This Master of Orion is a fun game, but really comes off as Civilization V wearing an Orion disguise. The UI borrows very heavily from Civ5 and turn-by-turn gameplay flow will feel very familar to Civ5 players, for better or worse. A lot from MoO2 failed to make it over to this one and the crown jewels of the Orion series, custom ships and combat, are massively simplified here. Available slots for storing ship designs (blueprints, in the game) are limited to a measely four and equipment has been scaled down considerably. Offensive equipment is rated by DPS and defensive equipment rated by its ability to negate DPS, either by "dodging" it (ECM) or "absorbing" it (Shields). Utility combat equipment like Tractor Beams or Emissions Guidance Units are completely gone, as is ship boarding/capture, marine contingents, and hireable ship/colony leaders. Now it's a game of DPS and the fleet with the most will pretty much automatically win. Is it a bad game? No, it isn't. But at the same time it's not a terribly good one either. Much like Civilization V you'll find yourseslf sinking into a turn-by-turn rut, dealing with the occasional completely production queue, a fleet needing new orders, and occasionally, a battle. All of this is presented as a To-Do list at the beginning of every turn, again, much the same as Civilization V. I spent $30 on this game. I don't regret it. There's a decent game here, but not a great one. My recommendation? Wait for a sale to drop the price to $15, then jump on it. Maybe by then we'll see some more features to differentiate this game from its terrestial
