MoonBase Commander
Chess meets Tower Defense
Originally realeased in 2002, this game shows its age. Nevertheless, its simple rules and complex gameplay are genius.
First, the only game mode I have spent any significant time in is singleplayer skirmish. I do not know if Multiplayer works yet, but if I try it, I will update this review to include it. Skirmish seems like the only gamemode that really shines; challenge mode is generally irrelevant / uninteresting, in my opinion.
Pros / things I personally like:
– Real player with 48.1 hrs in game
The best game that only I have played. My hours on Steam don’t do it justice - I’ve owned the game in physical form since the early 2000’s and I’ve put hundreds of hours into it.
It’s got great music, it’s graphically pleasing, and most importantly, it’s fun to play. It’s got that “easy to learn but tough to master” thing going for it, since with the golf-like controls and obstacles like water, wind and elevation, even an experienced player like myself can mess up sometimes. This can be an issue even against NPCs, as the campaign gets hard as nails towards the end. The AI isn’t perfect, but it mostly competent, and can definitely provide a challenge if you choose the tougher bots.
– Real player with 25.1 hrs in game
Sid Meier’s Civilization®: Beyond Earth™
Alright, here is the lowdown.
I had been anticipating this game since it had been announced. I also had played a bit of alpha centauri, so I was interested to see where this game would go.
The Good:
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Some of the issues with 1UPT have been solved. I am still not a fan, but floating units helps you siege cities easier, which as somebody who has 500+ hours in civ (playing emperor/immortal) I appreciate this greatly. This effect comes in more late game.
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Cities don’t get built instantly, which is great. I think we can all agree that it is annoying when you are 1 tile away from a settler who makes a city right before you get to him, and now suddenly, you have to come back with an army. Instead, they have an outpost, which is far easier to assault. This prevents the computer and other players from making low-risk, high reward cities all the time. They have to actually consider where they are building this outpost and defending it.
– Real player with 214.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based Strategy Space Games.
Writing this review to give my take on the “mixed” state of the current reviews.
tldr; If you’re a die-hard Civ fan like myself, then heck yeah. If you’re uncertain, just get it on sale because it brings alot of new stuff to the table. And also, space.
I’d like to adress one point first of all, which is a reoccuring thing I notice in the review; I see people saying it should be a mod for Civ V rather than a full game which is something I strongly disagree with. I’d even go as far as to say Civ 6 is more similar to V than BE is to V.
– Real player with 78.6 hrs in game
WORLD OF PARANOIA
Enjoyable and interesting game that´s still getting updates frecuendly! Really worth it!
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based Strategy Indie Games.
Nice game, even thought its in early development. Gives off a really cool vibe and a lot of Potential!
– Real player with 0.8 hrs in game
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
“VIGILO CONFIDO YOU ALIEN FU**ERS-”
-Cpt. Heavy McHeavyface, before launching a rocket at a Berserker.
! The rocket misses, killing a VIP plus the rest of his team near the evac point in the process.
TL:DR:
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is an intense game, almost nerve-wracking at times, but generally rewarding as you plan and fight your way through droves of alien invaders with a variety of classes, equipment and abilities. You might find yourself save-scumming (reloading saves for better results), but that happens to the best of us. The game will push you to take risks and deal with consequences, both in long-term strategy with base, crew and international management, and in short-term with tactical combat. While lacking in a few aspects such as a deeper plot, and leaves some optimization work to be desired, Enemy Unknown will get your tactical thinking at full throttle for a steady incursion of (sometimes brutal) enemy forces.
– Real player with 365.4 hrs in game
JUST TO CLEAR THINGS UP
This review is for XCOM ENEMY UNKNOWN (INCLUDING ALL DLC) ONLY.
XCOM Enemy Unknown has an expansion pack called XCOM Enemy Within . I’m not going to include that in the review because I’m planning to write a separate review for it. This review will only be about the BASE GAME + ALL DLC.
Also, I have not played the original XCOM games (shame on me, I know) so I won’t be making any comparisons to those.
– Real player with 329.1 hrs in game
Age of Wonders: Planetfall
This game is easily one of the best newer strategy games (i.e. 4X style game) currently available for single player in my opinion, period. I’ve had a lot of time to try several of these sorts of games that are considered the top games in the category lately. Civ, Total War games, Stellaris, Endless Legend, the list goes on, but I always come back to this one.
NOTE: Many of the reviews for this game were from when the game was released, since then they did a massive update that re-balanced the game and overhauled several mechanics. A lot of the comments in negative reviews were from a year+ ago using the old mechanics. This game is being actively improved / patched as of Oct 2020 from what I’ve seen and they’re still releasing an expansion.
– Real player with 1901.7 hrs in game
As the game is now, I do not recommend it.
I played the entire series extensively, over 4.000 hours over all titles of the series, for me personally, they changed things that were good about the game, and kept things that were bad about it.
City Siege
The first thing that is really noticeable and changes the dynamic of sieges entirely, they removed gates from city walls, those were replaced by militias and defensive towers, however these militias don’t have mods, and you can’t aim the towers, so any other troop that attacks the city will be stronger.
– Real player with 1383.1 hrs in game
Battle Worlds: Kronos
Summary
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+Turn Based Strategy, Advance Wars style
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+Long campaign (I haven’t finished it yet)
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+Skirmish mode (custom maps)
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+Varied units with slick designs [1]
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+Tactical and challenging
! git gud
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+Map editor [2]
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+DRM free (look into the game folder)
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+Available for Linux (though not the Map Editor)
– Real player with 71.6 hrs in game
Turn-based strategies. It’s hard not to love them. Especially if you’re old enough to remember the genre at its best, when every new Battle Isle game used to make a huge impact. Battle Worlds: Kronos wants you to remember about those times. Unfortunately, it fails to be entertaining enough. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
First of all, the game looks surprisingly cute, while being both nostalgic (even though this game clearly tries to be some sort of Battle Isle spiritual successor, visually it reminds me a lot of 1995 cross-platform game called Return Fire) and fresh. In other words, visually, it’s pretty much exactly what you may want from modern TBS. Nothing groundbreaking, but just good enough to look fine on modern systems.
– Real player with 53.3 hrs in game
Galactic Civilizations III
NOTE: This is a review of the Final Release Candidate for the game, so it should apply to the released version.
Having been a long-time GC2 player, I eagerly signed up for the Founder’s Edition early-access over a year ago, and have followed the development of GC3 since then closely.
Let me tell you, getting a 4X game that incorporates all the features that hard-core strategy gamers want, while remaining both relevant and competitive, is really hard. As in, EXTREMELY hard. StarDock has done an excellent job with GC3. That’s not to say there still aren’t quibbles over the direction certain features have taken, but the reality is, that if you actually want to release a game, certain decisions are going to have to be taken, and you’re sure to piss off someone who wanted that feature and didn’t get it. But GC3 is a solid and entertaining game, if not a radically innovative one.
– Real player with 2842.9 hrs in game
First of all it is critical to understand that the game is still in beta testing and therefore has some glitches. That said it has been pretty stable for me. (Four year old dell xps 8100 with 16gb and a 750 Ti video card). At present the plan seems to be to a go for a final release in May. There will be frequent patches before then and perhaps a beta 6 release (beta 5, with enormous additions, was released yesterday (Mar26). If you don’t like encountering bugs and reporting them to help the game, then wait for the release. Of critical importance remaining is tuning the AI to be smarter and more aggressive, imo.
– Real player with 2285.4 hrs in game
Revival: Recolonization
Set in a post-apoc version of Earth, Revival is a 4x strategy game where the world and its rules can change at key moments, creating a deep and highly replayable experience. Explore a transformed planet, negotiate or conquer new territories and bring the light of civilization to regressing human colonies in order to prepare mankind for war with a despotic entity.
Enjoy an unprecedented level of freedom
Say ‘yes’ to meaningful replayability. Say ‘no’ to predictable and boring late game!
Revival generates a vast possibility space for you to play around with. From sudden weather changes to zombie infestations and bans on certain weapon types – boy, you are in for a surprise.
Adapt to new conditions with the help of the nuanced edict system that allows you to terraform the planet and fine-tune the game rules on specific regions of the map. Protect your settlement from changes by building special shield constructs or by accepting the blessings of your tribe’s totem tree.
Progress through the ages
Survivors of the terrible catastrophe that almost destroyed mankind have unique traits and bonuses that affect your gameplay style. Pick the right tribe to take under your wing and help your followers evolve through four distinct epochs, all the way to futuristic settlements and breakthrough technology.
Engage in tactical combat
Command an army that is suited to your play style by gearing up troops with a variety of components, which can also be crafted. Adapt your tactics in intense turn-based battles by mixing and matching different parts, as well as smartly using destructible cover to defeat your enemies.
Explore Earth after a devastating cataclysm
Revival takes place on our own home planet whose landscape and climate have been dramatically transformed. Discover pre-cataclysm artifacts and anomalies with unexpected behaviors. Face off against wild beasts that have evolved to survive in these conditions, as well as fearsome mechanical automatons that roam the lands.
Star Dynasties
Infinite potential, incredible progress.
I started playing this game during the indiecade demo mid-2020, and the evolution this game has been through in just one year is massive.
Pros:
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Dev very responsive to Player Feedback
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Lots of Character Drama
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Interesting Events (Expeditions specially)
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Interesting Systems (Secrets, Justice, Gatherings, Favors and Negotiation)
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Powerful Modding Tool (Seriously, one could create a full DLC-worthy experience with it)
– Real player with 996.3 hrs in game
Addendum
Have changed review to - Would recommend.*
Only about a third of my gamer friends are big head enough to truly enjoy this game, but I know they will enjoy it immensely. I can see this one sinking hundreds if not thousands of hours into, and I’m already hopeful they go series with it.
I have a great deal of hope, if only because of how quickly the developers are acting on feedback and making solid changes. Meaningful save files now exist. There’s still a lot going on, so I’m not yet done with this review, but the nature and flow of the game are starting to make more sense.
– Real player with 122.9 hrs in game
Alliance of the Sacred Suns
A thousand years in the future, humanity’s last empire stands on the brink of collapse. Noble Great Houses compete for control over the decaying feudal state, while the lives of ordinary people have already begun the descent into an interstellar dark age.
You are the young emperor or empress, preparing to ascend the throne. You carry the last glimmer of hope for a brighter future among the stars.
Alliance of the Sacred Suns immerses you fully in the role of ruler. You will create your character, selecting from a variety of backgrounds and abilities. You will engage in conversations and develop relationships with your officials. You will make hard choices in illustrated narrative events, some threatening the stability of your fragile reign, others shining the faintest hope of a new dawn for your dying empire.
Your empire’s long decline means that you begin as ruler in name only. The nobility has coalesced into a handful of Great Houses, and their power has been growing for generations at the expense of imperial control. Members of the Great Houses dominate the imperial bureaucracy and complicate your rule. Yet, the strength of the Great Houses also provides critical support to your empire. A council of nobles serves as a check on your authority, but also a chance to build consensus for your policies.
You cannot micromanage the daily affairs of each planet in your empire, and you do not have omnipotent control of the economy or military. Instead you can only wield your authority as a real emperor or empress would, by managing relationships and politics to rule through appointed officials. Some serve as your governors, ruling planets and star systems in your name.
There are no build queues to micromanage. Instead, exercising wisdom in whom to entrust with official appointments will be critical to the development of planets within your empire. But you must tread carefully, and you cannot make appointments on merit alone. The scion of a powerful House may prove an incompetent governor, but stripping them of position may have consequences far worse than a badly run colony.
You too are a member of a Great House. Your House and those of the other noble families will each employ a unique playstyle. For example, Houses with a technocratic tradition will research advanced technologies to grow their power, while those with a mercantile culture strengthen their rule through economic growth and trade.
These factors will play out differently depending on which of several available scenarios you choose. Each scenario includes unique political situations and victory conditions.
Mods
Alliance of the Sacred Suns is built to support modding. Players can access much of the game mechanics and content through text and XML editing. We are excited to see what worlds modders will create using our politics-in-space framework.