I've been playing Sins of a Solar Empire since it first came out in 2008, and it's been my favorite RTS (4X) since the first time I picked it up. When Stardock announced a sequel, I was very excited, and I can happily say the game lived up to my expectations, although it still has some areas that have room for improvement. If you like games like Civilization or Stellaris, you'll probably like this one.
Pros:
- Beautiful graphics, the ship designs are captivating and the weapon effects are visually distinct and impressive at scale. I can just sit around and watch ships shoot at each other for hours.
- There's a lot of options for game modes, and a lot of paths for victory. You don't have to just gun down your opponents, you can wall up and go econ, or you can negotiate alliances. You can change the victory conditions so it's not just about destroying your opponents base, such as going for 50% colonization, or achieving certain objectives.
- The factions offer a lot of uniqueness and different gameplay styles, which makes them more interesting, and have a lot of room for skill expression.
- The tech trees are complicated, but not in an overwhelming way, so they feel satisfying to traverse.
- The developers are active and listen to community feedback. The game has already a significant amount of updates and improvements.
The cons:
- The AI is really dumb. Even on the highest difficulties and on defensive strategies, it will always carry out of the same all-in strategies every game. If you can fend off their early rush, you will win. It does not seem to understand the advantage of defensive structures or retreating before it's getting absolutely crushed in a battle.
- There is a lot to learn. This is expected of most of 4X and RTS games, but there are some terms and functions that aren't really explained well by the game's UI. I learned the most by going to the official game website and reading their guides.
- Balance issues. Some of the faction tech and ship/planet upgrades seem like a trap. I never feel they are worth the cost, and it seems like they exist to pad out the tree to feel larger than it really is. Luckily, the balance across factions feels pretty good.
- There's not really a single player campaign story. There are solo scenarios you can play, but don't expect any kind of fully voice acted or narrative like other popular titles in the genre.
