I'll not be writing a complex review of the mechanics here as others have done that already. I'm just here to say that if you like 4x games and/or settings like Dune, this game is probably for you. The design and atmosphere hold up very well to this day and I'm saying this as someone who didn't play it back in the day when it came out. I first picked it up as abbandonware 10-15 years ago, without the new patches (or even music for that part) and immediatly was pulled in. The first few (and I really mean only a few) turns might seem a bit challenging but due to a very well designed interface and great readability you can basically learn to play the game on the go even though its complex mechanics. And the interface truly is a gem that too many games (especially nowadays) just don't seem to be able to pull off. I'm fascinated evertime at how good it actually is and how simple it would be for other games. Almost everything you need to know about the current game state is displayed on the main screen and everything else is just one click away (no windows hidden in windows, no spreadsheet hell) Want to know more information about your units you click there, want to know more details about your ressources you click there and so on. This makes the game incredibly easy to read and learn to play on the go. In my my opinion it's still one of the best 4x games there is.
Just got this game on a whim because it looked cool and was on sale. I'm normally not a fan of these old school styled shooters but this one hits differently. Drew me in instantly. Installed it and couldn't stop playing till after midnight. A lot of Quake and Unreal vibes. I'm playing it on hard and it doesn't seem that hard so far, but I'm only a few levels in at this point, so maybe it will get harder as you progress. The atmosphere is just awesome with beautiful graphic design (especially the lighting and the color palette), great level design and very nice chill music. Really invokes a sense of wonder. Directly got the expansion as well. I really miss shooters like this.
This is a first impression after playing the game for about 30-60min. Never played it before. I don't know the last time a game drew me in like this. Oh, the atmosphere. Oh, the storytelling. Like Homeworld this game is perfectly composed to tell an atmospheric story in the vast emptiness of space. Sound design, graphics and mechnics work all together to really give you the feeling of loneliness and threat of being in deep space, like seldomly a space-game does. The immersion is there from the Beginning and there's not even suspension of disbelief by some clumsily fit in tutorial. The game effortlessly weaves telling you how it works into the storytelling. The UI looks nice and is intuitive. And the graphics are stunning - and do i have to remind you this game is 18! years old? They made the absolute best out of what they had and it still looks amazing today (those engine exhausts!) If you like Homeworld or the Expanse, this is a must-buy!
