Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Okay, this is a awesome game. It has wonderful graphics, the airplane details are superbly represented, and the sound is really good. One of the signature differences between this new title and the previous Ace Combat 4 is the addition of the CGI cutscene movies, whereas the Ace Combat 4 used the storyboard type representation. If you have played Ace Combat 4, this game is easy enough to pick up and jump right in to the action. Minor changes have been made to controls to allow for the "wingman" control scheme with the D-pad. This enables you to direct you wingmen to either cover, attack, disperse and use their special weapons on a target. You can also use the dpad for the standard yes no reply to questions that your wingmen will ask you throughout the game. It does add a nice touch of realism to the game with all the chatter you hear over the radio.

Now, since it has been 3 years since Ace Combat 4, I must say that I really did expect more in the way of advancements, but it truely feels like the same gamestyle, typical storyline, and overall general feel. Of course that is not berateing this game one iota. The graphics are much sharper, the land elevation scenery is much more detailed with trees and brushes now visible. The buildings are also nicely detailed with a higher polygon count. Perhaps the best change made for me is the missile animation you now see when you launch a missile. The missile stream is now much more realistic with the way it curves and actually winds through the air.

If you enjoyed Ace Combat 4, you won't regret buying this game. If you never played Ace Combat 4, then you will truely love this game moreso than the typical veteran Ace Combat player. Great visuals, good storyline and good sound design make this a winner in anyone's book.

Just to mention that you can either play the campaign mode or arcade mode. Arcade mode will have you reprise your role as Morphius from the Ace Combat 4 game. The campaign will carry you in the role of flight leader and allow you to fight with and control your wingmen. Enjoy.

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The only other Ace Combat game I've ever played was the first one for the PlayStation. It was impressed with the look and feel of the game. Ace Combat 5 effectively helps me to relive the same enjoyment I had playing the first game.

AC5 does a fantastic job of putting you in the pilot's seat of a fighter jet. The realism is astounding. Plane models look just like real jets, with good detail and believable movement. There are multiple viewpoints available both inside the cockpit and out that can be adjusted. The landscapes in certain missions are stunning to see from 2000 feet in the air. Finally, instant replays with adjustable angles appear after the completion of a mission (or in the event of the player's untimely death). They're reminiscent of the cool-looking replays in Gran Turismo 3.

The music is movie-quality and suits whatever action is taking place. As for sound effects, I don't think they could have been any better. For example, the farther away you are from an enemy when it's destroyed the longer the sound from the explosion takes to reach your ears. If possible, use a 5.1 stereo system with AC5. It sounds awesome.

There's a nice variety of missions, and none are excessively long. Once the campaign mode is complete you can replay any mission from that mode singularly. With 50 models of jets to unlock and use there's plenty of reason to keep playing.

As if all these pros weren't enough, AC5's story isn't bad either. How rare to witness a well told, positive moral in a video game. Communication between pilots during missions adds character depth and makes the gameplay more involving. Some players have complained about the audio chatter being annoying but I didn't find it bothersome.

At it's core Ace Combat 5 is a game with heart. I wholly recommend it.

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Better;

* Excellent graphics, particularly the aircraft models, weather effects and cutscenes.

* The same great gameplay as AC04 with some nice tweaks (e.g. enemy stealth planes are actually harder to detect).

* Lots of missions with a choice of paths through the game (though not as many as AC3), plus refuelings and carrier landings.

* Well written and absorbing plot.

* Numerous and varied aircraft and special weapons, including a fun new super plane and a kill-based 'evolution' system for unlocking improved variants of planes.

* Greatly improved arcade mode, again with a choice of paths, making for a nice half-hour blast.

Worse;

* Ropey mission design. Targets constantly pop up out of nowhere and you get teleported around the map after every cutscene. The action feels more scripted and less like you're flying around a real battle. This is reinforced by the fact that while the target areas are highly detailed, the rest of the maps are quite empty.

* Some of the missions feel like pale shadows of AC04 missions.

* The dialogue is often whiney, unprofessional or just annoying, and often gets out of sync with the action.

* The stats on the aircraft seem to be made up at random, and don't have that much affect on gameplay anyway. The missions aren't designed to make best use of the available weapons, and hence players will never use most of the basic planes and will have little incentive to unlock most of the improved variants. The loss of selectable secondary weapons is a shame.

* Rare but highly annoying bugs; planes fly underground and through buildings, missiles sometimes mysteriously fail to track.

* For the most part the difficulty curve is smooth if a little too easy (even on ace difficulty), but there are a couple of missions that are just unnecessarily frustrating (White Noise and Four Horsemen).

* The two player mode and target shooting range have been removed.

Missed opportunities;

* Fewer targets and no re-arming, making things less frantic. This is a shame as there are some missions where landing and rearm without leaving the battlefield would've worked well.

* The medal gallery is nice, but more unlockables (e.g. rendered beauty shots of aircraft) would have provided more motivation to get those special rankings.

* Giving wingmen orders is fun, but they don't seem to do much or need your protection. Similarly the interactive dialogue could've been cool, but doesn't actually seem to do anything and is hence just distracting.

* No bombers, choppers or VTOL aircraft, to fly or give orders to.

* Music is generally great, but the score for the final missions don't quite have that spine tingling thrill that AC04 had.

Ace Combat 5 is great fun and a high quality title in its own right. However while the graphical tweaks and new features are appreciated, it isn't a major advance over AC04, and the niggling problems prevent it from delivering the same outstanding all-round experience that Shattered Skies provided.

Honest reviews on Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War

I'm updating my review because I have now gotten all the planes--every last one--and must declare it well worth the effort. When I had only 'the best' planes, the missions were not nearly as interesting and oftentimes very difficult to do a sortie at Expert or Ace level because the plane I was using was too fast, didn't perform well at low altitudes, or featured weapons that were only really good for dog fighting. I could be flying the Falken through a mission and my wingmen would get the most kills because I would overshoot my target before I had a chance to lock on and fire and therefore have to go at it again, and the enemy aircraft would shoot me down as I literally jetted past them. The Falken is a great example because, unless your targets are all out in the open, you likely wont be as successful as if you flew something less 'super.'

Which plane you chooose is as important if not more than how you fly it or what kinds of weapons it features. For comparison, if you wanted to play a really great game of golf, you would need a full set of clubs--not just a driver and a putter. Likewise with planes--and I imagine this absolutely must be so in the real world of jet fighters--there is no one super plane that is the absolute best for all situations.

The best thing about this game--even more so than with Ace Combat 4--is how it demands you use strategy in addition to making appropriate choices in which planes your team flies.

Unlike Ace Combat 4, you can't just pick the right plane for yourself and finish the level or all levels practically solo. You need not only the right plane for yourself, but the right plane for your wingman and sometimes a complex combination of plane capabilities for the three other pilots at your command in addition to yourself. And then you have to give them appropriate commands--or you'll fail. Sometimes you even have give the most important strategic role to yourself while giving the more exciting dogfighting role to one of your other pilots.

You can't just have your team cover you and blast away at everything--you'd likely run out of missles and/or time--and even when the software suggests other choices of commands or planes, you have to take command and make the real decisions.

So what I wrote about Ace Combat 4 is far more true of Ace Combat 5. This isn't a game for dummies, and the amount of choice making you have to do in addition to outflying your opponents is what makes this an intelligent game.

They even included a bit of flight school in this one--nice.

My only complaint is about the Arcade Mode. You have to do it all the way from beginning to end. You can't save and finish it off later--which is no good for those of use who don't have hours at a shot to sit there and play video games. I'd rather be able to do a few bits in arcade mode, save it and do more later.

Campaign Mode is just perfect though. Sometimes you're stuck having to do more without saving after a really long and hard level, but it's not over the top difficult or lengthy. Even this adds to the challenge though, as you have to choose planes that you can succeed with in a variety of situations.

Great game; much improved over its previous version without losing anything in the process.

I do wish the playback at the end of each mission showed the weapon strikes at Ace Combat 4 did.

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I had long been waiting for this game to come out and now that I've played it; I could have waited longer. Yes, the backgrounds look amazing and the detail of the planes killer, but it was not what I expected.

The contsant chattering from your squad gets very annoying during the game, to the point that I just turned the voice off completely and put a CD on.

I played the game on Hard/Expert/Ace, and the Arcade Mode on all levels. After playing on Expert I really had no desire to play it on Ace, besids that fact of just wanting to beat it on that level. I did not find the game all to hard. I currently have no intension of playing it again. The replay need for this game is simply not there. Its too bad that they took away the VS Mode. Thats one thing that made Ace Combat 4 really fun.

Now we get down to the fighters. In this game you are provided with 50 aircraft from around the world. Most are the same from AC4, but look much better. A bad thing that I found was that you were unable to pick the weapons load for your plane via Ace Combat 4. The need to have to gain experience with a plane in order to get it upgraded model was not worth the time. Planes like the the French Rafael are only allowed to carry their Sidewinder variant for AA Combat and the Exocet Anti-ship Missile for ground targets. Where as in Ace Combat 4, you could load her up with medium ramge missile or air to ground. The same thing with the British Typhoon, nothing but air to air, and no waepons for ground operations. Air to ground missiles on the A-10 & SU-32 have no range what so ever, so why even bother putting them in.

In my opinion the upgrade was interesting yet could have been better,EX: The MiG-29 is not only a bomber but also a Fighter. Plus there is a Carrier version of this plane the MiG-29K as well a Carrier version of the SU-27, the Su-27K. The Britsh Tornado GR4 in Ace Combat 4 is more interesting than the ones in this game. They could have gotten rid of some of the upgrade versions and added more fighters in, Example: A-4 skyhawk, SU-22 Fitter, F-111 Ardvark, SU-24 Fencer, & SU-25 Frogfoot to name a few. Also, what is the point of in-flight refueling when you never run out of fuel?

If your a die hard fan of the series as I was then you'll love the game. If they would have left the VS Mode in then Iwould probably still be playing the game. Also, the ablitly to choose payloads. I guess I'll go to PC Games for a better flight game. If they come out with a # 6, I'll wait to rent it before I get it. Yet, remeber guys this is my opinion, its up to you to make your own. Laters

Review of Blitz: The League II - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

The Good:

* Compelling Storyline

* Do stuff that you cannot do in other football games(drugs, bet on games, date, sponsors, cause intentional injuries, etc...)

* Frank Caliendo (as John Madden) play-by-play is nothing short of hilarious

* Build your team, player from bottom all the way to the top

* Solid Soundtrack Exclusives

The Bad:

* Once again, possible "Rubber Band A.I."

The Bottom Line:

Looking for a politically-incorrect alternative to Madden series? Look no further than this one. A new play-by-play of Frank Caliendo as John Madden is worth the money alone. There are so many funny lines, it will keep you laughing for the whole game. A new feature in this sequel is that you can be selective when injuring your opponent, as you get to decide which body part you want to injure seconds before the collision. If somebody injures you, you now have the option of taking care of injury right on a field with mini-games: trying to align a syringe while the ailing players moving and shaking and even a mini-game where you have to put the bones back into the sockets. Other interesting storyline decisions that you would have to make will be dating your sponsors. Do you want to date one girl or date other girls and use their sponsorship to your advantage? Once again, there will be many Easter eggs to hunt and pick-up on, as Minnesota franchise goes on a wild ship cruise and the New England team gets accused of cheating. Lawrence Taylor comes back as a major character, while Bill Romanowski doesn't. The computer seems to play much better when falling behind, which could suggest that just like last game, they are utilizing the "Rubberband AI." however, If you are a football fan and a fan of Frank Caliendo, this is a must get! Due to the nature of this game, it should only be played by mature audience.

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I loved the first Blitz game. It was football the way it's supposed to be played. Even without NFL teams or players, Blitz provided the hard-hitting action needed in football. Broken necks, concussions, and fractured tibias (coupled with a doctor's view video of the injury) made it fun. It became a competition of how mayn opponents can I hurt, and how long can I keep them out for?

Blitz 2 takes a lot of good strides, but misses on key notes. Here's a list of Pros and Cons:

PROS

Hard-hits and lots of injuries

Good, in-depth career mode

Lots of creation ability on logo, team name, uniform colors and style, etc.

Offensive Coordinator's comments are profane and funny, but run their course quickly

Addition of "special" commentator Mohn Jadden is a riot!

CONS

Not enough to unlock that I care about (i.e. four new game modes, but 20 behind the scenes videos)

Injury cut scenes can't be skipped, even when it's not your team

Mini game for injury impact detracts from game, slows down gameplay, and gets really annoying really quickly

Injury remedy mini games get annoying after a few games

Loading takes a while, even for exhibition games

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I have always been a fan of the Blitz series. I never liked sports games very much, but this is something different. Who doesn't like injuring the other teams players. Blitz the League II is far better and more versatile than the original Blitz the League. The injury system is more graphic and you actually have to participate in helping the injury recover quickly with either giving a shot or resetting the bone.

They also have a player creation system in campaign mode that is developed like a press interview which is really cool too. On a scale of 1 10 I'd give the first Blitz the League a 5 and this one an 8. If you're a fan of the Blitz series, this one won't disappoint.

Honest reviews on Blitz: The League II - Xbox 360

It's fun for a couple of hours...the AI is so dirty and cheap, it takes some of the fun out of playing the campaign. Not bad in vs. setting though. Co-op campaign wouldnt have been a terrible idea either.

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2 player is a lot of fun. No issues there, but unless you enjoy throwing your controller at your t.v. don't bother playing the campaign. The computer was always cheap, even in the first one but this one was just ridiculous.

If the computer seems to be winning no matter what you do, do yourself a favor: Just put the controller down and let the game play out. Because whether you like it or not, the computer will win. Whether it be through fumbles, slips on the field, 6 broken tackles (seriously), you name it. It will happen to you until you lose. And don't worry about what you upgrade because the computer's teams will always have it upgraded more. I focused all money and stats on my team's speed from the beginning of the game and STILL, every team was much faster than mine. Even division 3 teams will piss you off

I can't take the swings. The mechanics and A.I. are completely manipulated by what the score is. There's no consistency whatsoever. This was a problem with the first one but it's way more obvious in this one.

Buy Gioteck TX1 THROAT MIC for XBOX 360

Customer Ratings:

This is yet another standard microphone being passed off as a throat mic, ala the MadCatz MW2 throat mic. This mic at least lets you adjust the pickups, but is still only built to fit up to a small to average neck, large necks still left out. audio clarity is much better, but is only on par with the OEM headset. the air vibration mic in this throat mic is more sensetive, so my friends could hear me just fine... They also could hear just fine all that was occurring in the game. They indicated the sounds from the tv nearly drowned me out when speaking, and on the occasions that a friend in our party chat was placed on the other team he was able to use my mic for advanced warning when we called in strikes, or started taking objectives.

I recommend avoiding the entire category of throat mics for the XBOX till someone creates a throat mic actually based off the skin contact microphone. Looks like I will be loking at the throat mics created for hunting/paintballing as many of them use the correct technology and have multiple pin adapters, maybe one wil work with the 360.

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I don't want to sound fake, but the mic works perfectly. I'm a bigger guy (19inch neck) and it sits very well, albeit at maximum alignment. I was skeptical when I bought it, but it was worth every penny.

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I can finally see why this product had been discontinued after such a short lifespan. This doesn't go without saying I'll keep using it, though.

I like with how the product was designed, so I didn't have to worry about how to put it on.

Being very concerned about the mic attached to the product, I tested it using the Xbox LIVE voice messaging system. It sounded pretty oversensitive since it could hear my button presses and stick and bumper clicks. Turns out that it faces away from the neck to pick up sound from around the user instead of directly from the user. When tested in-game, though, I haven't heard any complaints.

I also tried testing the mute switch. Although the console says it hears nothing, I could still hear some unbearable noise from it... Until I realized that the earpiece is a LOT louder than a stock headset. Honestly, I find this beneficial.

This product may make or break a relationship with the manufacturer because of these loose ends. Take precautions between you and the audio coming from your game console if and when you decide on this one.

Honest reviews on Gioteck TX1 THROAT MIC for XBOX 360

This mic is awsome. The technology involved is pretty sweet also. I like this mic because you don't have a mic hanging in front of your face when you are trying to eat. The earpiece fits nicely in your ear. The only down side is you can't adjust the sensetivity of the mic; it will pic up someone talking across the room. Overall I highly recomend this mic to anyone.

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Don't listen to these people who are rough critics who say it is a rip off or what ever. I believe it is a great mic especially for the price. The quality is pretty good but its not a mic that can only hear you. It hears things outside the throat like the game your are playing, but thats what the default mic does too so I dont really find it that big of a deal.

Great product

i highly reccomend it

Best Adrenalin Misfits - Xbox 360 Deals

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $14.99
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

This is my fifth Kinect title and is by far the best yet. The controls are very accurate and game play is lots of fun for my entire family. The half pipe event and big air events are fun and spur on lots of competition. Performing different combinations of tricks while in the air and landing them for points is well done. I'm impressed with the two player split screen options (easy to track where your play space is defined) and the kinect tracking seems to be flawless. This has been more fun than Kinect Sports for my family.

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first of all, when you are playing, this game is fun, just plan fun.

why it got 4 stars and not 5 is because a couple of the actions (forward footstomp) does not pick up that well and it is a very important part of the game.

also gettting to the game, you have to go through a lot of screens and fairly boring screens.

overall though, once you get to the courses and are playing the actual game, like i said it is just fun, which is what it is all about anyway

info on me:

casual gamer, not hardcore

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Amazon was offering a buy one game get one 1/2 off deal. Adrenalin Misfits was one of the choices for 1/2 off, we took a gamble and love it. Lots of fun and a great workout, these games that work with the kinect provide a lot of action and a fun time has been had by all. One of my sons favorite games.

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I read the reviews given here which are probably mostly by parents who bought this for younger kids. I bought it largely due to these positive reviews but I really should have checked IGN.com first (5 out of 10). I can certainly echo the common complaint about always having to go through the same menus over and over. It should allow you to choose a character and a board and stick with it unless you actually ASK to make a change. But instead it forces you to tediously choose these things EVERY time you play a course. I didn't have as much problem with the foot stomp to activate an item, but doing so successfully is kind of hard to notice anyway. It's not like a cart game where you know you're targeting someone with an item, and they know they've been hit.

Anyone who's played any other skate/snowboarding game knows that turning can often be difficult in some situations. I find myself regularly and frustratingly turning 180 UP the hill while trying to collect items, get on a rail, or pop balloons. There's not a lot to do in this game which is common with a lot of Kinect games. At least some of the other games give you a bit of a workout, this one kind of gives you a pain in the back and neck due to the required stance, and it doesn't get your heart rate up.

Youth (~6-12): probably fun

Teens (~13-17): maybe fun for a short time

Adult Gamers(~18-30s): quickly lose interest (my demographic)

Oldies :) (~30s): probably fun IF playing with their kids

Sorry I just expect a little more out of even a simple game like this. (Simple is ok as long as it's done right)

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The initial reviews for this title were poor across the boards. Upon reading positive reviews on Amazon, I decided to give it a try after finding a seller that offered it new for $16. I am pleased with my purchase.

The tracking works fine. A few times I have seen the often reported problem with uninitiated board stopping. Otherwise, the boards are responsive and the interface, while different, is intuitive. I take issue with the "soft" physics. I have seen a couple of occasions where I initiated a big-air trick too long and landed on my head, but conveniently ended up on the board without losing time or points. I personally would prefer more realism.

Having said that, the characters and environments are definately more fantasy than realistic. Thankfully, the characters are edgy and unique. The "X-TREME" theme is certainly dated (late 1990s), but I guess I give it a pass as a period piece.

The game types are varied, and there seems to be a good deal to unlock. I found the narrator's (DJ) voice to be incredibly irritating, but you have the option of turning it off.

I would be upset with this title if I had bought it at full price, but from a discount seller it is a fun way to pass a little time. I would love to see a more realistic snowboarding game with unforgiving physics and a huge mountain to explore, but you can definately see the Kinect's potential with this little game.

I put the fun to dollar ratio at $25.

Buy K1 AC Adapter For Original Xbox 360 Kinect

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List Price: $9.99
Sale Price: $4.00
Today's Bonus: 60% Off

This did not work on my 360. It plugged in just fine however the 360 would not power on with this adapter. It was a total failure for me.

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Long story short, I have an older version of the xbox now and wanted to use my Kinect with it. While this does stick out a bit in the back it does what it's supposed to and at a good price!

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old 360 + new kinect = this bad boy! Totally what I needed at a sweet price. it's big but it works great

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The USB cord was too short and I received a defective one cause it wouldn't power on the Xbox BUT customer service was great and they are refunding me what I paid since I already replaced it and they did offer to replace it for me. May have not worked out for me but maybe everyone else might feel different.

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I plug this to my 360 and guess what........ My kinect smell like its burning.... yes.... this little garbage burn my kinect ..... So i lost 100 dollars in this piece of

Best Sins of a Solar Empire - PC Deals

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $13.95
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

This is an EXCELLENT game that takes the galaxy civilization games a clear step further. Open-ended like a new science-fiction world and played as a seat-of-your-pants RTS game, this is a very intelligent hybrid that I greatly enjoyed.

In effect, SINS is a successful blend of the wonderful GALACTIC CIVILIZATIONS and HOMEWORLD series, with a sprinkling of TOTAL WAR for good measure. This is NOT a turn-based civilization game, so expect a much faster pace. What this means is that while it maintains the characteristics of classic turn-based civilization games (exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination), by relieving from the micromanagement tedium, it allows for an intense RealTime Strategy experience. Now, this probably may not appeal to turn-based purists, but I would advise an open mind: this is a good game.

This concept-blending is new, so expect a slow learning curve it took me a number of ...false-starts to get the hang of it: after all, it plays like an RTS and (although simplified) it still has enough of turn-based features that need to be taken care of. The interface is simplified and informative at the same time, with info trees sliding out only when needed.

There are three different factions to choose from (financiers, technologists and psitecs) yet, their differences focus mainly on research tree-branching and ship designs. What I did not like was that the ships of all three factions are effectively the same and their differences are only skin-deep. What I would have liked to find (and was disappointed to the point of withholding the 5th star for fun) was ship design and building! Remember how much fun was to design our own spaceships (from freighters to battleships) in GALACTIC CIVILIZATIONS II? Well, no such luck here. Let's hope they keep it in mind when the patch gets prepared.

Quick and constant exploration is not only encouraged by a necessity if one wants to survive let alone win. Spaceships built within a solar system cannot travel beyond it, unless using "wormhole"-like singularities. This adds to realism but can stretch your finances to their breaking point since only locally built ships can be used. Moreover, it makes really hard to locate the strategic points to either built defenses or focus an attack. The AI will constantly be bypassing your planning like the Maginot line and leave you with such a French feeling...

The graphics (of all of backgrounds, planets and units) are very nicely done. I really liked the multiple afterburners tracing through space as a spaceship squadron was dopplering past my screen...And less-than-cutting-edge PC owners rejoice: even 4-5 years old systems can handle this game like a breeze!

What I truly appreciated was the realistic scale of things. Galaxies are much larger than star systems, which in turn are much larger than planets, which in turn are much larger than space stations...than spaceships and so on. How is this achieved? Excellent zooming!

SUPREME COMMANDER was the first game to introduce strategic zoom; however, SINS implements it much better and shows how it should had been done: from a galaxy to a single planet and to a single spaceship, zooming in or out firmly maintains the effectiveness of battle controls by grouping and simplifying the info-tiles as one zooms out. In SupCom, we had to chose between either discerning the units or moving ...info-tiles around the battlefield not a bad first attempt, mind you. In SINS, one almost never looses perspective: ongoing battles, critical hotspots, or colony revolts are all easily identifiable in real-time.

On another note, SINS OF A SOLAR EMPIRE is a STARDOCK release which, yes, means their specialized installation utility. Nevertheless, this game hides no DRM or other intrusive security idiocy. Since trust and respect between a game publisher and its customers is a two-way street (and STARDOCK was willing to prove its friendship first), SINS deserves our support.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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First, this game isn't exactly what you may have heard. Don't expect a real time version of Gal Civ 2, or a sort of Europa Universalis in space, this is an RTS game first. Game play consists of collecting resources, building ships, and hurling big piles of them at big piles of enemy ships. It has some characteristics of TBS space games, like warp lanes, planet hopping, and a broadly slower pace. It also has some light approximations of the research and infrastructure elements of TBS titles, but there's no empire-building here to speak of. There are also no victory conditions beyond "annihilate the other guy." The bulk of your time will definitely be spent on traditional RTS activities, so if you don't care for that genre, don't invest.

I have played this unique title for several weeks now, and come to some conclusions. It's an interesting game with a steep learning curve for an RTS. I finally have a good feel for the rather unique interface, and it works reasonably well. The empire tree is a novel tool to control building and to try to track structures and ships in your empire. It lacks a sense of relative position, however, and as such I still find myself missing a mini-map. The main problems, however, all stem from one simple component of the design: the real time battles take place in the same timeline as the real time strategy. That is, while your ships are fighting, time is ticking by all across your empire. Got 3 battles going on? You can only watch and manage one of them. The AI's ok at handling fights for you, but I dislike being reliant on that. For that matter, the graphics are gorgeous and the battles are genuinely exciting, it kind of sucks that at best I can only watch one at a time and frequently I'm pulled away from that to handle managerial issues. The empire tree mitigates this at times, but fails to do so at others. It's not the universal control panel that I believe the designers intended it to be.

It's probably also worth mentioning that there are only three factions, and they play quite similarly. The art and voice work for each is well done and quite distinct, but the vaunted unique tech trees are actually about 75% equivalent to one another, at a guess. The result is that there's little different between factions beyond the aesthetic.

The single player diplomatic system is peculiar. I'm not fond of it, and it bears a few words simply because I've never seen a system like this before. In a free for all, single player game your opponents will give you "missions" to curry their favor. These can be straight-up extortion, like "give us X amount of this resource" or they can be something like "kill X number of ships/structures belonging to this enemy." Performing the task in the time allotted will increase relations with the faction in question, failing to do so will lower relations. What's a bit strange is that even if you're actively engaged in hostilities with an opponent (like, say, bombarding and recolonizing their worlds) they'll still message you with these missions. Even when you've made friends with a given AI, in many cases performing these tasks are a practical impossibility. Imagine, for example, being in the midst of a massive war with one enemy when your "ally" demands that you destroy a large number of ships and structure from a different enemy in a short amount of time. This kind of thing causes you to lose allies when you need them most quite often and for no good reason. If it were a bit more context-sensitive (ie when you're fighting a joint war, the requests involve the destruction of the opponent you're both actively attacking), it'd work better. Since your other actions in the game beyond these "missions" affect your relations with the AI players not at all, as best I can tell, I find it's best to simply play with locked teams and avoid the system altogether. The result, though, is that the diplomacy element of a 4X game is either broken or missing, here, depending on how you play.

On the positive side, the random map generator is the single most powerful function of its type I've ever seen in a game, bar none. It's better than the map generation in the Civilization series, and that's really saying something. There appear to be hard caps on almost nothing, you can create a map of any size to virtually any specifications you can dream of (and that your PC can handle), it more than compensates to the lack of a story-based campaign IMO.

It's also worth noting that the game is very modable. With a sufficiently engaged, motivated fan community (which this game appears to have, at this early date) and with the level of support and additions I expect from a Stardock product, there's reason to think it'll only get better with time.

So for what it is, I'd say the game is pretty well done. It seems reasonably polished, very stable, the AI's adequate while you're learning, and the graphics and sounds are great. It scales well to low and high end systems. The capital ship level up system is neat (if borrowed completely from Warcraft 3) and the battles are quite cool looking. The problem, at heart, is that the large scale strategy (which already has a few flaws, as mentioned) and the tactical battles conflict with, rather than complement, one another. It's two games that don't quite fit together, and thus make one flawed game when all is said and done.

But don't take my word for it. The best way to find out about Sins is to play the demo, which the devs have said will be out within a month or so of Sins' release (that is, sometime in March '08). You are wise to wait and do this, as there's never been a game quite like this one and whether or not it works for you is going to depend a great deal on your personal tastes.

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I must say, if Sins of a Solar Empire is typical of the products that Stardock is going to release, they just might be the next Blizzard Entertainment. Though most of the fundamentals in this game aren't exactly revolutionary, they are presented with an attention to detail and level of polish that make the game seem new and exciting. Sins is surprisingly easy to pick up and play, but is definitely a game that would take time to truly master.

The basic resource and base model is something that should be familiar to most RTS veterans3 resources (creditsfrom tax income, ore and crystals from harvesting) and facilities orbiting planets. There is a limit to how many can be built around a planet, and this varies depending on how well developed said planet is. You can also build defensive platforms and production facilities for your fleet. Research is also a pretty standard model, and is based on how many research labs you possess.

Where it starts getting interesting is the way you expand your empire, which you surely must in order to survive. Sins definitely favors aggressive players, as they will have more spaces for buildings and more credit/resource income as a result of higher population and more asteroids to harvest. At the start of a game, you usually have one home world connected to a few other systems. These may be colonizable, and may notand in general, the better the planet the stronger the defense forces of the indigenous population. This means your pitiful starter fleet will likely not be able to conquer any prime worlds without taking losses, which can be bad if your opponents decide to attack you in the meantime. Additionally, some sorts of planets require research to colonize, and you need to colonize to build. This makes scouting of potential objectives and a general strategic plan essential.

To move between systems, you have to follow 'warp lines' connecting them. That is, you can't just go from your homeworld to any other system directly, but likely have to pass through several (and potentially hostile) worlds on the way. In order to make a jump, your ships have to travel to a fixed distance from a planet, power up their drives, and make the transit at high speed. This is a lengthy process, so you have to keep in mind that your forces might not get back in time if you need to mount a defense against a surprise attack. Thus you will always have a problem with balancing your defensive and offensive capabilities, and in safeguarding chokepoint planets that have warp lines to many systems. This is similar in concept to the map model in some other games, such as Conquest: Frontier Wars. It also allows battles to be taking place in multiple systems simultaneously, which can lead to some seriously frantic action.

There are three factions in the gamethe TEC (essentially, humans), Advent (a bunch of weird female human psychics), and Vasari (the 'real' aliens). Though they have radically different looks and somewhat different weapons and technology, the corresponding ships of each empire are about equal in strength. Thus it's more an aesthetic choice and matter of personal preference. Ships are broken down into frigates and cruisers, and capital ships. The latter are your 'hero' units that gain experience and have powerful weapons and special abilities. Your first is free, and it's critical that you keep them alive and kicking. The other vessel types are the grunts of the fleet, and are substantially cheaper and more expendable. The vessel types, in all three classes, have a wide array of roles ranging from colonization to direct battle to fighter/bomber carrying mother ships. You can't afford to specialize in all technologies and upgrades, so it's best you figure out what you like to use and stick to that. There is no really clearcut paper-rock-scissors setup like in most RTS games, so as long as you invest in at least two roles (e.g. carriers and main battle units) you will likely be fine.

Research and expansion are critical if you plan to win against computer or human opponents, who will be your serious adversaries in any campaign. There's also pirates, who can be irritating, and local forcesbut these are generally far less aggressive than other players. You can also help your empire along by trading goods on the black market and even by bribing pirates to attack your enemies. There's also a simple diplomacy interface where you can form alliances and break them at will (if you aren't a fan of backstabbing, you can also enforce permanent alliances before a game starts).

Admittedly, combat is a bit simplistic. You pretty much send ships at others, and even if you don't they auto-engage if in the same system. It's all done on a 2-D field even though the game is fully 3-D, so there's no 'depth' to the battlefield a la Homeworld. You can maneuver ships and order individual ones to retreat, and can manually manage special abilities, but it generally works to just leave them on automatic. However, the game graphics and interface are so attractive and slick that you tend to not notice. Effects and detail make it fun to watch even though you're not doing a whole lot, and the sound design is also excellent.

The game supports full online play, but also includes a pretty challenging AI for skirmish mode. I have found the 'easy' setting to be hilariously weak and the normal setting to probably be a bit too much of a step up, however. Additionally, computer opponents seem to do really weird things on occasion, such as building tons of siege frigates or forming a grand alliance to wipe you out (if there's more than one). Nothing that can't be patched, but still weird. Online is probably where you will have the most fun, since real people are generally a lot more inventive than the AIand Sins gives you a lot of ways to use your cunning to give your opponents a hard time.

Despite its complexity the game is pretty easy to pick up and play as a novice. There is a very brief tutorial that teaches you the control and user interface basics, and then the best way to learn is to just start a game vs. one easy computer. After you beat them down (or not) you will likely know enough to play seriously.

The one big letdown in Sins is the lack of a single player campaign. It is such a glaring omission that it's hard to forgive, even with the superb gameplay and production values. This universe just begs to be explored in terms of a developed storyline, and the opening cinematic leaves you salivating over how much fun that would be... but there isn't one. Maybe in version 2.0? Please? I'd seriously beg for one if it helps.

The bottom line is that Sins of a Solar Empire is a finely polished, extremely fun strategy game. It is fast-paced, has great strategic depth, and looks amazing. If you've ever played and appreciated any RTSnot even necessarily ones set in spaceyou will most likely love this game.

Honest reviews on Sins of a Solar Empire - PC

First off, my bona fides: I've been playing computer games for over 30 years; heck, I was designing computer games nearly 30 years ago. I don't even want to think about how many hundreds (if not thousands) of hours I've spent playing various games (mostly 4X and RTS) over the years. You can check out some of my other game reviews here on Amazon (via the link above) to get a sense of my preferences and biases.

I gave SINS four (4) stars overall because it is way above average for the clean, innovative user interface and general quality of the software. It's slick, professional, and absolutely solid. The user interface takes a bit to learn, but once you get the hang of it, it helps you get things done very quickly. And the ability to zoom smoothly from very close to very far out make operating at different scales very easy.

On the other hand, I have a hard time giving the game more than three stars for fun because every game I've played so far (and I've played a lot) ultimately degenerates into shuffling fleets from system to system as your remaining opponent(s) attack. And since ship movement is so slow (yes, even on the 'quick' setting), I find myself spending a lot of time just staring at the screen, watching my fleets inch their way to the current system(s) under attack. Resources (credits, metal, crystal) and 'slots' (logistical and tactical) tend to be so constrained that it's very hard to set up a system that can really defend itself without a decent fleet on hand.

There are no real politics beyond very simple agreements (cease fire, peace treaty, trade agreement, share intelligence). Other (AI) factions make demands of you -initially for resources, but then for attacks on other factions. You are under a time limit and you have no option to decline gracefully; you either fulfill the demand (and receive a reward comprising some mixture of good will, credits, metal, and/or crystal), or you fail to do so, and you lose goodwill with the faction. Note that you cannot turn around and make those same demands on the AI factions -an asymmetric disparity that is (IMHO) a serious flaw.

A typical Sins game starts out interestingly enough, but tends to become tedious towards the endgame. Because both movement and construction are so slow, progress in the latter portion of the game tends to be slow as well:

-Faction A attacks Planet X occupied by Faction B

-Faction B starts bringing its fleets from elsewhere to Planet X

-Faction A manages (or not) to wipe out the population on Planet X

-Faction B manages to bring enough ships to bear to force Faction A to retreat

-Faction A starts the slow process of building new ships to replace those lost in the attack and then moving them (slowly) to where its fleets are

-Faction B starts the slow process of recolonizing Planet X (if necesary), after which it can start the slow process of rebuilding the logistical and tactical infrastructure of Planet X, as well as the slow process of building new ships to replace those lost during the battle for Planet X

Or, alternately, Faction B retreats from Planet X, in which case it is Faction A that has the slow process of recolonizing and rebuilding Planet X.

Fleet tactics during battles mostly consist of aiming all your ships at one of your opponent's ships for the 30-60 seconds it takes to destroy it, then repeating that until your opponents flees or is destroyed, or you flee or are destroyed. The variety of technologies that the different capital ships can have are nice, but if you have two or more battles going on simultaneously, it's pretty difficult to do any actual tactics or maneuvering for more than just one battle.

Now imagine that you're doing this simultaneously against 2, 3, or 4 AI factions. It's easy for them to wear you down, but hard for you to make real progress against one of them.

Did I mention the pirates? If you have pirates in the game (some games exclude them), they'll show up out of nowhere and attack your systems also. You can bribe them to go attack other factions.

In the end, it's that combination of simultaneous attacks, slow production, slow movement, and slow progress that pretty much makes Sins very tedious in the endgame. Based on the glowing reviews I've seen here and elsewhere, there must be people who really enjoy that sort of thing and/or have some magic strategies that make all this work.

In sum: great technology, great UI, great initial gameplay, and very tedious endgame. YMMV. ..bruce..

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Sins of a Solar Empire - PC

Don't like the space pirates? Thank goodness the latest release (downloadable from Stardock) has a series of "game options", including one to make them "inactive". In the (admittedly beginner-level) game I'm playing, they're still there on their maniacally-armed planet, but so far I haven't had them putting bounties on my head.

I leave it to the more experienced gamers to fathom how things work. Me I'm puzzled that, as quickly as I can get a scout ship to start exploring my little corner of the solar system, the "other guys" all seem to have large fleets of frigates and cruisers, even battle cruisers (!), already assembled. And those damned PIRATES! One look at their "home world", and I'm simply ready to abandon all hope. Dozens of defensive platforms, and scores of ships! Does the game START with everyone BUT me ready for massive combat? (And yes, this is with "Easy" mode selected.)

As another reviewer has pointed out, things CAN get a bit tedious. I had a 2.5-hour space battle I went through three capitol ships and countless frigates and cruisers, but somehow the "other guys" (playing in single-player mode) seemed able to match my output ship-for-ship, PLUS a few extra. Had I left it to AI strategy, it would have been a massacre. But after so long a battle, I simply wasn't enjoying it and bailed.

The system-building option also strikes me as a little unusual. I suppose you could use it to give yourself either a huge advantage or to handicap a game, but in normal play, I prefer the random assignments of resources. Your ability to acquire knowledge and to build ships depends on the availability of vital resources: metal and crystal. If you're fortunate enough to start with or conquer a planet with multiple crystal asteroids, you have a great head start over the poor slob with one or none.

Dedicated gamers will find scope enough to occupy them for weeks, probably months. Casual gamers: don't expect anything to get settled in just a couple of hours. The *smallest* game, a single-system scenario, takes about 8-10 hours of play. Unlike other games I've played, there's no "just putzing around and exploring" this is definitely a hostile system, with most planets armed to the teeth and itching for a fight. (Diplomacy? Why does someone want to have me perform some oddball "mission" at the same time they're bombarding the bejeezus out of my home planet?)

All that said yes, I'm having a good time. Very fluid graphics, lots of "good stuff" to work through, and great value for your gaming dollar. If you're on the fence, I hope a demo comes out soon, because it really is a fun and involving game.

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