Space Empires Complete Pack

Space Empires III introduced me to the 4X genre back in 1997. Over the following decade I kept coming back to it and spent countless hours ruthlessly crushing my enemies, often by destroying their stars and letting the shockwaves do the dirty work. The sound effects are still burned into my brain. I look forward to digging in and playing it again, though I may need to lower my screen resolution a bit to do it properly.

SE1 is just so basic it isn't even worth acknowledgment. And it came two years after Master of Orion 1 was released..... :/ SE2 has a bit more too it, and has the feel of an ancient Windows 3.1 game! Ah, memories. But it's still extremely basic, way behind that standards of it's 1995 release date. SE3 gameplay is starting to get more like SE4 in complexity, but graphics and sounds are still 1990-esque Win 3.1 style basic - and it's AI seems to consist of just "all computer players attack the human player mercilessly". SE4 is good, even if a little "weak" graphically. I already had SE4 Deluxe Edition here on GoG though. Existing SE4 owners get a discount on this bundle too. SE5 is also good, but marred by a lot of bugs, and I mean a LOT. At least it works, unlike the Steam version, that is just a broken pile of shit! So, really it's only IV and V that this bundle is worth buying for. And at £15 fullprice, that is way, way, WAY too much. Wait for a sale, it can come up on a very strong offer. I got it for £2.29 for example.

These games are old and crusty but still my very favourite 4X's ever! IV and V have been widely available but I was worried that the OG versions were lost forever. I highly recommend III, even though it is very primitive. The way that combat & weapon targeting works in III is unique (as far as I've seen) and the simplistic 2D graphics are delightfully easy to mod - even for a completely unskilled nub like myself.

Space Empires IV and V are just great! I had no Idea that it existed, Then i tried it on a Sale here and after i learned how to play it (i wont lie, it took me 2 hours for the mechanics with youtubevideos) and saw the depth inside and the brilliant ideas, possibilities and the whole making, It climbed into my top 10 Games of all time in like no time! Even if its older and i wasnt familiar with it before, i cant name another game that is that good in that genre. For the Sale Price everyone should consider having it in his or her Gamefolder, even if you are a shark thats thrown into a vulcano right now, you wont die in regret for having it. IF you like good 4X games and the mechanics are more important to you than the newest graphics, this one definitly is one for you. (Nerdiest Tipp for long Nightsessions: "Dark Room, Enough Time, Space Empires IV or V and Star Trek Enginesounds- or Music in the Background" What a Feeling :'D)

So, disclaimer: I haven't gotten around to playing SE5 yet, so I can't comment on that one. I have played SE3, A LOT, and I've played SE4 a little bit. SE1 and SE2 I've watched, and to be honest, they're more like 90s tech demos than standalone games. They showcase some features that will be a staple of later games, but they are rough. So, Space Empires 3 is one of my all time favorite 4X games, despite all the clunkyness. The sheer scope of things you can do in that game, as part of running an empire, is astounding. Espionage, diplomacy, research priorities, design, economy optimization, military organization, etc. And that's not even counting the multitude of approaches you can take with ship designs. Wanna be Federation and have phasers and torpedoes and shields? Sure. Wanna focus on fighters and carriers, like Galactica? Sure, but it's going to be hard in the beginning. Romulans, with cloaking devices and plasma? Got ya covered. Massive baseships with shipyards on them? I think so, but you better make sure your economy can take it. Now, all this makes it sound a bit nicer than it is, because, for the most part, the AI is pretty bad overall. But that never really stopped me from having fun in a galaxy with pacifists, xenophobes and other assorted cranky empires. I also like the military intelligence aspect of SE3 (and 4); the systems on the galaxy map have warp points connecting them, and those points become key points in any conflict. You forgot to keep a sentry in a system that is a key connection for your territory? Tough luck, someone moved a fleet through there and parked it in a nebula and you have no idea unless you go and check. It's just great. Now, real quick, I tried playing SE4, and I liked how much stuff it adds, but I quickly gave up because of the user interface. It's just bad and visually confusing to me, compared to the relatively clean UI of 3. If you're into the history of 4X games, definitely check some of this series.