While not the first 4X space game to launch (a nod to Reach for the Stars back in 1983), Master of Orion was the first game to solidly put that genre on the map. The first title was absolutely terrific. The game’s approach minimized the impact of micromanagement… something that most 4X games fail to achieve. The variety of races, with their unique strengths and weaknesses, including which technology fields they excel or struggle with, adds to the flavour of the game. No race can research every technology available in the game. Each game randomizes what technologies a particular race can research… which just adds to the replayability. Graphics in MoO1 are getting dated. A recent free remake of MoO1, Remnants of the Precursors, is fantastic. MoO2 added a lot of improvements. Complexity, graphics, terrific tactical combat. It also tried some things that weren’t so great. For example, planetary improvements followed the early Civilization games of building a variety of buildings that you have researched. It became a micromanagement bore whenever you try setting up new colonies in a game that’s advanced to mid/late game. The technology tree/approach is not as good as MoO1…there is no randomness in the three and the choices often fall into a cookie-cutter pattern. Overall, I still prefer MoO1 over MoO2 but both are great, legendary games.
