Galactic Civilizations 2 Gold Review

I was talking to a friend the other day who claimed to be a "gamer." I was telling him about this game and I mention Master of Orion, to which he responded, "Master of who?" That makes me feel old. At the same time, how can anyone who calls themselves a gamer not know about THE Master of Orion (otherwise known as MOO)? It was the defining game for 4x Strategy games when it came out in 1994 (see, I'm not THAT old). In all the years since its release, many have tried but very few games have even come close to the one-more-turn addictiveness of MOO. Does Galactic Civilizations 2 - Gold Edition have what it takes to keep you up late at nights even when you know you have an early morning meeting the next day? Read on to find out.

Okay, where's the ignition on this thing?

Hm, a pyramid floating between two gigantic balls...

Galactic Civilizations 2 has been out for a little while, but the Gold Edition features the original game plus two add-ons: The Dread Lords and Dark Avatar. For those of you not familiar with 4x strategy games, let me give you the quick rundown. Usually, you start the game on a single planet, controlling a single race. Typically, the object is to conquer the galaxy one way or another to become the head honcho of the universe. However, in this game, the word 'conquer' can be used subjectively. You can win the game in many different ways. Sure, there is the tried and true approach of slaughtering everyone. But you can also win by creating alliances with everyone. Or win by extending your influence over a large enough area of space. Or you could make lots of cash and simply "buy" every one off. If you go with the default settings you can win just about any avenue you choose to take. There is even a "Technological Victory."

To start the game off, you can choose either the campaign mode (with *GASP* an actual storyline) or go create a custom galaxy for yourself. It will let you modify everything, including not just habitable planets but also the number of planets, number of stars, etc. but also the number of asteroids, anomalies, technology rate, and many other settings so you get to play the exact galaxy you want to. Such control over game settings is a refreshing change.

Once you're past the galaxy setup, you get to decide not only what race you are going to be but what races you're going to play against (and how many). In addition, you get to decide how smart the opponent AI is for each race, if you so choose. You can do this for the overall AI or each race individually. This can range from "Cakewalk" (good starting place for beginners) to "Suicidal" (don't even bother). And not only is there 12 core races to choose from (which you can further customize after you pick them); you can also create a completely custom race to take on the galaxy with. Phew. All that and I haven't even started the game yet.

I am quite familiar with this type of game, so, starting off, I felt pretty comfortable building and expanding. In short time, I had three planets colonized and I was feeling pretty good about myself. Then I start getting warnings about losing influence and asteroid bases changing allegiance because of it. What's influence? A few turns later, I start getting threats about my citizens losing moral and my approval is slipping. Approval? I'm the Boss! As such, I don't need their stinking approval! Shortly after that, I was attacked and find out I am way behind in my ship technology. Their single ship took out my entire fleet. A few turns later, this "Quarterly Report" pops up and tells me my civilization sucks compared to everyone else in the galaxy. So, if you buy this game you might want to read the manual first. It might save you some time.

Speaking of the manual, you might be a bit surprised to discover it is 80+ pages long. You will be doubly surprised to find that it is packed with useful info. As I said early on, this game is deep. In fact, the manual features a link to their Wiki for "additional information" not covered in the manual. If you like games you can dig into, this game will be your paradise.

I eventually swallowed my pride, wiped the blood from my eyes and opened up the manual. But the nice thing about this game is everything is laid out very logically. I believe, given enough time, I could have figured out this game simply by playing it (Yes as you keep telling us, you're a genius. Just like Rainman - Ed). There are tons of tool tips and helpful hints to keep the player on the right track. For those who don't like doing things the hard way, Stardock have the fortune of being both the publishers and developers of the game. They, therefore, get to spend as much time as they want supporting it. Go to their website if you're feeling overwhelmed. They go above and beyond in helping out their fan base. Specifically, they posted a nice little tutorial at http://www.galciv2.com/Journals.aspx?AID=104908

This will be very helpful in getting started, if you end up purchasing the game and/or you are new to the genre and just need leg up.