Comments on: Grins of a Solar Empire

By: Omnibus: March 16th - 22nd | Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Pretentious, moi?

Omnibus: March 16th - 22nd | Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Pretentious, moi? — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:32:57 +0000

[...] he is. The Sims 3 is coming. Open world, but no co-op. Grid trailer. More realistic than reality. Sins sells loads. Good work, Sins. EA sponsor sci-fi cinema festival. Play Spore and Dead Space there. Eurogamer MMO [...]

By: SwiftRanger

SwiftRanger — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:23:35 +0000

March it was I think.

By: Lunaran

Lunaran — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:22:10 +0000

Seconding “what’s with the no demo thing”. Weren’t we promised one would arrive last month?

By: Scandalon

Scandalon — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:13:40 +0000

So…space strategy/RTS that y’all got yer panties in a bunch over. (I’m from Northern California, but for some reason I start “speaking” like I’m from Texas when I post here…) And it has a cool name. Does the game actually describe/show/let you commit these “sins”? Does it make judgements about them? Or is it just the mechanics of “build this, move here, blow up that, they captured that”?

The big problem I have, is that I *KNOW* I want COD4. (But will wait until it’s cheaper.) I’ve played the demo. But I don’t know if I want SOASE because there is no demo…why?!?

By: Leeks!

Leeks! — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:23:00 +0000

There is a collector’s edition on its way, though. It was announced a while ago, and will be released in April

I bought it on Stardock, and paid the extra $20 to have the box shipped to me. When it got here, it was the collectors edition.

Also…

@Kieron Gillen: Woops, my mistake! They definitely do play a verse and a chorus of Good Weekend in that video Alec linked, however.

By: SwiftRanger

SwiftRanger — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:15:25 +0000

@Jim Rossignol: I don’t know what IGN you are reading but their coverage on Sins blew the coverage of similar games and even that of more mainstream PC strategy titles out of the water. Stardock even got to make their own blog posts on that site: http://pc.ign.com/objects/775/775249.html
Can’t say anything about Kotaku since I don’t frequently visit it (not enough PC news in general if you ask me ;) ).

I am not saying SoaSE doesn’t deserve it (just like there isn’t anything wrong with constantly spreading the word), just that “under the radar” sounds a bit odd for what it is and when it’s compared to other games of its kind. PC game journalists who like a bit of strategy have probably already mentioned it on their blogs or wherever they are writing, just like it was the case with GalCiv II.

And of course this is nothing like the CoD 4-monster on that same “radar” but then again comparing the buzz for a new PC strategy game to a multiplatform sequel for a popular FPS franchise is a bit far-fetched. :) Because if you look at it that way you might as well say that PC (strategy) games in general don’t get enough attention from the big sites (which is the case unfortunately :( ). That’s why we rely on RPS, that’s the radar scanner I trust.

By: UncleLou

UncleLou — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:13:06 +0000

I agree with you, Him, I don’t like it that much, either. It’s an ok game, no doubt, but I grew rather bored after 3 games or so against the AI.

By: Him

Him — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:59:40 +0000

“But the game itself looks pretty cool, and works pretty well.”

That’s my point in a nutshell. I don’t feel that achieving a required level of aesthetics and functionality should garner the praise given to Sins.

By: Ohle

Ohle — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:42:49 +0000

Is Art Brut good? The only track of theirs I’ve heard is the one on FIFA 08.

By: nickski

nickski — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:32:47 +0000

you mean you WATCH opening cinematics? gave that up years ago
between me and the game

By: Dinger

Dinger — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:28:46 +0000

In all fairness, the opening cinema was pretty lousy. Look, you’ve got a RTS with three sides, that synchronically paces fundamentally diachronic phenomena (e.g., it takes far more time to destroy a capital ship than to build one, or to explore an entire planet). The story has to be contrived. In such a case, you either flaunt the contrivance or you cloak it in a veil of mystery. The cutscene did neither, and you’re right, the manual doesn’t really help (nor do its grammar and formatting).

But the game itself looks pretty cool, and works pretty well.

By: Him

Him — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:19:21 +0000

*observes prior posts*
Then it looks like it’s up to me to be the proverbial cuckoo in this nest of love. I thought Sins of a Solar Empire was okay, but I didn’t think it a game deserving of such praise. For me, Sins is the framework of a good game. It’s balanced, like a good game. It’s stable, like a good game. It is accessible through a solid digital distribution system. But just because it embodies those attributes it does not become a good game because of them.
Call me a cynic if you must but I feel that Sins is shallow. There is a well-paced piece of initial exposition on our competing factions through the opening cinema. Then, nothing. The manual does not supply more content, little is found inside the game.
The game itself… the single player mode is tiresome. The AI predeliction for one tactic over all others has been mitigated somewhat through the first patches but it feels like a chore to play. Its multiplay, the focus of the game, is enjoyable, but only so far as the game stays stable and your opponents remain interesting.
If I were to point at the one saving grace of Sins, I would point my fingers and shout Pew! Pew! Lasers! Pew! Pew!. I’d also point at Stardock’s superb post-release support. I certainly wouldn’t point at the game itself.