Endless Space 2
I was a little sceptical about buying this at full price because I was unsure if there was enough change from the original to justify paying full price. Having spent a couple dozen hours on it since buying it on sale I am impressed.
Like Endless legend, the factions feel a lot more unique than in other 4x games. They have not only different strengths and weaknesses which push you towards different victory conditions, but also have different gameplay mechanics. The Cravers get a massive production boost but deplete the resources of the planet so over time they become virtually useless. The Unfallen can only colonise planets which are part of an unbroken network of huge tentacles you try to spread across space. The Vodyani use the essence of souls as currency to produce arks which are required to be stationed in a system whereas Horatio are able to use influence to rush buildings and technology. Each faction comes with an intro video which gives you a glimpse into its history and motivations.
As usual, you start with one system along with a scout ship and a coloniser (if your faction uses them) and you set out to discover new world to add to your burgeoning empire. A cool thing which has been added in probes which you can send out on a trajectory to see what is in any direction, and to search curiosities which give various bonuses either for being discovered or if you colonise the planet they were found on.
The planets also look more distinct than on many such titles and many contain various strategic and luxury resources which can be used for buildings, to improve ships and to improve your society in various ways.
Minor civilisations make a return. As your relationship with them improves they will give you tribute and and you can either conquer or help them (complete a task they give you) to become their overlords or protectors. They will then join your empire and some may show up on your other systems as well.
As you expand you will of course run into your competitors. The diplomacy system is quite limited at the moment but it appears to be something they are working on and trying to improve in patches. The card system of the original has moved from having one card for each phase (long range, medium and short) to one tactic for the whole battle. The space battles look really nice visually and you can see information about each ship more easily.
Each faction has a storyline quest to follow. They are not completely linear with some having multiple ways to complete them which will lead to different rewards and different effects on your faction- which helps with replayability.
There are also solo quests and competitive and cooperative quests involving all factions. Some appear in all games while other are random.
You again start with one hero and can acquire more over time or through purchase in the marketplace. These can give massive boosts to the planets they are governor of or the fleets they are in. One change is that heroes now have their own ship which takes part in space battles and can be upgraded as well. Certain hero types felt overpowered early on which allowed you to snowball. The latest patch has now changed the way heroes start- you have 2 weak starter skills and now have to level before gaining access the first proper skill you choose so hopefully that will have improved things.
The tech (or in this case, sphere) looks fairly similar to the original. You have one quadrant focused on military upgrades, one on economy and trade, one on science and exploration and the other on empire development. You will have to decide what to prioritise -having bigger fleets which require more command points, having more advanced weapons, having a larger empire without morale penalties or a better economy.
Ground battles have been added. You start with ground troops and later add vehicles and flying units. Each has their own upgrade system which allows you to become dominant in that area if you invest in it heavily enough.
Another thing added is the political system. Different factions try to win the hearts and minds of your citizens and if in power, allow to enact different laws which give various bonuses and options. For example, if the militarist faction is in power you can have cheaper unit upkeep, declare wars easier and in fact get a bonus to happiness per war you are in. The pacifist faction laws on the other hand give you production and happiness bonuses for each faction you are at pace, or even better, in an alliance with.
Along with Stellaris, this is my favourite space strategy game of the last few years. It's a big improvement on the original and I much prefer it to the latest iterations of Master of Orion and Galactic Civilisations.
Release Year: 2016
Rating: 80
Normal Price: $39.99
Sale price: $7.49
Like Endless legend, the factions feel a lot more unique than in other 4x games. They have not only different strengths and weaknesses which push you towards different victory conditions, but also have different gameplay mechanics. The Cravers get a massive production boost but deplete the resources of the planet so over time they become virtually useless. The Unfallen can only colonise planets which are part of an unbroken network of huge tentacles you try to spread across space. The Vodyani use the essence of souls as currency to produce arks which are required to be stationed in a system whereas Horatio are able to use influence to rush buildings and technology. Each faction comes with an intro video which gives you a glimpse into its history and motivations.
As usual, you start with one system along with a scout ship and a coloniser (if your faction uses them) and you set out to discover new world to add to your burgeoning empire. A cool thing which has been added in probes which you can send out on a trajectory to see what is in any direction, and to search curiosities which give various bonuses either for being discovered or if you colonise the planet they were found on.
The planets also look more distinct than on many such titles and many contain various strategic and luxury resources which can be used for buildings, to improve ships and to improve your society in various ways.
Minor civilisations make a return. As your relationship with them improves they will give you tribute and and you can either conquer or help them (complete a task they give you) to become their overlords or protectors. They will then join your empire and some may show up on your other systems as well.
As you expand you will of course run into your competitors. The diplomacy system is quite limited at the moment but it appears to be something they are working on and trying to improve in patches. The card system of the original has moved from having one card for each phase (long range, medium and short) to one tactic for the whole battle. The space battles look really nice visually and you can see information about each ship more easily.
Each faction has a storyline quest to follow. They are not completely linear with some having multiple ways to complete them which will lead to different rewards and different effects on your faction- which helps with replayability.
There are also solo quests and competitive and cooperative quests involving all factions. Some appear in all games while other are random.
You again start with one hero and can acquire more over time or through purchase in the marketplace. These can give massive boosts to the planets they are governor of or the fleets they are in. One change is that heroes now have their own ship which takes part in space battles and can be upgraded as well. Certain hero types felt overpowered early on which allowed you to snowball. The latest patch has now changed the way heroes start- you have 2 weak starter skills and now have to level before gaining access the first proper skill you choose so hopefully that will have improved things.
The tech (or in this case, sphere) looks fairly similar to the original. You have one quadrant focused on military upgrades, one on economy and trade, one on science and exploration and the other on empire development. You will have to decide what to prioritise -having bigger fleets which require more command points, having more advanced weapons, having a larger empire without morale penalties or a better economy.
Ground battles have been added. You start with ground troops and later add vehicles and flying units. Each has their own upgrade system which allows you to become dominant in that area if you invest in it heavily enough.
Another thing added is the political system. Different factions try to win the hearts and minds of your citizens and if in power, allow to enact different laws which give various bonuses and options. For example, if the militarist faction is in power you can have cheaper unit upkeep, declare wars easier and in fact get a bonus to happiness per war you are in. The pacifist faction laws on the other hand give you production and happiness bonuses for each faction you are at pace, or even better, in an alliance with.
Along with Stellaris, this is my favourite space strategy game of the last few years. It's a big improvement on the original and I much prefer it to the latest iterations of Master of Orion and Galactic Civilisations.
Release Year: 2016
Rating: 80
Normal Price: $39.99
Sale price: $7.49
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