Those people who were fans of the Master of Orion series might remember the rather disappointing release of Master of Orion III. However, those who were looking for an alternate turn-based sci-fi strategy game might have come across a little title known as Galactic Civilizations. With many of the same themes as Master of Orion, GalCiv lets the player pick from a selection of alien races (or they could create their own) which they would bring to intergalactic supremacy. The game was well received, often regarded as big on strategy and gameplay, but low on glitz. The graphics made it look like a shareware title, and there was a mind-boggling numeric system which determined whether or not a planet was hospitable or not. However, the gameplay was solid, and that made it great.

Now the developers, Stardock, have returned with their sequel. Armed with a bigger budget, they now have the freedom to match their fantastic gameplay with an equally great game engine. If you are the kind of person who likes empire building games like Civilization and sci-fi themes, then look no further. Galactic Civilizations II is the game to get. What we have here is a game that is so rich and comprehensive that they threw in the kitchen sink, the plumbing, and the neighbor's house.

The premise of GalCiv II has changed very little from the original title. In the words of Douglas Adams, "Space is big... REALLY big!" The different species of the universe had to rely on existing space jump gates, left behind by a vanished alien civilization, to get around, making any meaningful interaction impossible. All that changed with the discovery of the hyperdrive, which allowed ships to traverse the galaxy on their own power. Suddenly, the universe has become a little smaller, and a race to explore, expand, research, and conquer ensues.

If there is any first indication of GalCiv II's scope, it comes when you load up a map and start zooming out... and continue to zoom until you can see the whole galaxy. With its multiple pinpoints representing stars and solar systems, that's when you have to sit back in awe at how much area there is to explore and colonize. This is just one of the many overwhelming aspects of this game.

Gone is the old 2D engine, and in its place are gorgeous 3D graphics. Moons are clearly seen orbiting planets. Colorful border lines are used to represent areas of influence, bringing GalCiv II in line with competing strategy games like Civilization IV. One of the greatest, and perhaps most requested, features to be added to this sequel is the ability to build your own ships. Stardock has taken the idea of customizable ships to a new level. Players now have access to a 3D building engine, where they have access to researched parts, and attach them together like LEGO's. A point system, determined by what you've researched so far, puts a limitation on how many things you can add to a ship. So, while you can't do much with the engine at the start of the game, technological miniaturization, stronger building materials, and structural research will eventually allow you to build juggernauts.

The game's weapons are balanced between beam weapons, projectile weapons, and missiles. There are also three types of armor to counter each form of weaponry, so players have to find a means of research and design to counter their competitors' strategies.

Speaking of research, GalCiv's famous research tree is back, and as expansive as ever. If one were to pick just one area where the developers clearly went wild, it would be here. These research trees, broken down into a number of different disciplines of study, are huge. They are gigantic. These research trees are so big that new words have to be invented to properly convey their scope! Even with the game set on fast research, it can take forever to get through one area of research. Stardock must have realized this and set up a victory condition where a player might win my completing a single ginormous category of research. The research interface helps considerably by sorting out which technologies will require the least amount of time to complete.

Space combat can be quick and simple, or fully detailed according to the player's preference. As to be expected, combat plays out according to point values for damage and defense. The detailed combat viewer is designed for strategic observation and general entertainment, not manipulation of movement and hands-on strategy. It might sound disappointing, but actually this game doesn't require the same hands-on approach that Master of Orion had, and went with an approach similar to Civilization.

Planetary management has evolved from the previous game. It is now very well detailed, and players may select exactly which buildings they want in whatever quantity they want. For example, if they want a planet to specialize in industry, they build nothing but factories and allow another planet to lean more toward food production in order to maintain a good population size.

Empire management consists of more than establishing trade routes, waging war, and colonization. As in the first game, the player chooses a type of moral alignment. They can be good, neutral, or evil. The player's alignment influences their interactions with the different races. A good race, for example, will probably not wish to negotiate with an evil species. Key events will pop up during the course of the game, giving the player an opportunity to either gain a bonus or strengthen a specific type of alignment. Diplomacy is otherwise pretty straightforward, and the different races are programmed with unique responses to other races. Updates will eventually expand their repertoire, but it relations are still amusing as they are.

The only downside to setting out into the deep black of space is that there don't seem be any boundaries outside of one's immediate planet. Competing races cannot send a ship to your planet without inciting war, but they can blithely set down a colony ship on a planet within the same solar system as your homewold. The galactic border lines represent influence, not actual territory boundaries. So, in a good game, you would build up a very influential civilization and eventually take over that planet without firing a shot. But it still feels very strange to have aliens march in and set up shop right in your back yard. After all, one would think there would be a huge uproar if aliens came in and colonized Mars before we had a chance to get there. Imagine the Cuban missile crisis on an interplanetary scale.

The artificial intelligence, that was impressive in the first game, is back with a few upgrades. Like just about everything in the game, the computer's intelligence may be customized and scaled. If it is set on easy, then they might not notice your troop movement, and are a little quicker to make peace after conflicts. On the hardest setting, they will pull every trick that is available to them, including using long-term credit payment plans to get as many ships up into space as quickly as they can. Just as before, if players are looking for a strong challenge, GalCiv is more than ready to provide it, and not through giving the computer unfair starting bonuses. While playing, it seems pretty clear that the computer players have the same resources as the player does. It's just very good at knowing what to utilize.

Finally, there is a campaign mode that lines up a string of objective-based missions and tells a little more of the backstory of the GalCiv universe. This is also the place where the Dreadlords mentioned in the title make their star appearance. However, though it is clear that the true meat of the game is primarily found in the skirmish portion of the gameplay, Stardock didn't skimp out on this aspect. The campaign is open ended, meaning that if you fail a mission, it will lead to a different branch in the development of the story. Some players may wish to purposefully fail a mission just to see where it takes them. Multiplayer exists indirectly in the form of posting scores on a player board called Metaverse. However, seeing as how the single player is so large and expansive, one can only conclude that trying to stuff in some sort of multiplayer experience would be distracting, and desired only by people who have days to spend playing a single match.

Everything about GalCiv II is enormous, from its scaleable graphics that support widescreen monitors, to the comprehensive research trees and fleet management systems. However, even with all these features, the system requirements are outrageously modest. The minimum requirement is a Pentium III 600Mhz. We tested this game on a low-end system, and it worked wonderfully! If that isn't an effort to cast their net out to grab the biggest audience possible, we don't know what is.

GalCiv II is great gameplay AND it looks great too. People will have to strain themselves to the point of hurting themselves to find a empire building game that offers as much content. Like space, this game is big... REALLY big!

Our Final ScoreExcellent

What did you think of this game? Post Your Own Review