Master of Orion 1+2

MOO 2 scratches the same itch as Civilisation, but unlike those almost eternal Civ-sessions you can finish a game in one or two days. (You don't have to, by all means choose a cluster-type map, do lots of micromanagement, and play for a week or two). You can tailor your custom-race to your playing style. In the highest difficulty setting this is highly recommended. You can also tailor your research, and ultimately your ships towards your opponents weaknesses, with sometimes devastating results. Your opponents however could do the same. (Un)fortunately the AI doesn't make much use of that opportunity, but if you play against a skilled human player that has a potential for lots of fun - or frustration. MOO 1 is not bad either, but a lot of things got streamlined in 2, so I for one play almost exclusively MOO 2. To me, MOO2 is the best turn based deep strategy game to date, and a must buy for fans of that genre, especially on sale

These are two games that have really stood the test of time. I've come back to both games over the years and it's like meeting an old friend again, always a pleasure. Glad they are both here.

Unlike the first game Master of Orion 2 has aged extremely well. It's easy on the eyes, it's easy to understand, and it's easy to control. If you're playing it for the first time you'll be able to jump right in. The interface is so minimal and user friendly you can learn as you go. MOO2 doesn't try to be overly complex and it doesn't bog you down with too much micromanagement. MOO2 doesn't feel like some stale simulation it feels more like an awesome board game filled with lots of random chance and customization. Tweaking the preset alien races is still a lot of fun. I usually modify the Humans to behave more like the greedy Gnolams--which seems more appropriate if you ask me. If you don't like 4X games you should at least give Master of Orion 2 a try. It's fantastic. 20 years later and I'm still playing it.

In 25 years of my pc gaming history there are only few games(most from Bioware before EA) that came close to MOO2! It is a Masterpiece which no newer 4x game has every surpassed. (I've played many, many games) You have not really played a 4x game without tried MOO2. The diplomacy system alone could teach all other (4x) games which came later some lessons. Neither Civilisation series or Galactic Civ could achieve the same depth. Master of Orion 2 although in todays standards a rather simple game it has so much atmosphere, so much details, everything is incredible well tought and designed. I've played 2500h on MOO2.

Master of Orion 1 + 2 are the games to beat in the realm of turn based empire builders. Galactic Civilizations may be the new bar for today, but the bar that started it all is right here. These are some of the best strategy games to ever grace this Earth. If you are a fan of the genre, you owe it to yourself to buy, play, and play again - these classics.