Burned Land
Burned Land is a niche game, and a little gem to me.
At first sight it might seem a little bit empty and obscure. Then it will seem very hard, even unfair. But if you push forward, you will discover a game with a very original approach, very rich and permissive in the ways you want to shape your kingdom and face the gods.
In this game, you not only build units and facilities, you will also “monitor” your population (literacy, devotion, nobility, sedentary, etc.), so they will provide you what you need and when you need it.
– Real player with 31.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best 4X Singleplayer Games.
It is a pretty rough game, both in terms of UI and difficulty. The UI will hopefully get some polish from this one-man dev team, and perhaps the difficulty as well, but the difficulty certainly needs the polish a lot less. The dev is still pushing out regular updates, thus my recommendation for this Early Access game.
I made it to Turn 194, after narrowly dodging a very early game defeat. The early game near-defeat came about as my village almost starved due to a famine brought on by the gods. The entire point of this game is that the larger you grow, the more interest the gods have in stopping you from growing.
– Real player with 24.6 hrs in game
Interstellar Space: Genesis
After playing the game some more, I’m changing my review from positive but probably lacking replay value to very positive with significant replay value. On the surface it’s a standard 4x space game–nothing wrong with it, but nothing really novel either. However, as you play it, you discover a lot gems not apparent until the mid-game.
The game has very few defects and they are very minor–it’s become all too common for the first 6 months after the release of a game to be basically beta testing. One of the least bug-free launches I’ve seen in a very long time.
– Real player with 948.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best 4X Strategy Games.
Let me begin this review by saying what Interstellar Space: Genesis (ISG) is not: A clone of XXX (replace XXX by any space 4X game, like MOO 1/2, Stellaris, …). You will recognise elements from many of its predecessors, but it merges these elements creatively into something new. On the surface, ISG is a standard space 4X game, 2D, turn-based, with free movement, galaxy size 30 to almost 300 systems, 1 to 7 (AI) opponents. But a closer look reveals a few features, which make ISG something special. For example:
– Real player with 184.8 hrs in game
Armada 2526 Gold Edition
4X Depends on whether you are playing solo or against other human players!!!!
Solo- not very challenging Multiplayer very interesting
Further analysis:
Solo - this is a “builder” / “researcher” game not a fighter game. The AI is very passive and tends to just
build Enormous defensive forces which are challenging to overwhelm in late game. But “winning” depends more on accumulating “racial specific” points rather than killing off the AI opponents (which is not even necessary unless you want to make that an absolute “winning” requirement).
– Real player with 1446.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best 4X Strategy Games.
I played the game here and then I purchaed the gold edition on Gamer’s Gate before it was available on Steam. The game is fun to play and moddable. However once you hit turn 200 or colonize 20 planets (this is RAM dependent I found out(16gb, at 32gb you can colonize upto 30-50 planets maybe)) the game has a dramatic slow down in game play. At this point you’ll mostly be waiting on the Resource or Population Manager, often times 20 mins plus for your turn to come up. At turn 200, I was just getting into the game and having fun. So I checked if there was a fix for this. No fix. Per the developers, the game is not designed to be played for long periods or for you to colonize every planet in sight. I usually won the game after 30-45 minutes of game play, often winning before I ever met another race, having gotten bored with that, I modded the victory conditions for more time. What’s the point of having a universe with hundreds of planets, but if you colonize more then 20 planets, the game becomes unplayable with long periods (many minutes waiting on the AI to complete processing your turn) between turns. Eventually you’ll get tired of waiting and hit crl+alt+del, kill the game and go play something else.
– Real player with 277.6 hrs in game
Astra Exodus
I was a beta tester for this although I came into the testing in the later phase (Super4est on Slitherine, Nandus). Sorry I’m just now getting my review here but as another posted, it came on a busy weekend for me and I wanted to get in some games of the actual steam version before reviewing.
Gaming background - mostly wargamer (board and PC), also like many video game genres such as 4x with MoO being one of my all time favs. I’ve enjoyed 4x since playing its early board game origins - Avalon Hill’s versions of Stellar Conquest, Civilization, etc.
– Real player with 343.3 hrs in game
I have played hundreds of hours of MOO 2, and I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying this take on its style. If you have to have tons of eye candy, this game is probably not for you, but for me the graphics are perfectly fine. This game has a good number of traits like MOO 2 with which to customize your race {and some like creative are handled in a more balanced manner}. This game is far more easily modded than MOO 2 {and if for example you want to create races with a different style of images it is not hard to do, you could even change the art in the premade races if you wanted {although it is more than fine for me}. I liked the fact that there was not only a basic tutorial, but also a series of videos explaining the different aspects of the game. I like the random tech tree. I don’t mind the real time combat {one of the biggest flaws in the MOO 2 was that with certain techs, it was way too easy to take advantage of the AI in turn based combat}. The dev is very active and quick to work on any bugs, as well as listening to constructive ideas. I am already having a great time with the game and believe it is only going to get better and better. One thing I would like to see {as someone else has mentioned} is the ability to retrofit. A big thumbs up for me!
– Real player with 93.3 hrs in game
Dawn of Andromeda
Dawn of Andromeda
space, wars and building all rolled into one… what more could you ask for or need :wink:
a pausable, real-time space 4X game, fast paced, fun and totally addictive as you play as one of the race Emperors, either one of the built in game ones, or make up your own in a custom way. Build your empire how you see fit, manage its power base and finance and overall structure, set out your will and let your officials sort out the policies who do their best to do your bidding on your behalf, colonize new planets, interact with other factions and characters, research new technologies and build fleets so powerful and assign to defend or patrol your domain or take over other realms, while you either make friends and allies or watch as your enemies tremble in fear as you rise to overall power and supreme universe ruler, or die for making too many mistakes in more than a few ways, if your people starve, you can get overthrown as easy as you take over a planet, they can like you, love you, or rebel against you, it’s all here and it’s happens in real time, but not that quick a old guy in his soon to be 50 can’t keep pace either…
– Real player with 628.4 hrs in game
Here is Zax’s review of DOA:
First I do indeed recomend this game for people who like 4X space games like Stellaris. It does have some down sides but for the most part a very fun and engaging game. Well done game mechanics, engaging diplomacy with the other races and a colony system that really is interactive and fun. Lets start with the Cons just to be fair.
CONS:
Game is almost too easy. Although I admit I have yet to tweak the difficulty settings which I will try next and uppdate my review accordingly. But in two days time I completely maxed out the tech tree, and became God Like Invincible. Odd part is this Con was still fun. Something to be said about becoming the most powerful force in the Galaxy. So much so the other empires are trembling in thier boots and brown nosing me just so I wont destroy them. It was actually kind of funny how humble they got the more powerful I became. In that same two days I managed to achive EVERY win game scnario in the same game. Also the game litteraly ran out of side quests (anomolys and projects) the board just went blank with nothing new to discover. The only thing left to do was wipe out the other races and achive total galactic Domination. Like I said a Con in some ways but still fun.
– Real player with 34.0 hrs in game
Dust Fleet
Deploy your Fleet to liberate a sector of space from an unknown enemy. Pick your battles, select your ships, upgrade them with weapons and modules, and command them in 3d space. Use the star map to plan your strategy and secure vital junctions in the hyperspace network.
You are the line
Your fleet is all that stands between a hostile force and all of known space. Billions of lives rest on you making the right decisions in the battlespace. Co-ordinate your cruisers, frigates, carriers and fighters to achieve victory. Call in support from nearby stations when things get hot.
Gear Up
Your choices aren’t limited to the battlespace. Turret and module selections can enhance the strengths of your ships or shore up their weaknesses. Salvage parts and even entire hulls from the battlespace
Empire Deluxe Combined Edition
Having played the Empire series since the late 80’s, I put off buying this game because I was afraid that I was going to be disappointed. I was afraid that it was going to be not much more than the same game with a new UI and I my fears were not far from the mark. It feels like to me that the game has been dumbed down as happens with so many games these days. Things like the Command Queue and the Processing Queue were two things that I found very useful in the earlier iterations of the game and I do not enjoy playing without them. While the developer feels he has streamlined the game I feel as if it has been made more cumbersome. Multiple commands to a battle unit were instrumental to me in keeping the game moving at a quick pace. Having to enter a second command to make a unit attack a city is not a streamlined effect at all. It might not sound like much that adds up to THOUSANDS of extra commands on a sizeable map per game. While there are some aspects of the new interface that I find useful I do not find them to be a fair trade off for the things that I liked being lost. Hopefully there will be some future patches to make this game as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. EDIT: Oh, and good luck trying to have the game build you an all land map. You will almost 100% of the time get an island start which is the exact opposite of what you were going for and if you should decide to play the map (don’t) when you finally encounter the AI you’ll find the island cities of the AI haven’t even expanded at all. So you wasted all those turns.
– Real player with 271.5 hrs in game
I’ve played this turn-based game since DOS and enjoy it. Nice that Steam has it available. I tried the Enhanced Edition and didn’t care for it so I found a way to run my original Windows 3 version and have been playing that. This Combined version is nice as it will most likely be easier to grow into the new EE version capabilities.
Update: I have played Empire Deluxe Combined for several weeks now. I LOVE playing this game. It is a turned-based game and so you can step away from the game at anytime without negative impact. Not too many games that fit that category anymore…..spouse/kid/pet friendly to the max.
– Real player with 234.2 hrs in game
Jon Shafer’s At the Gates
So I really, really tried to like this game. I had read a few mixed reviews and the game has been more or less available to the public for over a year as of the time of this writing; however, I decided to give it a real attempt.
What’s good?? What I thought would be interesting game play is actually just that…interesting (in a good way). In CIV, you essentially move pops around to hexes and they work the fields. Drag/drop mindless bore and I stopped playing CIV 2 versions ago because the franchise is too shallow in that way. In AtG the Discipline/Profession mechanic adds a layer of complexity to something that is very glossed over in CIV…how to prop up an economy and a balanced society. This part of the game is very fun, and challenging and requires some thought and chess play of your opening and mid game moves.
– Real player with 61.7 hrs in game
This is a game that should really have two reviews.
Version 1.0 as released last week is one thing - it’s solidly OK for a couple of playthroughs. The potential of the game overall is much greater, and something refreshingly different in the genre.
Nomadic Start - The game opens with you playing as a group of nomads, scouring your environs for the resources you need to survive and begin building a civilization. Resources not at your starting location? Barbarians plaguing you? Too close to another tribe’s settlement area? Move it! This is pretty cool and doesn’t set you back the way it would in other 4Xs. While you’re in this phase, your population will actually consume the resources on the land, eventually permanently exhausting the deposit.
– Real player with 38.1 hrs in game
Lords of the Black Sun
I have been playing this game for a while now, it has grown into such a great game. The developers really shine in their skill, communication, and direction. Right now it is like an uncut diamond. You can see the potential in the game, but it might not quite be there yet. If you are looking for a finished or mostly finished game, this is not yet for you. Since I bought the game, it has been drastically improved, both functionally and with new content.
For your benefit, here is my take on a few features the game offers
– Real player with 128.8 hrs in game
This game sounds good, but even in the Early Acess and room to grow - I don’t see it compare with the scope it wants to attain.
-/- the major races are restrictive, and doesn’t include any customization option at the start up.
-/+ instead there is a slight reimagining of “Domestic Polocies” that can further define and charactarize your empire, you can change them during the game and alter some aspects slightly - but there are pros and cons to them and often a particular race will just prefer a certain setup.
– Real player with 20.3 hrs in game
Predestination
This is a great game that’s unique to strategy games, I haven’t found a strategy game quite like this one. I’m particuarly fond of the ship designer and the ability to explore the galaxy. The planned storyline is rather interesting, being sent back in time to when the galaxy was created and the chaos that comes after that. As stated in the other reviews, if you’ve enjoyed civilisations you’ll certainly like this game. The dev team are very active and responsive to reported glitches and clearly show hard work in their game.
– Real player with 214.8 hrs in game
So since they had a 25% discount for the next few days, I decided to pick up this game. It is in the alpha stages so this is my impressioins of that so far. I will add more comments as I learn more about this game. So far I have liked what I have seen of the game. I have spent the first hour or so (No tutorials for me!) diving into building up my little planet and researching the technologies for warp space travel. I have not even got that far! So far all I keep doing is restarting the game figuring out how to optimize my planets production/research etc.. I have enjoyed doing that, it seems very well designed. It is obviously missing some graphics, but it does not detract from my enjoyment of the process. If the rest of the game is as well designed as the planet as a resource model I have high hopes for this game. Will add more to comments as I get further into the game.
– Real player with 86.8 hrs in game