4
X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) strategy games rarely gain
widespread popularity. They’re like the mathletes club in high school—a
haven for only the most hardcore of geeks. Sins of a Solar Empire vital-
izes the genre by automating most of the micromanagement and replacing
monotonous turn-based drudgery with faster-paced real-time gameplay.
Aside from the opening cinematic, there’s no plot or story to drive
the single-player mode. Solo play is limited to skirmish games in which
you pick one of three factions to use in an epic battle to conquer the map.
Depending on the map size (up to 10 players can occupy nine massive solar
systems, each with dozens of planets), skirmish sessions can last anywhere
from an hour to more than a day.
And that’s the beauty of Sins; it scales all the things we like about the
RTS genre into interstellar campaigns of epic proportion. Space exploration,
technology research, and unit management are all drawn out over the span
of a game (i.e., it’s rarely possible to explore the entire map before a game’s
end). The balanced pacing gives you adequate time to develop every facet
of your empire, so unlike in most RTS games, which favor the speediest
player, you never feel as though you’ve fallen too far behind the curve.
In combat, the game plays like a mixture of Risk and Homeworld.
Carefully plotting assault routes between planets and asteroids to sur-
prise an opponent requires strategic finesse, and the reward of razing an
undefended territory is very satisfying. We really dig the option to keep the
ship-to-ship combat relatively hands-off, as we loved zooming in to survey
glorious capital ship battles while the AI competently handles the micro-
management of the fleet.
Devious players will also adore the robust selection of passive-aggres-
sive options, such as the ability to bribe local pirates to raid enemies or forge
alliances and cease fires to manipulate opponents. The fine mix of 4X-style
depth and RTS-inspired design makes for an irresistible and addictive combi-
nation. Just be warned, once you’re sucked in, don’t be surprised to
find yourself losing track of time
and playing matches until 4 a.m.
—NormaN ChaNSins of a Solar Empire
So good, you’ll never want to repent
reviews TesTed. Reviewed. veRdicTized
Each team can build up to 400 vessels, including 16 massive
capital ships.sins of a solar empire
$40, http://www.sinsofasolarempire.com
ESRB: T9
MA XIMUMPC
KICKASS