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4x doesn't get much better

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 53 / 56
Date: April 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

There is a lot to like about this turn based space strategy game. It is clearly the successor to the type of gameplay popularized by the first two Master of Orion titles back in the 90's.

The graphics are a nice update and there are limitless opportunities to customize the look and feel of the game along with custom starship, race and opponent construction.

You will find yourself saying "just a few more minutes" at 2AM and wondering how the heck the sun came up so fast, so be forewarned!

If you liked Master of Orion 2 and Civ3 but weren't so impressed with their successors (like me) I think you will like this game the most.

Addictive

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 32
Date: March 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is highly addictive, beware! There are many ways to play (strategies to use), tons of map setup options, the ship customization is simple yet very flexible, and the graphics and menus are streamlined and pretty. Initial learning curve may be moderate for some but with even a short websearch you will find an easy read to help you grasp the few not-so-obvious points in the game. After playing a couple times the play will come naturally and you will have a hard time tearing yourself away from the game. Additionally, the product support, update system, and overall care the developers have put and continue to place in this game is top-notch in the industry. Enjoy!

One of the few games I keep playing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: November 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the few games that can keep my attention. I've been playing it since it came out and I will put it on the shelf for something new but always end up firing it up on a snowy night.

Amazing support for an amazing game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

If you loved Master of Orion II, Civilization II and other games of this genre, you were probably disappointed in the way the sequels progressed. Personally, Master of Orion III let me down the most, as it was just not a a very well designed 4x game. When I bought this on a whim on vacation in Montréal, I wasn't expecting much better.

I am happy to say, however, I was completely wrong. To begin with, this game is FUN. It is similar in many ways to Master of Orion II, only with an detailed 3-d map, a strong tech tree, a super-intelligent AI and a huge amount of customization options. The best part, however, in my opinion is the support that Stardock Games gives this product. As of this writing, a second expansion pack, Twilight of the Arnor, has come out. And that was after the team had worked on eight major patches to the game, all of which not only fixed bugs but added new features. The community is great too, and the mods that are available on the Stardock site will keep this game going for many, many hours after you think you've seen it all.

I would recommend this game to anyone looking for that 4x game that never came after Master of Orion II. You won't be disappointed

Space strategy gaming at it's finest!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: February 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is probably the most fun strategy game I've played in years. The atmosphere is great, the AI opponents are actually challenging (and that's without cheating, no less!), and tons -- and I mean TONS -- of customization options make for endless replayability. With adding onto that the constant updates and excellent support from Stardock, this might very well be the best PC gaming experience I've ever had!

The Truth

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been a gamer since I learned to read on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the SNES. Once I beat a game I tend to resell it or uninstall it and put it away somewhere. I tried the demo of this game in summer of 2006, I actually bought it that same day, and I'm still playing it (Feb, 2008). This is a highly polished product, a great deal of time and effort went into its creation, and the company keeps patching it, not because it's buggy but because they honestly want to make it better. It is this attitude at the publisher that has caused me to support them whole-heartedly. I have preordered the next expansion, Twilight of the Arnor and have bought another product of theirs called Sins of a Solar Empire, which I greatly recommend as well.

The Bottom Line:
This game is deep, it has a steep learning curve, but once you use your head and figure out what's going on, this game is fantastic.

Galactic Civ 2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It starts out slow and you dont really know what to do but after your get over the first few hours of exploration you really get into it. You can easily learn the basics of the game but once you start learning the detials like espionage and trade, the game really takes off. One of the best features of this game is the ship designing. You research parts for your ship then use them to create your own ship and use it in the game. This game is a must buy for those who like space and civ type games.

There's still wonder out there

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: August 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing computer strategy games for a long time, and by now my attitude could be better. I wanted something new, but had drifted away from playing games and nothing seemed to impress anymore. I longed for the days of X Com: UFO Defense and the like, but nothing out there seemed to measure up, including the present day supposed greats. Then Galactic Civilizations II came along and made me stay up till dawn twice in a week and till 3 a.m. twice too. When I begin saying, "This has got to stop!", I know I've found something special.

GalCiv2 is loaded with personality and, unlike some of the best-regarded competition, does not substitute complexity for depth. The decisions you make feel like they are really impacting your results rather than just wasting your time on not just endless but, worse, ultimately nearly pointless micromanagement. This turns continuously learning ever more about the game so you can play it just that little bit better into something fun rather than a burden. That's quite a design accomplishment, and one of the things that gives this game a very long potential life span.

Players expand their empires and conquer the universe in about as many ways as they can dream up. The game is very customizable. You can play on random maps from tiny to immense, creating games that last a few hours to weeks or months, against almost no opponents or quite a few. You can even make up custom races of your own, and, within limitations, balance their strengths and weaknesses yourself. You can go for victories via war, diplomacy, alliance, influence, research superiority, and more. You can be a bully or a peacenik or a shrewd financier. You can fight less or more, with premade ship styles or ones you design yourself. But all the while, an AI widely recognized in the gaming world as of superior quality is making plans of its own for you, and you had better be ready. If you're not, well ... you can dial its capabilities up or down next time! Or go find a saved game and see if you can figure out or avoid your mistakes.

There are campaigns, but the game really opens up in "sandbox" mode, the design and playing of your own size, pace, and style of game. The game is a wonderful puzzle to figure out. And once you think you have, you can do it again by playing a different alien race and learning from the ground up.

This is all the more mesmerizing with the next expansion, Twilight of the Arnor, which requires this package to run. TOA makes the research trees of each alien race markedly different, which lends the races a distinctness that improves replay value even more.

If you have any love for single-player strategy games, GalCiv2 is not a gamble. It's definitely the prize among its peers, and the best game I've played in many years.

Galactic Civilizations II Gold

Fairly good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 9
Date: July 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I first learned about this game through a magazine I subscribe to. I then wen tot the the game's web site and down loaded the demo version, after that I was hooked!

YAY

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Ok it aint letting me click the stars... but i give it a 5 stars for fun and overall. I really liked the first one and the second is even better! Lots of new stuff and is just more fun. If you like turn base stratagy games and space... well.. here ya go. It's Sid M. Civilization for space!

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