Sins of a Solar Empire review (PC)

The RTS genre is one that is jam packed. However, it is a one which is full of mediocre/good games but lacking in great games. In fact not since the 2006 release of Company of Heroes have I seen any RTS game which I would define as a classic. But somewhere in British Columbia a small developer by the name Ironclad Games has delivered one of the finest strategy games ever to be released. It's a experience which satisfies the mind while damaging your body at the same time.

The next Alpha Centauri

What makes Sins of Solar Empire a fantastic experience is the ingenious game play which outshines the opposition. It's set in the distant future where everybody is at war. That's basically the story and as far as it will go because no plot exists. You start off with one planet and must explore your solar system in order to colonise other worlds and find resources which will be used to built fleets and research new technology. Planets come in different forms which include ice, desert, terran and volcano.

These planets can be colonised and used mainly for ship building and income. Asteroids also litter the solar systems and while not being able to sustain a massive population are used mainly as outposts. Taking over planets/asteroids offers a tactical advantage as phase lanes link each planet, but not every planet so it creates a spider web effect meaning that you must travel to one planet to reach another. This means that some planets can also be used as choke points forcing your enemy to engage you at your specified location. I'm impressed with the relatively simplistic look of the galaxy, but overjoyed by the rich tactical options which lie beneath it.

Set phasers to fun!

Massive epic battles and cool looking fleets is what this game is about. The game contains three factions (the TEC, Advent and Vasari) each with their own unique looking ships. Each faction has cruisers, frigates and capital ships. Frigates are the front line ships that are used to soak damage and be cannon fodder (When you serve under my command you better be prepared to die). Cruisers are heavier ships that are powerful and in large numbers and are the backbone of your fleet. Capital ships are the jewel in the crown that is your armada. They are expensive, powerful and can be decisive in any battle and when you lose one by God do you feel it. They even add a mini RPG element as they can be levelled up and unlock certain abilities.

When your armada is built up and you advance on the enemy the battles that unfold are glorious to behold. They are like something out of massive Hollywood blockbuster and in the chaotic battles it is hard not to sit back and just watch them rather than tactically manage your ships. Luckily the AI of both your own troops and the enemies is amazing and even if you take a back seat you can manage other areas of the galaxy safe in the knowledge that when you come back to the battle your ships still should be in one piece. The enemy in the game is rather clever and always attacks the weakest planets and withdraws when you send in a massive fleet. I can't count the amount of times my ships were diverted from front lines to defend my home worlds from cheeky enemies who attacked me sporadically. They forced me to weaken my fleet to give them a tactical advantage in the war on the front.

It's Long John Silver. In space!

A very fun and unique feature available in Sins of Solar Empire is pirates, pirates and more pirates. Pirates are a third party organisation who launch attacks every 15 minutes and you can use them to wage war by placing bounties upon the heads of your enemies. This is also done anonymously so nobody can tell where the money is coming from. You can place non refundable bids on the table to lower the bounty on your own head or raise the amount on your enemies head. Bidding wars can almost cripple your economy but the pirates unleashed can do some real damage to your enemy. Despite this if you outbid your enemy then his amount is carried over to the next auction meaning that constant use of pirates could result in you not being able to place the winning bid later on. If this happens then the Jolly Roger and you are going to become well acquainted. They will raid a planet of their choice and they will come in force.

Ka-Ching

Brute force isn't the only way to conquer all. You can crush your enemies by being the equivalent of Norway in space and having a dominant economy. There are three resources in the game which are credits, metal and crystals. I find this a wonderful and enjoyable way of conquering your enemy as it is all down to your economic prowess. It works by using the black market. You can buy and sell resources, but markets can crash just like any other and the trick is flooding the market with one resource making it worthless and buying up another resource causing its price to become astronomical pricing everybody else out of the market.

This can cause other players, who desperately need a certain resource, to crumble and for you the out produce them in ships. Economy aside yet another way to fight the enemy is by spreading you culture to other planets which insights revolution and these planets defect to your empire. There are ways to combat this and ways to make it more powerful. No matter how your enemy decides to attack you going to be kept on your feet.

Why can't we be friends?

It can get lonely out in space. So lonely in fact that if you're feeling unloved you can always try to make allies with other faction in space. I always find that licking arse, giving money to other factions and doing their dirty work pays off in the long run. Allies can also become trading partners making both you and them financially stronger. They can also send fleets to aid you but watch out who you help as today's allies are tomorrows enemies.

Taking everything this game comes with the developer really should have put warning label on the box because playing this game causes many sleepless nights in front of your computer screen. In fact it actually ruins your life. Say goodbye to friends, family members and loved ones as they are now obsolete in the eyes of Sins of Solar Empire. My advice for this is to turn your underwear inside out every five days to maximise comfort. Going online with friends is what this game was really built for. A great feature is the ability to save multiplayer games and return to them at a later date. I felt that online play was better because playing with friends reminded me of social interaction.

The graphics in Sins of Solar Empire don't blow you away but that's not to say they are poor. Ships have fantastic detail whether your away from the action or have zoomed right into your favourite capital ship. The galaxy looks nice and planets are well detailed. Overall the presentation is excellent. Te sound does exactly what you would expect from it, but no more and no less.

Minor flaws

I want to give Sins of Solar Empire a ten but something in the back of mind tells me differently. Maybe it's the lack of a story which questions your existence in the universe. Maybe it's the fact that even the smallest skirmish can easily take over eight hours to complete and takes two hours before the game starts fully rolling. Maybe it's the fact that there aren't enough factions in the game. Either way Sins of Solar Empire is a must have for any strategy fan and is definitely a contention for game of the year. For me it just falls short of a score of ten.