Probably my favourite 4x game, but it does still have most of the issues that come with that genre.
I am of two minds regarding the culture system. On the one hand, it's really fun. On the other hand, it can make it really difficult to get motivated to play a new game. I can't just say "I'm gonna do a China run and go on economy" cause who knows what is going to happen throughout the game and how that impacts what path I take.