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Massively unfair strategy AI War 2 leaves early access next week

Alexa, play galactic destruction

The training routines are almost complete. After a year of sneaking through early access, the sequel to Arcen Games' cult classic AI War is ready for deployment. AI War 2 is bringing us back into the vastly lopsided fight against the machines next week. But there's one final update to get through before we kick off the war in earnest, one that gives menacing AI overlords a moustache the size of a galactic arm to twirl.

AI War 2 is an incredible accomplishment for a tiny studio and an army of volunteers. Its new launch trailer, though, is a low-budget riot.

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That might've been the goofiest title drop I've ever seen in a trailer. Thankfully, AI War 2 - like its brilliant predecessor - is actually a pretty neat little spaceborne strategy. There's a galaxy-spanning robot empire out there that could crush the last of humanity with a look. Fortunately, we're much too insignificant for our robot overlords to even pay us much mind.

Thus begins a wildly asymmetrical strategy experience where you're trying to amass a formidable armada in secret. You'll have to risk hit-and-run raids to nick tech, but can only risk playing your full deck once you feel ready to take on overwhelming AI menace. There are other actors out there in the galaxy, too, all much grander than you could dream off in those early days stuck on a tiny rock in the arse end of Sol.

Might even be worth putting all this war nonsense to once side and watch absolutely interstellar robot armies bash each other into eternity instead.

After successfully crowdfunding in 2016, AI War 2 has been skulking through early access for the last year. Arcen's current sole employee Chris Park posted a final pre-release update he and his collaborators put together earlier this week, which critically now lets the AI taunt you when you fuck up. Thanks, Chris.

AI War 2 enters 1.0 on Tuesday the 22nd. You can still pick it up in early access over on Steam and Humble for £15/€17/$20.

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