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Galactic Civilizations

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I bought the first galactic civ when it came out. The second was even better. You can make custom ships and reaserch new technologies and there are even more races to choose from. I like these game for replay value. Not the same boring thing. In the first I go into the xml and add new stuff such as technology and new stats and so on. It is too easy. Both galactic civ one and 2 are a safe bet for a fun stratagy game.

The Bottom Line

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is without doubt the best turn based 4X game I have ever played. Allowing me to design and create my own ships with different weapons and defenses made a dream come true. The people behind this game, Stardock, are developing an odd reputation, because for some reason they actually care about their customers, many of these reviews were written nearly a year ago, and since that time the game has been pacthed and changed.

If you enjoy strategy games (turn based or RTS) and are not afraid of using your head, try this game out, there's a great demo out that can give you a taste.

I started with the purchase of this game, I then bought the expansion Dark Avatar, and because of the amount of support the company has shown me and their products I pre-ordered the second expansion Twilight of the Arnor and Sins of a Solar Empire. Now that Sins of a Solar Empire is out I can say that I will continue to pre-order Stardock Entertainment products as whatever team they have creating video games over there are clearly gamers themselves and put plenty of common sense into their games, which is a lot more than most companies can say.

Try the demo, see for yourself. I went for it, and have nothing but good things to say.

Above average game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: October 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is ok. Lotta tech to research. Lotta differant ship designs and payload. But i like Star Trek Birth of the Federation better. The starports on this game dont protect the plants and that can get kinda annoying.

Brain Cells beware, this game will kill allot of you.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Nothing like a good strategy game that will wipe out brain cells when you're depressed and/or lonely.

This game is exceptionally fun and Very inspiring, keep the name Stardock in mind.

Stardock the makers started off a very small company with good ideas and exceptional programmers, the company is the game, unlike Ubisoft, Atari and other mega-giants who don't even know there product or care to support it, Stardock takes a personal interest.

The fanatics generated by the open-ended nature of this game have thrilled me with Babylon V and Star trek revisions of the game which easily could be sold as stand-alone expansions.

The selective complexity of the game remains just good enough to be entertaining and fun while remaining simple enough to play in short or long periods, the AI for strategy gets an A+.

The real fun in the game comes in MAKING your own starships, interfacing with a common language like XML to create scenarios', designs and storylines (limited),

The premise is the same as all good strategy games; grow your civilization, arm yourself just enough to achieve your goals and win a victory based on your choice. Be a war monger and blast all your enemies to pieces, be a diplomat and form a galactic alliance of coerce your enemy to surrender to your superior way of living etc...

The 3D battles are like 1980 television show CGI effects, but truly a treat, again remaining simple means you are not on the helm of a ship targeting enemies but rather arranging to win the battle by combining arms and fleets to get the upper edge what strategy is all about, and then if your really good not one shot has to be fired, but then you miss the cool effects.

It's a game priced well, from an exceptional company (a 3d0 replacement possibly).

Pros:

Very compatible with most machines and graphic cards,
Fast and multi-tasking so you can commiserate life's pointlessness while you destroy the universe.
Excellent support and community structure, FREE add-ons.
A true desire to work with there users rather then leech them out of some more small change.
No CD in drive 24/7 needed to run

Cons:
New release does not work on my older p3, even though it is loaded. (Intel Graphics)
I can't tell what version, what upgrade, what release I should get or have or should have, there sales teams needs a little bit refinement
(Which is sort of backwards since everyone else sells you the Brooklyn bridge and there tech teams is the clod)

All in ALL it's worth the money you won't be disappointed
Duftopia

Decent. But old ideas don't make a new game good.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: July 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I had been hoping for good things with Dread Lords. The older GalCiv, while not on the level of MOO2, was good enough and looked promising.

Sadly, my hopes were not answered. Don't get me wrong, Dread Lords is not a bad game. However, it is nothing special either. 10 years after MOO2 something more is demanded of 4x space strategy than what we got here. There's plenty of new options, but after playing it perhaps 40 hours and finishing the main campaign and a few random galaxies I sat with the impression that I could safely go back to Rome Total War without losing much sleep. A month later I discovered Sword of the Stars and Dread Lords made its way to the dustbin, where it has stayed until today and probably will remain.

I Preferred MOO:3

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: April 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Don't get me wrong; this is a fine game, worth the price. However, I'm the kind of weirdo that LIKED the mystifying complexity of Master of Orion 3; GCIV2 is a bit to simple and straightforward for me, a little like a "spreadsheet game". In MOO3, the player gets to control friendly forces in tactical battles on ground and in space; in GCIV2, one simply watches them happen. Never mind the fact that this is more realistic: given the distances involved, battlefield commanders would enjoy great freedom of action in this context. But I play Turn-Based Strategy games to indulge my inner control freak (strange, considering that my persona is pretty laid-back and messy). Still, a good game, and if you were overwhelmed by MOO:3's byzantine sophistication (or appearance thereof), this is the answer to your wishes.

Fun Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: March 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I found this game to be a great solo play game after its updated to the newest versions. The AI gives a good battle and it isn't always easy to beat. Its easy to learn and has good support on the Gal Civ website.

Hands-down, the BEST space strategy game so far

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: February 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Considering the mediocre performance of the first Galactic Civilizations game, I was wary to purchase this game from the store. The only reason why I purchased this game is because I really enjoy turn-based civilization-type strategy games. I was really impressed with MOO 2 that was launched a decade ago (I thought that game was the best space strategy game ever) and wanted a more up-to-date version of MOO 2. GalCiv 2 certainly meets that requirement and much more!

One of the best things about GalCiv 2 is the level of playing depth. This game is not for some kid who has nothing better to do on some weekend night. This game is really for adults who want to be the master planner of their own private star empire. The interface is pretty good and easy to handle and the gameplay is generally smooth (however, I would highly recommend really fast CPU computers for this game). I also liked the way the computer can help you along the way if you're only a beginner trying to get a handle of things.

One of the other good features is that the game allows for HIGHLY various possible scenarios to be played out. For instance, one can choose various sizes of the galaxy, amount of planets, levels of difficulty, and alien races (you can have 1 to 9 opponents, contrary to most standard conquer games that only allow a maximum of 6). The 10 different alien races are very different from each other making the galaxy very interesting place to play. They all have their own tendencies and alignments. This means you have to choose your allies wisely or you will get burned in the process.

Another thing that gamers will love about this game is the ship design feature. You're allowed almost infinite design types to the satisfaction of your own imagination. You can even create ships that almost match the ship designs of your favourite sci-fi TV shows. One can even spend hours just deciding how one can creatively design a troop transport or a mothership (you will know what I mean when you enter the ship design feature).

Another thing that gamers will find relief in is the level of the graphics and music. The graphics in this game are quite stunning. Especially if you use the zoom in and zoom out features on the starmap. One can even see the details on each of the planet (no joke, if you zoom in on Earth you can even see the various continents in their exact detail, which is amazing). Also, the background music is really nice and not distracting. The music changes depending on the situation you're in. Thus, if you're in a war situation, the music will carry a more tense and militaristic tone.

Finally, the game time can be varied just as the game features. Some games can take a couple of hours, while some games can take a couple of weeks. It all depends on how you set up your galaxy and which alien race you decide to play (in the first GalCiv you could only play the Terrans, in this game you can choose any of the other races and even make your own). One will notice that playing the Terrans or Torians will take shorter times and will be easier (since they can make allies more easily) than playing the Yor or Drengin (since they are the most despised in the galaxy). It all depends on you on how you choose to play the game.

Overall, I would highly recommend this game. Though MOO 2 was a very good strategy game for its time, GalCiv 2 totally overshadows MOO 2 in terms of quality, fun, options, and depth. You will never regret purchasing GalCiv 2 if you're a space strategy game fan who wants to create his or her own empire in the stars.

Worthy successor to MOO2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: February 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is great fun, a must-have for any fan of the turn-based strategy genre. It is everything that Master of Orion 3 should have been..

One more click

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 10
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you ever played Master of Orion 2 and was expected something better out of Master of Orion 3, then this is your game. Very bad about the "Next click" syndrome. Have to be careful with it because 20-30 minutes can easily become hours or even days.

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