Probably my favorite grand strategy game that isn't Crusader Kings 2. Might be one of the best 4X space games that's ever been made. But there is one major caveat to that: microtransactions. And what I mean by MTX is that a lot of base features that should be in the base game itself is monetized. They do this for every Paradox game because no other study can make detailed grand strategies. For these business practices alone, Paradox games will never earn above 3.5 stars for me.
• Art Book
Stellaris is first and foremost a roleplaying game, before everything else. This is its strongest point imo and its great fun. The functionality of many aspects however are very very veryyyy boring and not interesting. Micromanagement of planets can be eased with automation but the management of wars is incredibly tiring. It is more fun to build up for the war, come up with lore reasons in your head for it etc etc than to actually fight them. I spend a lot of time designing ships, assembling fleets and armies, building defenses etc and it's probably my favourite part of the game, you can really be immersed in your empire. I can't comment on the late-game/crisis however since I never made it that far yet.
Typical story with Paradox Interactive titles. 1. Release a fun game with lots of potential. 2. Stuff it full of "DLC" that is overpriced and should've been in a free update.
I get mad with how Stellaris is treated. A title unique in its premise completely destroyed by unmatched corporate greed. This is a game with a SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE!
DLC’s manage to be $15-20 but contain 5ish things that barely change the game. It also has numerous core problems such as, the lack of internal politics and issues, a lackluster combat/fleet system and bizarrely limited and lacking diplomacy options.
I get mad with how Stellaris is treated. A title unique in its premise completely destroyed by unmatched corporate greed. This is a game with a SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE!
DLC’s manage to be $15-20 but contain 5ish things that barely change the game. It also has numerous core problems such as, the lack of internal politics and issues, a lackluster combat/fleet system and bizarrely limited and lacking diplomacy options.
A massive, complicated, and utterly breathtaking imperial galaxy simulator. The gameplay is best enjoyed with friends, but I spent hours by myself completely immersed in the minutia of defending my struggling hegemony. The learning curve is steep, and I am far from an expert, but I am an enthusiastic Stellaris player. My only note of warning is that this game is like Civilization, in that it's highly addictive and takes hours to finish a single game.
That said, this game did an amazing job presenting numerous alien races and conveying the wonder associated with the scifi exploration genre as a whole. Consequently, this is another game that filled me with AWE!
That said, this game did an amazing job presenting numerous alien races and conveying the wonder associated with the scifi exploration genre as a whole. Consequently, this is another game that filled me with AWE!
my favorite game that makes me want to stop playing 1/5th into a playthrough
jokes aside, great strategy game but i find the mid-endgame tends to get sort of boring, as a lot of mechanics such as research and traditions just. run out of unique effects leaving the game lower depth than the start..?
however, its scenario writing is shockingly good as well
jokes aside, great strategy game but i find the mid-endgame tends to get sort of boring, as a lot of mechanics such as research and traditions just. run out of unique effects leaving the game lower depth than the start..?
however, its scenario writing is shockingly good as well
Falls just short of being "Crusader Kings in space" for me, but still great in its own ways. I am a huge fan of all the elements of speculative sci-fi they include, and it is all wrapped in a great grand strategy system. The real thing that prevents it from being truly great to me is that over the course of two games, playing as wildly different species and civilizations, I am seeing a huge amount of repeated events and discoveries. They don't appear to give me a reason to make different choices on these besides roleplaying, but unlike CK3, there aren't deep RPG hooks built into this game. All of the economy and shipbuilding and expansion feels remarkably manageable, which is a pleasant surprise for this sort of game. Excited to try out new DLC and scenarios as they go on sale.