Title really says it. Aside from a few QoL updates that we've all become accustomed to over the last--nearly 30 years--since this game released, I cannot overstate how incredible it is to play such a masterfuly crafted 4x. Especially when you take into consideration that this game released in 1997. I was 12 at the time and would never been able to wrap my head around the game's deep mechanics, simple though they may seem at surface level, even if I'd known it existed. I was busy getting my teeth knocked out in Close Combat 2, or losing to the Empire in SW: Rebellion over and over. Truly, this game is a testament to the love and care that developers had in those days, before everything became conglomorized and antiseptic. Many will find issues with UI and general clunkyness, but my advice is to play through the first five turns. Once you make it over the learning curve, this game unfolds into something modern studios could only dream about putting out. This is a game that covers all domains; land, sea, air, and space. There is combat on massive scales, enigmatic alien foes, and the constant machinations of your sibling great houses. Imagine if someone took Dune and 40k and mashed them together and you will get some idea of the universe you are stepping in to. Add an incredibly deep lore to the mix, aytipical tech and economic trees and many different paths to victory and you get EoTFS; literally the game I always wanted to play, but never knew existed. On top of everything else, consider that the original developers ressurected this game more than 20 years after the original release. The ethos of the dev team, coupled with the fantastic game they'd created makes this a title I will be playing for years to come. Fantastic on so many levels, with only minor complaints that are so small that they don't even merit being mentioned. Buy. This. Game. You won't be disappointed.
