    9
    I am really enjoying the music, the visuals and the overall "feel" of the game. They did a great job of capturing the feel of SC2.
  17. Terrier
    Oct 20, 2018
    8
    As a fan of Star Control.

    Minus: 1) Most old aliens are gone. Plus: 2) Now, it is easy to track the conversation. Star Control has lots of conversation and you must pay attention to it, so if you miss something important, then you are screwed. Now. it has a log. And there is more, if you click on the log, then it points you to where you must go, so if you miss something important    As a fan of Star Control.

    Minus:
    1) Most old aliens are gone.
    Plus:
    2) Now, it is easy to track the conversation. Star Control has lots of conversation and you must pay attention to it, so if you miss something important, then you are screwed. Now. it has a log. And there is more, if you click on the log, then it points you to where you must go, so if you miss something important then you could read it later.
    3) The new graphics.
    4) It is not a remake but a new version. The story is surprisingly better than the old games.
    - It's epic.
    - It has lore. However, the old lore is gone.
    - It has twists.
    5) The landers minigame is better., way better. In the previous games, the lander minigame was frustrating at best.
    6) Some comments say that the galaxy is boring. How is it boring?. This game is about aliens and exploration, and the galaxy is filled with surprises:
    - new aliens, some are part of the story and others have their own side-story.
    - minerals, ok, this adds a bit of frustration, Francium mainly.
    - you can find some ships, weapons, building, some aliens that think that you are a deity and so much more.
    - There are several kinds of planets and more. I think there are about 8-10 times x diversity x size x harshness, so the combinations of different planets are huge.
    7) The music is cool too. Some tunes remind me of Captain Future.
    8) The game is hard.
    9) The aliens have a backstory and they have their own reason, they are not just unidimensional characters.
    10) It has comedy.

    Star Control (including this version), isn't a perfect game. However, this version is the best one.    … Expand
  18. afandre
    Sep 21, 2018
    9
    It's a new Star Control! The long neglected genre gets an update that really delivers. If you've like playing a space RPG with arena style arcade combat. you'll like this game. I was dubious from all the mediocre reviews. But this game is solid fun. The planetary exploration is novel, the map to explore is enormous, the storyline is engaging. There's lots to like here. Some aliens get textIt's a new Star Control! The long neglected genre gets an update that really delivers. If you've like playing a space RPG with arena style arcade combat. you'll like this game. I was dubious from all the mediocre reviews. But this game is solid fun. The planetary exploration is novel, the map to explore is enormous, the storyline is engaging. There's lots to like here. Some aliens get text interactions, some get voice and text, some get animated screens and voice. It's colorful and fun.

    There's lots of controversy about the legal battles over Star Control, but don't let it ruin your fun.    … Expand
  19. dmacconn
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    This game is true to it's Star Control 2 roots. Highly recommend this game! Campaign is fun and the head to head Fleet battles are great!
  20. DarknesShade
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Being a"First Wave Founder", i saw development closely and of course, due to the NDA contract,i didn't spill a drop of it
    I've been an Insider/Tester for 4 years now,and i saw elements come and go, characters change, and engine tinkered,
    But i can safely say that they did all the right choices! About the game itself, it's a"Space Opera Game" The game name is true to its roots, it is,    Being a"First Wave Founder", i saw development closely and of course, due to the NDA contract,i didn't spill a drop of it
    I've been an Insider/Tester for 4 years now,and i saw elements come and go, characters change, and engine tinkered,
    But i can safely say that they did all the right choices!
    About the game itself, it's a"Space Opera Game"
    The game name is true to its roots, it is, in essence, a Star Control game(the "Origins" part of it is explained in the game)a Star Control game, and SO Much more:

    - The *Conversation* part has a lot of options and"moral choices",when you say and do certain things, you can visibly see the reaction on the alien's face (or whatever body they have, some are very weird!)some aliens also have alternate versions of themselves due to being different individuals, and that's neat! while meeting new aliens ships,You COULD go"guns ablazin'"you could also hail them and talk to them!can't promise all of the aliens of our galaxy are willing to listen though.

    - The *Ship Battles* are very addicting, if you got a right group combination,there are MANY ships to look from, and of course, not all of them will be right for you, but you can test them out quickly by filling ship slots and going on a non-ranking battle against A.Is, the Battlefields can be vast and full of different hazards, some have 1 to 3 planets on it, some have"energy leech nebulas"that drain your ship of energy, asteroids can give you an edge against other players or crush your play.the battlefield is also littered with Pick-ups,shield,energy,crew,speed and etc.

    - The *Space Exploration* is the core of the game i would say, after you get hyperspace-borne you are free to roam and explore our sector of space! the map is GIGANTIC, and for added awesomeness, it's an accurate representation of our galaxy stars,with names and distances being the most realistic without destroying gameplay, but beware, your ship begins very underprepared,you don't have enough fuel to go EVERYWHERE,while you CAN go in every direction,it's wise to calculate on where you can go, get some resources to sell on Space Bases and buy parts to upgrade your ship, but let's say you have a fully upgraded ship, it does not matter where in the "story"you are, no place is restricted, so even with the ship limitations, you have a sense of freedom in the cold reaches of the galaxy!

    - The *Planet Exploration* is an addicting part of the game, you go to a planet with your ship and search for a landing zone, have found it,you launch a Lander on the planet, and after a "stability minigame"you land , now you have the freedom to roam around it, collecting floating resources! resources change depending on the planet, like Acid planets have acidic elements and so on, some kinds of planets like the Acid planets, there are ambient hazard,planets that can melt, freeze or blow up your lander.again, you can escape danger with ship upgrades, but there are also upgrades that help exploration, such as boosters, jump-modules and GUNS! for what? Not all Aliens of our galaxy are sentient, some are just animals as we have here on Earth,and some are More akin to Dinosaurs, some are also Gentle Giants and some are not even Organic, and that's another thing you can find on a planet:Cities,Caves,and even Crashed Ships

    - The *Soundtrack* is Futuristic and Mechanic when it needs to be, Organic and Tribal or even Dangerous or Happy!either way, it's also helpful, each alien race has it's own theme, and if you are in their territory or near a base, their respective theme will play in a slow and forboding remix or happy and safe tune

    - The *Voice Acting* is one of my favorite parts of the game!it's very different between races, giving each a personality, and you can already tell the personality with the first line out of their mouths (the ones that have 'em) it does make me want to talk more to the majority of characters, to hear their voices and responses, also there is a hand log that shows what the character said if you want to skip, clicking on said line on the log, makes the character talk again!

    - The *Builder* is another core element of Origins,the ability to Build Ships, Structures, Planets, and even Universes! the goal of the game aside from its main Origins-Universe, is giving the player the ability to make its own story with these tools, an ambitious idea that i'm hopeful it will pay out! with these tools, you can not only make your own universe, but making existing ones like Star Wars or Mass Effect! it's hard, but possible!

    Of course,i missed a lot of elements,i expect much more in the future, not only as Free Updates and DLC, but as a growing community that can share Ships, Buildings and etc, and believe me, the game is HUGE!There IS a "Main Story" but it's not the only one, there are SO MANY MORE!
    Hope this does well, the development got underserved fire because it's not the old Star Control, but i say, this is the PERFECT reboot for the Series!    … Expand
  21. cuorebrave
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    When I was 12 years old, my best friend and I drove with his mom up to Sacramento to stay at his aunt's house for the weekend. She was old, and I think she might have been a witch - but she DID have a computer. A good one, I was told, that could probably handle the intense graphics of this new game my dad picked up for me from Egghead software.
    We binged on junk food, snuck drags off her    When I was 12 years old, my best friend and I drove with his mom up to Sacramento to stay at his aunt's house for the weekend. She was old, and I think she might have been a witch - but she DID have a computer. A good one, I was told, that could probably handle the intense graphics of this new game my dad picked up for me from Egghead software.
    We binged on junk food, snuck drags off her old cigarettes, watched naughty R-rated movies with N and SSC on HBO, and booted up this crazy new space adventure: Star Control II
    Gaming, for us, was never the same after that. We kept a bound journal and logged every single detail, clue, story development, mineral rich planet, life rich planet, rainbow world, etc. We drew our own approximation of Quasispace coords. We waxed philosophically about the nature of life in the cosmos. We theorized endlessly about the origins of the Orz, where the Androsynth ran off to, and just where exactly was *above* and *below*.
    I waited 25 years, and now I jump into Star Control: Origins and all of a sudden, I'm back there, with my best friend, unable to stop thinking about what just might be in the next system over.
    10/10 would relive childhood again.    … Expand
  22. lindsayf01
    Sep 21, 2018
    10
    Graphics are great. Writing is great. Amazing job allowing us to continue our love of Star Control. Highly recommend this to anyone who’s looking for an extension to their past.
  23. fezzik21
    Sep 24, 2018
    10
    I'm really enjoying it. For me, it captures the feeling of the Star Control 2 I remember from being a kid. Particular shout out to the voice acting, which is always dicey for these things, but so far has been spot on.
  24. Pyro411
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    In short... This is the game Star Control fans have been waiting for nearly 25 years for.

    The game is a wonderful mesh of exploration, diplomacy, resource gathering and management, combat and writing. I have put nearly 140 hours into the incomplete version and saw it grow over the past year or so in amazing ways while working with the amazing people involved in the game and can say it    In short... This is the game Star Control fans have been waiting for nearly 25 years for.

    The game is a wonderful mesh of exploration, diplomacy, resource gathering and management, combat and writing. I have put nearly 140 hours into the incomplete version and saw it grow over the past year or so in amazing ways while working with the amazing people involved in the game and can say it has done the fandom a great amount of justice.

    I'll stop myself here as I don't know if I could stop myself from going spoilers level in review... let's just say I love it, and hope to see many others join me in game for Fleet Battles and joking back & forth about certain things in the Adventures.    … Expand
  25. DShady
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    I was a Founder for this game and have logged many hours in it at this point. I can say with pleasure that this is very worth the time. I was introduced to Star Control with SC2, and have been very pleased with what Stardock has done with this franchise. I am excited to see how mods and expansions will add more stories and more fun to this game as time goes on.
  26. PubliusNV
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    I didn't think I was the target audience for this game. I never played the original SC games, I play mostly turn based strategy and RPG games, and as I'm over 60 my reaction times are not great so I avoid action or arcade style games. But this game really got me.

    As one of the late stage beta testers, I have to admit that I still suck at the fleet battles, but for me the story, the    I didn't think I was the target audience for this game. I never played the original SC games, I play mostly turn based strategy and RPG games, and as I'm over 60 my reaction times are not great so I avoid action or arcade style games. But this game really got me.

    As one of the late stage beta testers, I have to admit that I still suck at the fleet battles, but for me the story, the strange aliens, the humor, the absolutely superb voice acting, the hidden features like the Tywom fan fiction, and the sheer joy of exploring new star systems and planets made it a game I could not easily put down, so to speak. It will keep you up to the late hours if you let it. In fact, it's addictive. And with the modding ability and hinted at future DLCs I'm sure I'll be playing this game for years to come.    … Expand
  27. JBReview
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Played during the beta and now through at launch -- this is a great game. Worthy successor.

    Pick this up!! (＾▽＾)
  28. Darkin20
    Sep 21, 2018
    8
    A rather faithful recreation of the original Star Control 2 (StarCon2) with a lot of updated ideas and tech.

    If you even liked the original, you will love this one. If you never played the original... you might not love it. There is a lot of grinding and exploring which I think is rather realistic. You need to go to many planets in hopes of finding something interesting on maybe one.    A rather faithful recreation of the original Star Control 2 (StarCon2) with a lot of updated ideas and tech.

    If you even liked the original, you will love this one.

    If you never played the original... you might not love it. There is a lot of grinding and exploring which I think is rather realistic. You need to go to many planets in hopes of finding something interesting on maybe one. Can get a little tedious but that just makes when you find something extra satisfying.

    Where this game really shines is with the story. Meeting just about every species is a riot. I find myself very involved and laughing out loud a lot. Once you really get exploring, this is where the real fun begins.

    I just wish the combat was smoother but I guess if it was, purists might complain.    … Expand
  29. NICKALLENRP
    Sep 23, 2018
    10
    Star control 2 is my favorite game of all time and I pre-ordered this the moment I had the chance. I did not get to play the beta but having played for about 10 hours I must say I'm pleasantly Surprised how fun this is. It gives me a bit of the taste of Star Control 2. It's a fun game And I hope the community continues to put out new content for it.
  30. MosesZD
    Sep 22, 2018
    10
    This game captures the original Star Control atmosphere. The writing is excellent, the story does fan-service AND stands on its own. I've got about 30-hours into the game and I am having a great time.

    BE WARNED: The game doesn't hand-hold you. And too many people seem to FOOLISHLY BELIEVE YOU NEED TO HARVEST ALL THE PLANETS. It's not 'Gather Craft', and if you FOOLISHLY DO    This game captures the original Star Control atmosphere. The writing is excellent, the story does fan-service AND stands on its own. I've got about 30-hours into the game and I am having a great time.

    BE WARNED: The game doesn't hand-hold you. And too many people seem to FOOLISHLY BELIEVE YOU NEED TO HARVEST ALL THE PLANETS. It's not 'Gather Craft', and if you FOOLISHLY DO THAT, the game will become quite tedious. And it's YOUR fault.

    Rather, you harvest rich planets, check planets out for 'unknown objects' (tech, side quests, resources) but mostly do quests and forge alliances to progress in the game.    … Expand
  31. cannonman58102
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    This is the first game I've bothered to put a review up for on Metacritic. I created an account for this, because this game is fantastic. I haven't stopped playing it since it launched, and this is something that I never do anymore in my old age.

    This is the first game that has made me call in sick to work in more than 8 years, and I don't think there is a better endorsement I can give.
  32. Chazn2
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Fantastic writing, brilliant voice overs and a great sense of exploration. This game presses so many of the right buttons for me.

    I've not personally played SC1 or SC2 but I've heard very good things from the people I know that have, this is a fantastic re-imagining and modernisation of a genera that never got recognised for being it's own thing. If you enjoy a serious story with    Fantastic writing, brilliant voice overs and a great sense of exploration. This game presses so many of the right buttons for me.

    I've not personally played SC1 or SC2 but I've heard very good things from the people I know that have, this is a fantastic re-imagining and modernisation of a genera that never got recognised for being it's own thing.

    If you enjoy a serious story with humour, a game with a sense of exploration and discovery or want a game where it's a blast to go head to head with friends in a series of fleet battles, just get it. You will not be disappointed.    … Expand
  33. svs123
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    This game is incredibly entertaining. It is very hard to put down for the night. The writing is much better than I would have expected from Stardock, it is some of the most witty dialogue I've read in any game. I can't wait to play through the entire game.
  34. Funnytom
    Sep 24, 2018
    9
    If you liked star control 2 then you will like this. A real throwback to the old days of wandering a galaxy trying to solve mysteries. Docked 1 point as the resource gathering can be a bit grindy.
  35. marvel212
    Sep 22, 2018
    8
    The name of this game fit this game perfectly. This game is more like a reboot of star control 2 with different story line. It has everything what the original star control 2 had. I don't know if the magic is there but I find myself wanting to explore the galaxy as I did with original star control 2.

    It's all there. Funny scripts, resource collecting, space exploring, evil aliens    The name of this game fit this game perfectly. This game is more like a reboot of star control 2 with different story line. It has everything what the original star control 2 had. I don't know if the magic is there but I find myself wanting to explore the galaxy as I did with original star control 2.

    It's all there. Funny scripts, resource collecting, space exploring, evil aliens who want to destroy Humans. I am still only few hours into the game. So far it sticks to the original star control 2 adventure. This game will make original star control 2 lovers very happy.    … Expand
  36. pchernik
    Sep 20, 2018
    10
    Awesome game. Story, humor, music, adventure, rpg - all top notch! Don't listen to the people who down-vote it because of unrelated reasons - being unfair to the great game.
  37. asmode0s
    Sep 21, 2018
    10
    Stardock is a great little company that makes passionate and fun games. Star Control: Origins fits right in with sharp and colorful graphics, stimulating and curious sound, and a very impressive feat of completely spoken dialogue. All the fun aliens that you run into have the most amazing voice acting, delivering the subtle humor of the Star Control universe.

    The game can be completely    Stardock is a great little company that makes passionate and fun games. Star Control: Origins fits right in with sharp and colorful graphics, stimulating and curious sound, and a very impressive feat of completely spoken dialogue. All the fun aliens that you run into have the most amazing voice acting, delivering the subtle humor of the Star Control universe.

    The game can be completely played with a controller, but you still have the ability to outfit your ship. Building and managing a fleet is seamless. Resource gathering and management is easy and fun. There is just enough challenge to landing on planets and fighting drones when gathering resources to make it dangerous.

    The big shining star here is the ship combat. You enter a sort of arena in that it is a set area with stars, bouncy planets, black holes, powerups to do battle with enemy ships. You can fire the weapons that you've built into your ship and hope to control your momentum enough to kill the enemy before it kills you.

    Overall a simple, fun and well done game. Another excellent game from Stardock. Definitely a buy.    … Expand
  38. Yco
    Sep 25, 2018
    9
    Very high production values (including writing). Faithful remake of a classic title. Great world-building and also very well designed universe population and macro economy. Polished and impressive game.
  39. TDDraco
    Sep 24, 2018
    10
    I grew up on Star Control, literally. I was six in 1990 and spent much of my youth playing SC1 and 2.

    Fortunate enough to be able to become a Founder on SCO, i have watched the game grow and progress over time. Star Control Origins is a rich universe filled with aliens of many different varieties with fast-paced ship to ship combat thrown in. You can be a peaceful Federation-like    I grew up on Star Control, literally. I was six in 1990 and spent much of my youth playing SC1 and 2.

    Fortunate enough to be able to become a Founder on SCO, i have watched the game grow and progress over time.

    Star Control Origins is a rich universe filled with aliens of many different varieties with fast-paced ship to ship combat thrown in. You can be a peaceful Federation-like explorer or take a darker route and engage in piracy. Whatever path you choose, your goal is to save Earth.

    With many years of galactic expansion planned out by Stardock, plus the upcoming player-made universe support, SCO has a lot of promise in its future.

    Seriously, check it out.    … Expand
  40. Skotos90
    Sep 21, 2018
    10
    Star Control: Origins meets it's expectations for those who are looking for a great space adventure. Origins is full of witty dialog, interesting aliens and an overall fun game.

    Exploring the planets and moons really gives you feeling of traveling in space. As your lander crests over a land mass on a moon you may encounter a breath taking view of a nearby planet or your space ship    Star Control: Origins meets it's expectations for those who are looking for a great space adventure. Origins is full of witty dialog, interesting aliens and an overall fun game.

    Exploring the planets and moons really gives you feeling of traveling in space. As your lander crests over a land mass on a moon you may encounter a breath taking view of a nearby planet or your space ship hovering out in space. Or you may simply be surprised to find an interesting artifact that recently crashed.

    The aliens you meet can be scary, silly, eccentric or just down right moist (play the game to understand what I mean). I haven't finished the game yet but look forward to meeting all the aliens and discovering their interesting personalities.

    Stardock has done a great job putting together this reboot to the Star Control franchise and I look forward to many more to come.    … Expand
  41. moondoggie
    Oct 1, 2018
    0
    Shame that it's called Star Control because it pales compared to Star Control 2 or even Star Control 3!

    + Good art
    + Decent voice work

    - Buggy engine that crashes in weird ways... hello black screen of death!
    - Most of the races are just copies of the SC2 races
    - Story line is boring at best
    - UI is god awful
  42. akarnokd
    Jul 30, 2020
    7
    I never played any previous Star Controls and picked up the game thanks to the Ars Technica extened interview with the creators.

    What I liked: - the music - resource gathering - most of the story - the animated and voiced hail screens - many of the UI conveniences What I disliked: - combat, especially space combat with that vectoring-thrust mechanic - massive framerate drops    I never played any previous Star Controls and picked up the game thanks to the Ars Technica extened interview with the creators.

    What I liked:
    - the music
    - resource gathering
    - most of the story
    - the animated and voiced hail screens
    - many of the UI conveniences

    What I disliked:
    - combat, especially space combat with that vectoring-thrust mechanic
    - massive framerate drops due to particle effects on planets
    - no easy way to see what new tech unlocked
    - the star system/hyperspace drifting
    - some form of list or indicator showing all planets in the system
    - the "realistic" lighting of planets that made many of them just blend into the background
    - no indication what planets I cleared
    - point of interest markers not removed
    - the Kzanti that hail you all the time and no option to just shoot them immediately or make them go away for good    … Expand
  43. theirrelephants
    Oct 12, 2021
    8
    I enjoyed it, and had zero bugs unlike a lot of the other posters.

    Good writing is marred by the absolute trash that is the lander 'gameplay' portions, of which there are far, far too many. I probably would have given this a 6 or 7 instead of 8 if I hadn't cheated a little by looking up the stargate locations ahead of time. Spending forever running around the overhead map would have    I enjoyed it, and had zero bugs unlike a lot of the other posters.

    Good writing is marred by the absolute trash that is the lander 'gameplay' portions, of which there are far, far too many.

    I probably would have given this a 6 or 7 instead of 8 if I hadn't cheated a little by looking up the stargate locations ahead of time. Spending forever running around the overhead map would have been admittedly INCREDIBLY tedious.    … Expand
  44. Keimpe
    Feb 7, 2021
    8
    Picked it up in the sale and i really love it. It resembles SCII maybe a bit too much, but as fans of the original i can imagine why they went for that. The planets are a bit of a chore eventually, but the music makes up for that. Love the races, love the gameloop. In the beginning the game doesn't run that well, but give it time and eventually the shaders are fully loaded. Recommended!
  45. Drakman
    Aug 12, 2020
    7
    I was a huge fan of the original games, and Origins definitely reminds me of those games. Disappointing that Stardock and the original devs couldn't work together for a proper Star Control game. Ship combat needed a bit of work. But the personality and feel of the game is there. Overall I was pretty happy with it.
  46. ShadyAlligator
    May 2, 2022
    3
    The gameplay is a repetitive grind. Combat gets repetitive quickly. Exploring planets is boring.

    Even the art style feels like this would have been an iPhone free-to-play game, except for the story. They try to rehash a lot of SC2 and even copy the first few hours of story. A lot of the writing is awkward. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but the original games had a certain magic. This    The gameplay is a repetitive grind. Combat gets repetitive quickly. Exploring planets is boring.

    Even the art style feels like this would have been an iPhone free-to-play game, except for the story.

    They try to rehash a lot of SC2 and even copy the first few hours of story. A lot of the writing is awkward. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but the original games had a certain magic. This feels like your dad wanted to show you how to REALLY dance.

    Just cringe. Refund.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
79
#79 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. GameStar
    Feb 3, 2019
    72
    Quirky and entertaining space adventure for patient people with a lot of patience, patience and above all patience.
    Read full review
  2. GameStar
    Feb 3, 2019
    72
    Quirky and entertaining space adventure for patient people with a lot of patience, patience and above all patience.
    Read full review
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Dec 21, 2018
    80
    Origins is a surprisingly good successor to the famous trilogy. There’s a big galaxy to explore, choices to make and memorable characters to meet. Dialogues are great, and arcade parts are simple, yet fun. Together, they make a game that will easily keep your interest for a week at least. [Issue#234, p.54]
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