Sword of the Stars: Collectors Edition (PC DVD/CD?)

This game is a fantastic example of why independent games companies should be nurtured, and huge gaming corporations have their wings clipped a little. This is a game with more heart and soul than I've encountered in a while. Its like looking at that old nostalgic game under your bed that makes you think "why aren't games like that any more", but you're playing it now.Granted, out of the box there isn't much to go on. You need to go online to read the back-story of the races. And yes, that story is developed little during the game. If you have any kind of imagination, though, you project your own story onto it. I found myself imagining diplomatic dialogues and coucil meetings when I wasn't playing - but then I am a nerd. There is more than enough in this game to make up for the lack of a narrative.You are controlling an empire. Sure, you don't decide who has what for breakfast (boring Sims style). And here, it really isn't necessary to decide what buildings to have, like civilisation (although that game rocks too). You designate research, assign funding, undertake special projects, decide on colonisation, combat, exploration and diplomacy. You use the proceeds of these to design (again, not in crazy over-detail) the ships that will lead your species to rule the galaxy. Design everything from colony and fuel ships, to utilities like mining ships and refinery ships, to the ships of combat, all the way up to the ultimate extension of space combat technology: The Sword of the Stars.If I had to complain about something, I guess it would be the fleet sizes. Its quite realistic in that you have a command ship and it can support only so many ships, each of which has a command cost. But larger fleets would have been nicer. When you throw in a couple of dreadnaughts and a few cruisers, there isn't any room left. Reinforcements can jump in to replace destroyed ships, but still. Also, it would have been nice to have more depth to the diplomacy, and a trade element.So its not a narrative game. So the box and the load screens are hand drawn and look a little cheap. So the graphics aren't mind blowing. So the sound is a little limited. So what? This game FEELS like a game should. It PLAYS like a game should. The combat sequences and the planetary assaults are among the finest gaming moments I've played. It has been made with gamers in mind, by gamers. By definition it is not a corporate, hyped-up piece of garbage that is designed by cynical money-grubbers (Assassins Creed, for example). I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a surprise and an addiction.

Until two weeks ago I had never heard of Sword of the Stars. With this lack of knowledge I purchased it with a degree of uncertainty but was turned on by the idea of being able to design the ships in your space fleet.So two week on I can say without doubt this is the most engrossing game I have purchased. Be warned, this game is a real time thief. I have been so glued to it, my legs have ached from lack of movement.I have not tried multi player as single player has been so entertaining. There are a few scenarios but the main game is via the custom set-up where you choose the number of players, planets, galaxy shape and so on. Once ready press launch and a new game unfolds before you. What is great is that each game is so different, with random occurrences, AI players starting in different places, a randomised tech tree and so on.Every game you play becomes a real drama; things can go horribly wrong at any time and in so many different ways. The AI is unforgiving and you can lose fast, but when you succeed it is very rewarding. Either way the game is intense and enjoyable. When you lose the game draws you in to try again a different way. The randomisation of the game and events is what make this so re playable and challenging.The graphics and sound are reasonably good. The only negative aspect is the camera controls that can be a bit awkward on both the strategic and tactical map. On the strategic screen, especially if you have many planets, it can be awkward to see your planets properly and fleets do not stand out very well either. You soon get used to it but it is the only negative side to an otherwise gem of a game. This is why I have rated the fun part as 4 out of 5.Overall this game is a highly addictive masterpiece and a credit to the designers.

An fun 4X space game with excellent replayability, a well-integrated multiplayer mode, and challenging AI opponents.There are five races to play, and each provides a genuinely different gameplay experience. Each has a different method of travelling around the galaxy, different ship characteristics and a different set of available technologies. For example, the peaceful Liir have lightly-armed, fragile ships, but are excellent researchers and have a larger range of high-tech weapons available. The unpleasant Zuul slavers' ships are armed to the teeth, but poorly defended - slave masters aren't used encountering strong resistance. They have a very limited selection of techs, but are more adept at reverse-engineering technology from the destroyed ships of their enemies.The randomised tech tree is a highlight. There is a core set of techs that are always available, but most techs aren't guaranteed to be available to research in any given game. This drives you to use unfamiliar techs in new and interesting ways. New techs also drive the gameplay - advanced sensors allows you to view information on incoming enemy fleets, Cloaking allows your fleets to travel (and at higher tech levels, attack) undetected, and late game techs let you assimilate enemy worlds with a bio-virus delivered from orbit, or devastate worlds with asteroids launched from huge siege drivers.Planet development, trading and trade-fleet raiding and diplomacy are also included. Each of these is well-implemented and adds to the game rather than being a 'tacked-on' option that doesn't work well (like, say, the diplomacy in Medieval 2 total war). However, the focus of the game is on ship design and counter-design and fleet combat.Finally, there is also a well fleshed-out back story that brings the races the life, including a novel based in the game universe giving more background about the races and their motivations.There are some weaknesses with the game: the interface can be difficult to navigate at first, the loading times for battles can be long (about a minute) when there are many ships involved, and it can be a bit daunting when first presented with the different techs and ship travel methods. However, these are far out-weighed by the positives, and I highly recommend Sword of the Stars to any strategy gamers, particularly 4X fans.