Surviving Mars

if you enjoy micromanagement games its good, you can tweak almost anything, hand holding is limited but has an ingame manual/ encyclopedia that helps. its best to stick with it first time around even it turns to hell on mars you learn more playing it on the mechanics etc and the AI qwerks, its not broken, its called 'surving mars' not 'easy mode on mars'. recommended expansions are worth it too but no need early on and the game is good without too

Surviving Mars is somewhat unique to other RTS type games that I have played in the past. It has some elements rom greats like Civilization and elements from Colonization and others where you are able to get supplies and people from Earth. It blends all of these elements together quite well as you research and build your way to a successful colony on Mars. What sets this apart is that you also have to manage the different elements from bots to that of domes and the various breakdowns that can happen to them along the way. I will be honest, I had to restart the training map a few times as I got used to how the game mechanics work. The single player portion of this game is fascinating to play and when you look at the clock you will see more time has passed then you might have wanted to. It really grabs your attention in many ways. Not only do you have to research and build but you have to explore the surface around you for resources and anomalies that will help you ro research even more for your colony. As to the colonists themselves you have a wide range that you are able to choose from. You can even get v very specific as the the sex, gender, age and other factors that you want to have with you on Mars. Be warned though, the more restriction you put on the colonists, the fewer there will be to choose from. Keep this in mind as you will need to have certain professionals needed to be able to manage and service the furious buildings that you have built on mars. This is not a set and forget type of game to play. You will be managing it all, from charging vehicles and droids to making sure that you have enough food, water and air for your colonists. You also want to make sure to keep them happy with enough distractions to make them want to keep working. Your bots will also need to be charged and survived so that you can keep collection items that you will need to build with as well as send back to earth to be sold. This is a game that is worth playing.

I would recommend to any fan of the genre. My first entrance to this genre was Banished, and subsequently Planetbase. I sunk 100+ hours into both game, and have already sunk the same amount into this game. I have played two "complete" games, and intend to play more in the future to better apply the strategies I have honed. Pros: - Visually great (NOTE: I play on the highest settings) - Great blending of strategic and tactical aspects - There are many paths to success. The various combinations of sponsors and professions allow for unique playstyles to emerge. - The game is captivating. The first day I played it, I didnt go to bed and played it for nearly 20 hours straight. Cons: - Super (Ultra?) micro-management. This is somewhat of a Pro (for me), but will be very off-putting to many. - There is no "end game". At some point you just have to call it quits and start a new game. - There is no way to auto-accept trade offers that match your trading pads. This is VERY annoying, and makes you want to stop offering trades after a while.

I really enjoy the game. It has many different options for starting and play styles. Well worth the base game, and the Green planet and Space race DLCs are nice additions.

The premise is titillating. Absolutely love the idea of terraforming Mars. This game however only allows you to get a few hours in before it throws a great big spanner in the works every.single.time. It's a plague, it's a never-ending storm, it's an energy crisis, it's always something. Paradox Games just loves to make these kinds of games that go well for enough that you think the game is cool, then they destroy it, no matter what the difficulty. Surviving Mars is no exception. I really want to be able to recommend this, but the fun was completely gone after the third time I hit that game mechanic. And for some reason, although this game lends itself perfectly to it, there is no multiplayer or co-op. Just imagine being able to terraform Mars **together** with your best friends - either in bases together or separately on the map. Well, keep dreaming, because it'll never happen. At least the game looks nice and the audio is stellar...