 IN SPACE NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU END YOUR TURN... |
| Review Date: July 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: NeuroSplicer, Freeside, in geosynchronous orbit |
This is an EXCELLENT game that takes the galaxy civilization games a clear step further. Open-ended like a new science-fiction world and played as a seat-of-your-pants RTS game, this is a very intelligent hybrid that I greatly enjoyed.
In effect, SINS is a successful blend of the wonderful GALACTIC CIVILIZATIONS and HOMEWORLD series, with a sprinkling of TOTAL WAR for good measure. This is NOT a turn-based civilization game, so expect a much faster pace. What this means is that while it maintains the characteristics of classic turn-based civilization games (exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination), by relieving from the micromanagement tedium, it allows for an intense RealTime Strategy experience. Now, this probably may not appeal to turn-based purists, but I would advise an open mind: this is a good game.
This concept-blending is new, so expect a slow learning curve - it took me a number of ...false-starts to get the hang of it: after all, it plays like an RTS and (although simplified) it still has enough of turn-based features that need to be taken care of. The interface is simplified and informative at the same time, with info trees sliding out only when needed.
There are three different factions to choose from (financiers, technologists and psitecs) - yet, their differences focus mainly on research tree-branching and ship designs. What I did not like was that the ships of all three factions are effectively the same and their differences are only skin-deep. What I would have liked to find (and was disappointed to the point of withholding the 5th star for fun) was ship design and building! Remember how much fun was to design our own spaceships (from freighters to battleships) in GALACTIC CIVILIZATIONS II? Well, no such luck here. Let's hope they keep it in mind when the patch gets prepared.
Quick and constant exploration is not only encouraged by a necessity if one wants to survive - let alone win. Spaceships built within a solar system cannot travel beyond it, unless using "wormhole"-like singularities. This adds to realism but can stretch your finances to their breaking point - since only locally built ships can be used. Moreover, it makes really hard to locate the strategic points to either built defenses or focus an attack. The AI will constantly be bypassing your planning like the Maginot line - and leave you with such a French feeling...
The graphics (of all of backgrounds, planets and units) are very nicely done. I really liked the multiple afterburners tracing through space as a spaceship squadron was dopplering past my screen...And less-than-cutting-edge PC owners rejoice: even 4-5 years old systems can handle this game like a breeze!
What I truly appreciated was the realistic scale of things. Galaxies are much larger than star systems, which in turn are much larger than planets, which in turn are much larger than space stations...than spaceships and so on. How is this achieved? Excellent zooming!
SUPREME COMMANDER was the first game to introduce strategic zoom; however, SINS implements it much better and shows how it should had been done: from a galaxy to a single planet and to a single spaceship, zooming in or out firmly maintains the effectiveness of battle controls by grouping and simplifying the info-tiles as one zooms out. In SupCom, we had to chose between either discerning the units or moving ...info-tiles around the battlefield - not a bad first attempt, mind you. In SINS, one almost never looses perspective: ongoing battles, critical hotspots, or colony revolts are all easily identifiable in real-time.
On another note, SINS OF A SOLAR EMPIRE is a STARDOCK release which, yes, means their specialized installation utility. Nevertheless, this game hides no DRM or other intrusive security idiocy. Since trust and respect between a game publisher and its customers is a two-way street (and STARDOCK was willing to prove its friendship first), SINS deserves our support.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! |
Fantastic Game: It will keep you occupied for quite a while!
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| Review Date: August 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Paul J. Kroeger, Dallas, TX USA |
This game is really fun. The scale is massive and it really delivers when it comes to mixing 4X gameplay with real-time strategy. This game could be a real nightmare if it weren't for the highly streamlined interface. When you are battling with hundreds of ships over a hundred planets and several star systems, a good interface is vital. Sometimes in the larger games, it gets just a little bit clunky, but not to much and I can't think of any way to refine it. The research trees and different units make each of the three factions different enough to require slightly different strategies, but not different enough that you struggle to understand each faction. The core gameplay concepts remain the same through all factions and no faction is a "skirmish faction" or "tank faction". The research trees contribute greatly to keeping you engaged throughout the game because you will not unlock all of the research until later in a long game. Also, while all factions gain most of the same capabilities in the end, it takes longer for some factions to research some technologies and they get units in different orders. An average game takes at least 4 hours for a small game in my experience. You can play for four hours or thirty minutes.
The game specializes in scale. In the beginning, you start with just a planet and the priority is to get a few more planets and slightly upgrade your existing colonies. You also get a good scale of units, too. At first, you start buying a few light frigates, which seem large at the time. As you progress, you get capital ships that hold several thousand people each and look amazing. Then you get more ships and your fleet gets even larger. In longer games, you will run into giant battles that could have been taken from a high production value science fiction movie like Star Wars. You feel like you are the director. That is what makes this game so fun. |
I wish I hadn't waited so long to play it
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| Review Date: September 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mike, Boise ID |
| A steal for the price. Awesome game. I saw this on the shelves when it came out and by looking at the box I thought it was just another space strategy game, i was wrong. It wasn't until I read online a while later that it was game of the year, so I decided to pick up a copy and I am glad I did. It did take a game or two to really catch on to it and get used to it but after you do it is really quite easy to play, and become more entertaining and fun with each play. The games can last quite a while so I save them and continue them throughout the week (thought you could finish one if you had 3+ hours to play). It has a great balance of action and strategy and I am really looking forward to playing it with friends. I would not compare this to the Homeworld series as other reviewers have, it is not a tedious game. "Sins" has something for everyone and I would highly recommend this for gamers of all types. |
Fantastic Game!
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| Review Date: April 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Ryan Mander, Phoenix, AZ USA |
| Some people have trouble with this game initially, and then give up. If you take the time to play the tutorials and learn how to play, you will soon be immersed in it. I play it for a full day about once a week, and I never get bored. The cinematics are awesome, the battles are fantastic, and the graphics are, quite literally, divine! One of the best games I have ever played, and it is very fun. It reminds me of the days of Alpha Centauri, which is also a long-time old favorite of mine. This beats Empire At War even! |
Hell yea!
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| Review Date: October 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Pyropet, |
| This was worth my 15 dollars. It's fun, innovative, and gives you the feeling of god after you nuked that planet. It's a huge scale RTS/4x a lot like civlization, Empire at War, Homeworld, etc, but it's kept very simple with the empire tree. Sure it's a bit boring building up your fleet, tech trees, and such, but when you do get that kick ass fleet and burn the enemy, it makes it worth the wait. However, it's a bit iffy. The tutorials are somewhat useless and not very detailed. You should still play it, but still. There are also diffrent ships from each race that are overall the same thing, just diffret designs and names. however, overall, the soundtrack is good, the graphics are gorgues going into the detailed ships, and the good ol, aliens! Kill em all! I rather have a cohernet story, but it works. |
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