Endless Space

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 566 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 345 out of 566
  2. Mixed: 151 out of 566
  3. Negative: 70 out of 566

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  1. apokalipto
    Aug 11, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  2. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    7
    Fun 4x game with a great fantasy to sell but ultimately falls short feels limited. Cinematic battles are cool but ultimately finnicky and hard to get a grip on. planet development is good but feels... limited for an interstellar civilization
  3. Tabbou
    Aug 5, 2021
    8
    Trouvable à 1€ sur certains sites
    Je découvre la licence avec ce jeu et pour le coup c'est vraiment intéressant, il y a pas mal de choses à gérer le jeu est assez complet pour son age

    Vous pourrez même utiliser Cheat Engine si vous galérez trop ou juste pour + de fun ;)
  4. MatikTheSeventh
    Oct 11, 2020
    9
    One of my favourite experiences of the 4X strategy genre. The exploration of space and conquest of the galaxy is very appealing to me.
  5. Tomicsavo
    Feb 17, 2020
    5
    It was free. I don't like sci-fi so much, but it's good.-------------------
  6. DuhDude
    Mar 29, 2019
    6
    One problem with this game that I never see mentioned is the OP human v. AI when it comes to battles. You somewhat get to pick which of the AI ships you want your ships to target, which is great, but you also get to pick which of your ships you want the AI to target, which is weird and completely unfair. You can just have 2-3 tank ships in every fleet that are loaded with nothing but hitOne problem with this game that I never see mentioned is the OP human v. AI when it comes to battles. You somewhat get to pick which of the AI ships you want your ships to target, which is great, but you also get to pick which of your ships you want the AI to target, which is weird and completely unfair. You can just have 2-3 tank ships in every fleet that are loaded with nothing but hit points, repair modules, armor, and defenses while all of your other ships can just be bristling with weapons since they never need to worry about being shot at.… Expand
  7. GolovA
    Jun 19, 2018
    7
    Good 4X.

    Although if you are not waging war, gameplay becomes somewhat boring, since you cannot overtake Star System any other way, such as through influence.

    Good 4X.
  8. Winters
    May 31, 2017
    3
    The best way to define Endless Space would be to combine the Civilisation series with the space-stage of Spore, then remove the voice acting, dialogue, content and finally suck out all of the fun.

    The combat options are "Auto" which just shows the combat results, or "Manual" which allows you to pick a battle tactic for long range, medium range and melee range, then watch it played out.    The best way to define Endless Space would be to combine the Civilisation series with the space-stage of Spore, then remove the voice acting, dialogue, content and finally suck out all of the fun.

    The combat options are "Auto" which just shows the combat results, or "Manual" which allows you to pick a battle tactic for long range, medium range and melee range, then watch it played out. Not sure where the manual part comes in to play there.

    The Pirates, which if you are familiar with other games of this genre, are the random, pain in the arse element. They would be fine and an enjoyable part of the game, except that while you are still trying to develop ships bigger than a scout-class, they show up with three cruisers and wipe out your civilisation. You literally have to prepare for and take preventative measures from turn 1 to have a chance of dealing with a random pirate attack.

    I really can't think of any balancing points. There are much better space-based games of this genre out there, from 10 years ago, with the same level of graphics, with far more attention to detail and immersion.

    Endless Space will drive your average gamer to tears through boredom. Only a hardcore genre fan will complete it and almost no one will play it through more than once. The game is not awful but it is trying very hard to be.    … Expand
  9. JinReview
    May 17, 2017
    8
    With the release of the Endless Space 2 later this month I decided to revise and review its predecessor. It has been almost 5 years since the release of the first Endless Space and it's remarkable how the game can still hold up as a great game even so many years later. The gameplay is very addicting and although it might not have a tutorial level or scenario it displays all the informationWith the release of the Endless Space 2 later this month I decided to revise and review its predecessor. It has been almost 5 years since the release of the first Endless Space and it's remarkable how the game can still hold up as a great game even so many years later. The gameplay is very addicting and although it might not have a tutorial level or scenario it displays all the information that the player needs, when the player needs. If you never played a game of this magnitude you might feel lost at first because there is so much to manage, so many options and so much strategic depth but learning and discovering all the little things and systems that this game has to offers is part of its fun.

    Taking the 4X turn-based strategy to outer space, Endless Space expands on the genre's recipe and with its 8 different victory conditions the game really incites the player to try multiple strategies and approaches. The battle system is very simplified but it has a good depth to it. Most of the strategy here comes before the battle itself from optimizing your ships depending on the resources you have and trying to predict your opponent's strategies and weapons.

    In terms of civilizations Endless Space offers a good variety. Some are human-like, others mechanical and others more alien. And they all play differently, with unique differences like the ability to colonize all planets right from the start or the ability to leave your system and migrate to other planets. A nice touch is that each civilization has it's own ship designs. In the overworld there isn't much to speak off in terms of graphics since the game aim for a simplistic "holographic style". The plot is quite absent but Endless Space does offer unique lore to each of the civilizations. This lore is delivered through a little cinematic that install the right mood and mindset for understanding that species backstory and playstyle.

    • Last Thoughts

    Even today Endless Space is a game that can hold up as the simplistic graphic style doesn’t show its age and the strong gameplay provides for many hours of engagement and entertainment. The unique concepts, the great array of available and uncommon civilizations and the multiple victory conditions make replaying the game feel non-repetitive and that’s something that Endless Space really relies on since it doesn’t have a campaign or story mode. This is one of my favorite 4X games until now and I’ll be looking forward to the release of Endless Space 2 later this month.    … Expand
  10. gingerninja11
    Apr 14, 2017
    4
    Bad out-of-digital-box experience with too many options and aspects of the game presented with no campaign storyline and a ton of instuctions to get started. No mini tutorial campaign that teaches the ropes in a fun way to provide basic guidance on how to leverage advantages from skill and build combos. Some techs are absolutely useless (IE, researching tier 3 siege only to find out maxingBad out-of-digital-box experience with too many options and aspects of the game presented with no campaign storyline and a ton of instuctions to get started. No mini tutorial campaign that teaches the ropes in a fun way to provide basic guidance on how to leverage advantages from skill and build combos. Some techs are absolutely useless (IE, researching tier 3 siege only to find out maxing out tier 2 siege is better). Extremely exploitable strategy where you can stack a few space fleets on a system for "offensive attack" where your enemy has a large amount of their ships stacked, and then run away from battle every time so that the enemy can never fly their ships elsewhere while you're blockading the system. Even if the defender has faster space ships. This makes no sense: if they run from battle, you shouldn't still be blocked from leaving the system.

    Combat isn't very interactive, tech trees are really not fun to dig around, and there's no explanation of precisely how influence works, anywhere in the game or online.

    Off to find a better 4k.    … Expand
  11. Klewer
    Jun 17, 2016
    8
    A very good space exploration and management game, with economy and fleet management. A fan for the strategists with so much to do and take note of, still quite tough on the easiest of difficulties and not for those who don't want to put the time in.
  12. dinin70
    Feb 10, 2016
    7
    Oh my god... I decided to step in after reading so many negative reviews of people losing in Medium Difficulty (go back to Civilization 5 pleaaase) or playing in Easy (do you really excpect challenge in easy?)

    The game is for me a 7. Pros: I've never seen a game providing you such a wonderful user friendly interface. It's is incredibly well done. Even with 30 systems, and LOADS of    Oh my god... I decided to step in after reading so many negative reviews of people losing in Medium Difficulty (go back to Civilization 5 pleaaase) or playing in Easy (do you really excpect challenge in easy?)

    The game is for me a 7.

    Pros: I've never seen a game providing you such a wonderful user friendly interface. It's is incredibly well done. Even with 30 systems, and LOADS of armies, you can quickly see everything that is going on and plan you moves according to the situation. This is where it clearly crushes Galactic Civilization in which, at later game stages, you were completely overrun by a ridiculously high number of armies and systems to manage in an unfriendly manner. A bit like in Civilization IV, where at later stage, you have TOO MUCH of everything.

    This is really where Endless Space excels: the interface, I repeat myself I know, is well made that you could have 100 systems and 100 fleets, and even if you are overwhelmed of information, you can quickly figure out what to do, and, most importantly, you do it quickly and easily.

    But make no mistake, this is NOT an easy game and requires you a very high degree of thinking.

    The game however falls TOO short in two aspects:

    1. combat is just awful. You can customize your ships very easily and create armies based on the strategy you want to follow and it's GREAT on that side. But once the battle starts, it's really a rock-paper-scissors that anyway has a few impact on battle... Pitty... It's better no doing anything, engaging the battle and see how it goes (like in Civilization). Anyway in Endless Space 2, combat system looks GREAT.

    2. this is the worse part: IMMERSION is ZERO!!! While Endless Legend provides a great immersion, one of the best I ever saw side by side with Dominions, Endless Space looks completely empty... You don't feel in ANY way connected to your empire. As Total Biscuit says, the game is well made it is fade... What do I mean: you pick up a Race, you play a certain strategy and all races are different enough and provide a different gameplay experience. The "Play" is different, yes, but the "Feel" is non existent... No images; no architecture whatsoever, ships barely different on Map (in battle you don't really care)...

    PLEASE ADD SOME FEELING!!    … Expand
  13. Muramas
    Oct 13, 2015
    5
    Good intentions but a bad game.

    The game looks pretty but certain UI elements work against itself with ships not being clickable at times or unresponsive. The AI is pretty aggressive and can do stuff that you cant such as move ships in your area but you can't do the same (no notice of war prior to move) and high levels of micromanagement that doesn't give much feedback than the popup    Good intentions but a bad game.

    The game looks pretty but certain UI elements work against itself with ships not being clickable at times or unresponsive. The AI is pretty aggressive and can do stuff that you cant such as move ships in your area but you can't do the same (no notice of war prior to move) and high levels of micromanagement that doesn't give much feedback than the popup notifications at end of turn.

    The Bad
    -Combat falls on its face with a interface that has good intentions but ends up being difficult to use, best fleet trumps all type of battle style.
    -Needing to go into each planet to change its custom setting, change planet type or remove negative traits.
    -When research or building is done and queue is empty the game will not do anything to notify you.
    -Moons are mostly useless
    -Influence is useless
    -Luxury Resources are a bit confusing
    -Mood (purple buildings) have such a huge impact on the production, either they are building slow or everyone is 100% happy. This needs more of a happy medium.

    The good:
    -Being able to remove negative planet traits was nifty idea.    … Expand
  14. Hecatone
    Sep 27, 2015
    9
    The game is a bit complex, but once you get past the learning curve, it's great. The AI is some of the best I have seen in any game... ever. You can play and win in any way you like and the artwork is amazing.
  15. TsukasaHiiragi
    Jul 27, 2015
    4
    Unfortunately ES isn't a very good 4x strategy game, playing it more only reveals all the major flaws of the game, however one major aspect of any 4x game is decently programmed AI, and that is something Endless Space doesn't have at all, since the AI is poorly programmed and starts with more or less infinite bonuses and the ability to do things the player can't - the outcome of the gameUnfortunately ES isn't a very good 4x strategy game, playing it more only reveals all the major flaws of the game, however one major aspect of any 4x game is decently programmed AI, and that is something Endless Space doesn't have at all, since the AI is poorly programmed and starts with more or less infinite bonuses and the ability to do things the player can't - the outcome of the game almost always leans in favor of the A.I winning no matter the difficulty setting, unless the player has enough experience to know all the aspects of the game, knows the skill tree and how to get important research done first and of course, the player gets an almost legendary start.

    Even on the easiest of difficulty settings, the A.I can still easily beat a skilled human player because of the boosted AI stats. Not to mention, throwing almost endless high powered fleets of ships if war is declared against the player and to add further insult, knowing almost intimate information about the players empire so it can attack your weakest points at any time, like many 4x games - basically the AI is programmed to cheat since thats the easiest way to program an AI to give a human player a challenge, even on the newbie difficulty A.I difficulty makes me want to face palm. I'd like to know how its possible for an A.I player with a couple of planets to have nearly double the score I have sometimes when I have nearly triple the star systems, wonders and a large fleet of ships?

    Some would say its a "Smart A.I" but there is a difference between a proper smart A.I and one that has been programmed with cheap bonuses that more or less gives it a clear winning edge against the player. Also, I think the galaxy map isn't big enough, the so called "Huge" map feels quite small by comparison to other 4x space strategy games with maybe less than a 100 star systems without mods. Many of the good mods unfortunately break the game completely as they haven't been updated, these mods we're perhaps the saving grace of the game but now its more or less been abandoned.

    Like someone commented, this game seems to be better played co-op against A.I players. Single player just isn't worth your time, especially if your a 4x fan - ES seems to be more like a zerg rush than empire building, which weakens the gameplay considerably - so the title really should be changed to Endless Zerg or Endless Fleets.

    I think the premise of the game is fairly good, the graphics, sound - all that is fine. The problem really lies with the execution of the gameplay, thats where it falls down. I think a sequel that fixes all the major problems the original has would be a good contender for the top 4x space strategy title, but they need to fix a lot of problems and make sure they don't make the same mistakes.

    4x space strategy is about expansion, empire building - in a nutshell turtling out your empire, building fleets - defending choke points - exploring the galaxy. ES does this, but in such a way it all takes the back burner, the galaxy without 'working' mods is way too small - The AI cheats too much to make the game fun or interesting, so a sequel needs better programmed AI without infinite bonuses or other stupid stuff.

    Overall, 4/10
    Endless Space isn't 'terrible' per say, but AI does heavily let the game down. GalCiv remains the king of 4x space strategy games. I'm glad I got this from the Humble Bundle sale, I would never pay full price for this. I would like to see a sequel to see if they can improve the game.    … Expand
  16. Valaridan
    Jul 26, 2015
    10
    This is not master of orion you people shove that opinion this game has its own features and differs a lot from master of orion,whining its more like master of onion keep crying for nothing
  17. rd1349
    Jun 26, 2015
    8
    I understand that this game is old already by the time I am reviewing it but with the recent Civilization starships and Beyond Earth being a rather unsavory experiences I wanted to write a review for a game that did all the same things with one exception. It did them right.

    First things first this game plays as if someone ported the civilization series to space and gave them a rather    I understand that this game is old already by the time I am reviewing it but with the recent Civilization starships and Beyond Earth being a rather unsavory experiences I wanted to write a review for a game that did all the same things with one exception. It did them right.

    First things first this game plays as if someone ported the civilization series to space and gave them a rather good backstory. You build, you buy, you coerce and then you destroy, the typical 4X game in a nutshell. Where it differs from the civ games though is in it's lack of a hex system and it's surprisingly asymmetrical play.

    Each of the games factions has a series of traits good and bad aswell as an overarching main faction trait.
    These traits drastically alter each faction style of play with one having to rush the game before it collapses on its own economy and another trying to outlast the rest of the factions by stripping planets of resources and making them undisireable and eventually even stupid to invade.
    These assemetric factions all mesh very nicely into eachother and make for an interesting game that is quite fun to learn. The game much like it's spinoff endless legend (which is also pretty good) lets you create custom factions with all the bonuses and tradeoffs you like.

    The graphics are nothing spectacular but have aged quite well all things considered. The combat while more complex than in Civ games is still rather simple. There's your fleets, their fleets, and a whole lot of explosions and space opera in the fully animated battles.

    The problem with this game is acctually is simplicity. In high level play you'll notice that there are only a few strategies that work well. leaving the late game experience a little dry and stale.

    Final verdict: 7.5 out of 10 (rounded up to 8 (blame metacritic))
    Dispite my greivences with the games lategame it holds up brilliantly until then with the first half probably getting a higher rating then the final verdict. It's a very nice game that manages to induce that one more turn symdrone. It holds up even today and I think that anyone who is a hardcore fan of 4X should try and pick it up since by now it's pretty cheap.    … Expand
  18. Greywolf2001ca
    Apr 17, 2015
    9
    This is what Master of Orion 3 should have looked like. Luckily, even though we had to wait a long time, someone somewhere decided to make that MOO3 possible... minus the name.
    Everything is good in the game, especially in the patched base game. Its expansion changes stuff and it's not pleasant changes for everyone. I really liked the base game, the expansion, meh, I don't know...
    To    This is what Master of Orion 3 should have looked like. Luckily, even though we had to wait a long time, someone somewhere decided to make that MOO3 possible... minus the name.
    Everything is good in the game, especially in the patched base game. Its expansion changes stuff and it's not pleasant changes for everyone. I really liked the base game, the expansion, meh, I don't know...

    To buy for all Master of Orion true fans (not the fans of MOO3).    … Expand
  19. NathanAllen
    Mar 13, 2015
    5
    It's not terrible, it's not good. That basically sums it up. Three years later and some basic features still not implemented . Influence is just there so you can waste research points until you figure out there's no real need for it. No real espionage. There are still typos in some descriptions and the tutorial. Just doesn't seem like a fleshed out 4X. It's enjoyable only because IIt's not terrible, it's not good. That basically sums it up. Three years later and some basic features still not implemented . Influence is just there so you can waste research points until you figure out there's no real need for it. No real espionage. There are still typos in some descriptions and the tutorial. Just doesn't seem like a fleshed out 4X. It's enjoyable only because I got it cheap.… Expand
  20. zombiechan
    Feb 11, 2015
    7
    I find it to be a good turn based space strategy game. Though I couldn't get most of my friends to pick it up, I did enjoy playing against the AI.

    The combat mechanics are interesting, but can't say I'm a huge fan of it. I wish this game had the same combat as Endless Legends.
  21. Vorpal_SF
    Dec 29, 2014
    7
    I had high hopes for Endless Space, since the space-based 4X genre is my favorite. The game ended up leaving me a bit disappointed. It's good, I guess, but really feels limited. It marries a well-executed strategic empire management game to a paper-thin tactical space combat engine. To be honest, the space combat seems like an idea that just didn't succeed, so the developers threw in theI had high hopes for Endless Space, since the space-based 4X genre is my favorite. The game ended up leaving me a bit disappointed. It's good, I guess, but really feels limited. It marries a well-executed strategic empire management game to a paper-thin tactical space combat engine. To be honest, the space combat seems like an idea that just didn't succeed, so the developers threw in the visuals because they'd already done the work. If this was the space combat they envisioned from the start, I really wonder why they bothered. The "manual" combat mode leaves you basically as an observer with almost no control over the battle once it's begun (other than ordering a retreat that, due to the mechanics of the game, would almost certainly come too late to be useful). The combat mechanics are disappointing as well. While you get to design your ships (a must for any game in this genre, IMO) the design choices are really only reflected in the power ratings for your ships, So, all your research basically just increases the numbers a ship has, but not its play style or tactics. The tactics themselves are basically a set of rock-scissors-paper decisions (beam-projectile-missile and long-medium-short range). They only play into the game pre-battle, when you pick tactics. So, the tactical combat basically just ends up being empires throwind ever-larger stacks of ships against each other to compare numbers and have one side win.

    The strategic game is better, but except for the setting (a universe in which a powerful elder race came before you and left ruined wonders) it's basically like every other space game. The developers seemed to want to create variety through many different playable races, but they all basically play the same, so it doesn't work.

    All in all, it scratched my sci-fi 4X itch for a while, though not particularly satisfyingly. The 7 I'm giving it is pretty soft, but I did play through several times on escalating difficulty levels, hoping for more depth and challenge (I never found it). It treads the same path as Master of Orion, though not quite as well. For my money, if you want a space-based 4X game, the gold standard is the indie series "Space Empires". SE is not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, but it's the best combination of a strong strategic game with a functional tactical one.    … Expand
  22. Taram
    Dec 20, 2014
    4
    While the game seems well laid out the tutorial is downright awful and the game is not intuitive at all unless you're a 4x veteran. Unfortunately the 4x Genre seems to be hell bent on making games as complicated as possible.

    What I wouldn't give for a "Civilization" in space game that has simple controls and easy to understand tutorials.
  23. snowbert87
    Dec 12, 2014
    7
    Endless Space is a capable turn based strategy and civilization game that suffers from late game boredom. Every time I come back to this game and get started I'm excited about my racial features and exploration. mapping the galaxy, forming new colonies and growing in the different development trees is fun. The game boasts enough complexity to make my choices matter, without being soEndless Space is a capable turn based strategy and civilization game that suffers from late game boredom. Every time I come back to this game and get started I'm excited about my racial features and exploration. mapping the galaxy, forming new colonies and growing in the different development trees is fun. The game boasts enough complexity to make my choices matter, without being so confusing that I spend all my time looking stuff up on forums and wikis.

    The goal of the game is to achieve victory through, economic, exploration, population, diplomatic, militaristic or natural wonder conditions. Different species are more suited to different victory conditions and have strengths and drawbacks that give depth and meaning to my choices. These victories all center on reaching new star systems and colonizing planets. Each planet based on it's planet type and what each player constructs on it will support the empire differently. There are about 10 types of planets and some planets have positive or negative attributes associated with them. For instance a planet might have acid rain which decreases food production or it might be mineral rich increasing money generated from factories on the planet. I have also been excited to find some rare specific planets that have wonders on them like a giant living tree or a polar workshop. These special planets are rare and most galaxy's (game boards) only have 1 of each type. The exploration and colonization of galaxies is definitely the game's, strongest and for me, most enjoyable aspect.

    Endless Space looks pretty good however the graphics are primarily a 2D game board with ships moving like pieces on it. The star system and planet UI is straight forward and accessible to use. The ship battle cut scenes are out of place. they felt unnecessary and too drawn out for my taste. In ship to ship combat you can pre-select orders for each of the 3 battle phases and then see the results which skips the cut-scenes. It was rare that my choices during ship battles felt very meaningful. I either had a lone colonization or explorer ship that I immediately retreated with, or I had a bunch of warships that defeated whatever they came across. Perhaps I didn't draw enough militaristic enemies in my different play-throughs of the game, but other ships never changed how I played my games.

    My biggest concern with the game is that one victory condition seems to be more easily attainable than all the others. The economic victory is a simple matter of achieving X gold based on how big the galaxy is and how many players there are. Other victories force players to endure the long task of completing entire discovery trees, or the slow monotonous over taking of the galaxy which requires tens of turns per star system to do. The diplomatic, scientific, wonder and expansion victories are all much harder to complete than the economic or supremacy victory.

    Endless Space did allow me to tailor each game to only allow for certain types of victories to actually count. In fact I can customize almost every part of the game before it starts. There was a little piece of me that really didn't want to change how victory came because I felt like it was a way of turning the difficulty down. I won't say that this issue ruined the game for me, but ti took me a while to get over and is why I think this game is more of a 7 and less of a 9.    … Expand
  24. bloodyshan
    Oct 17, 2014
    8
    A beautiful and well-designed 4x game with lots of narrating background, you got excited at the beginning with exploration in space and establishing of your early colonies, it's not difficult to learn yet it's deep enough for one to keep experimenting, with various type of victories you can try to manage your space kingdom with different strategies on different factions.
    The end game of    A beautiful and well-designed 4x game with lots of narrating background, you got excited at the beginning with exploration in space and establishing of your early colonies, it's not difficult to learn yet it's deep enough for one to keep experimenting, with various type of victories you can try to manage your space kingdom with different strategies on different factions.
    The end game of this game is a bit easy once you beat an AI or two, but it requires careful management to get yourself to that point, the combat system is over-simplified but the graphic still draws mine attention, recommend for every space theme lover and 4X game fan.    … Expand
  25. Vas
    Jun 30, 2014
    3
    This is even more disappointing than StarDrive. The reason? Because this actually had a lot more potential and looked a lot better and the videos were great.

    The videos draw you in, show a lot of exciting combat. You know what happens when you play? Tedius research planning. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. Build one thing. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End    This is even more disappointing than StarDrive. The reason? Because this actually had a lot more potential and looked a lot better and the videos were great.

    The videos draw you in, show a lot of exciting combat. You know what happens when you play?
    Tedius research planning. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. Build one thing. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. End turn. Build one more thing. End turn. (x10).

    Yep. You basically just end turn, a lot. The tutorial is terrible. It's a picture with text (Ok, an advanced picture with text). I lost my fleet because the tutorial came up and stopped me from clicking anything, I lost before I could finish reading the large volume of text information, and it canceled it's self so I couldn't finish learning battles. I tried a manual battle, it sucked. Auto is the way to go. Which kinda sucks too. There are only 3 ship classes you can use, this is after I researched 60% of the military research and 40% of everything else. It's a really long boring RTS with great graphics with misleading videos to get you to buy it.    … Expand
  26. thehumangerm
    May 26, 2014
    8
    Pros: Newcomer friendly given it's simple controls. It is not a space sim but a pure strategy game with a space backdrop. The real challenge lies in multiplayer but prepare for a long... game. Expect 1-6 hours per match depending on settings and map size. Move timers are a must. You are going to want to create a custom faction to be successful out of single player.

    Cons: Due to the    Pros: Newcomer friendly given it's simple controls. It is not a space sim but a pure strategy game with a space backdrop. The real challenge lies in multiplayer but prepare for a long... game. Expect 1-6 hours per match depending on settings and map size. Move timers are a must. You are going to want to create a custom faction to be successful out of single player.

    Cons: Due to the match length many multi player matches sadly end in teammates abandoning the game but on an up note they can return and others can take their place.    … Expand
  27. Flatroy
    May 19, 2014
    9
    This game like Civilization 4 in space. Beautiful graphic, good game play; at first glance difficult, but not really, with the constructor of ships, and with lots of technologies and capabilities to win...
  28. skocan
    May 2, 2014
    10
    All whats wrong with Civilization is fixed here! You really have to think what to build next, some improvements can have even negative effects if you build them in poor star system. You create your own ships! Combat is better than in any civilization game, but there could be at least pause option. It has some of these frustrating things, but what doesnt. AI just so much better than lastAll whats wrong with Civilization is fixed here! You really have to think what to build next, some improvements can have even negative effects if you build them in poor star system. You create your own ships! Combat is better than in any civilization game, but there could be at least pause option. It has some of these frustrating things, but what doesnt. AI just so much better than last civilization. Overall no idea why this game is under 8 here.… Expand
  29. timujin
    Mar 10, 2014
    7
    Bottom Line:
    if you are looking for a game that has a beautiful package you will enjoy this title.
    if you are looking for a game with depth / challenge this one is not for you. p.s. there is the multiplayer option i hadn't played Pros: -Graphics -Plenty of options to randomize the generated universe or your race -Replay-ability -GUI is fluent and of great design Cons    Bottom Line:
    if you are looking for a game that has a beautiful package you will enjoy this title.
    if you are looking for a game with depth / challenge this one is not for you.

    p.s. there is the multiplayer option i hadn't played

    Pros:

    -Graphics
    -Plenty of options to randomize the generated universe or your race
    -Replay-ability
    -GUI is fluent and of great design

    Cons
    -Unsatisfying combat
    -After 10 hours of game-play the O.S.T might annoy you.
    -Poor AI
    -Poor Balance, some tactics / weapons etc.. much more powerful / useful then others
    -You will not feel much room for decisions. some times you will find yourself just clicking end turn button until you win.

    On normal difficulty level, i won several times just by building the right building according to the planet / system researching the cheapest tech each time and attacking the weakest AI neighbour. Basically the AI is so bad, and there is so little strategic depth to this game that by following several rules of a thumb a cat can beat the AI.

    On higher difficulty level, AI gets bonuses, to overcame them you will need to look for the OP weapons / techs / race bonuses to win. Meaning your choice of tactics narrows to 20% of the OP things out of all what the game has to offer.    … Expand
  30. JoceDoIt
    Jan 29, 2014
    4
    Seems great first but after few games, realise that there is lack of making choices than building ships. Graphics and sounds poor. Need to follow straight lines between the stars that are connected together. Worst, the battles are controlled by the IA, you choose 1 special move by round (3 by attack) and you watch the battle without doing anything? So, you hope that your ships build isSeems great first but after few games, realise that there is lack of making choices than building ships. Graphics and sounds poor. Need to follow straight lines between the stars that are connected together. Worst, the battles are controlled by the IA, you choose 1 special move by round (3 by attack) and you watch the battle without doing anything? So, you hope that your ships build is better than the other and cross your finger.

    Go get "Star Lords" : In Alpha for now but really better than this game.

    JoceDoIt    … Expand
  31. Fyrestorm3
    Dec 31, 2013
    5
    It's not a bad game, per se, but the learning curve is astronomical (pun intended). There's also a distinct lack of in-game information; the tutorials do a good job of explaining what all the buttons do, but leave out so many crucial pieces of information that you'll constantly find yourself Googling what should be basic questions about the game. It would have been nice to know that theIt's not a bad game, per se, but the learning curve is astronomical (pun intended). There's also a distinct lack of in-game information; the tutorials do a good job of explaining what all the buttons do, but leave out so many crucial pieces of information that you'll constantly find yourself Googling what should be basic questions about the game. It would have been nice to know that the "wavy" planetary connections are wormholes, and require advanced technology to navigate, or that ships only repair themselves when in combat or in friendly territory.

    The in-game notifications and tooltips don't help much, either. It's so hard to determine exactly what you'll unlock when choosing what new technologies to research; the tech tree explains what things are just fine, but it has serious trouble telling you what they do. This extends to all facets of the game. Nothing seems intuitive; instead, it all seems designed for someone already familiar with the gameplay. This is a major problem, because the game has so much to do, and so much to understand, that new players absolutely need their hands held during their first few games. It's primarily for this reason that I found myself absolutely unable to get into the game.

    There's some minor gameplay issues as well (the combat is fairly unimaginative), but overall, it plays fine... if you know what you're doing. Exploring the galaxy is plenty of fun, but be prepared for some serious trial-and-error and many moments that will leave you scratching your head and/or Googling for an answer. If you're looking for this kind of strategy game, I'd recommend Civilization V instead.    … Expand
  32. evild4ve
    Dec 27, 2013
    3
    Endless Space has all the problems normally associated with 4x strategy games, but few of the fun parts. The tech-tree is large, convoluted, and the discoveries don't correspond at all with the effect on gameplay. Want to colonize a lava planet? That requires graviton thingummy-jiggies on tech tree #4. Research can't be queued. Diplomacy against the AI either includes no optionsEndless Space has all the problems normally associated with 4x strategy games, but few of the fun parts. The tech-tree is large, convoluted, and the discoveries don't correspond at all with the effect on gameplay. Want to colonize a lava planet? That requires graviton thingummy-jiggies on tech tree #4. Research can't be queued. Diplomacy against the AI either includes no options whatsoever, or they get switched on by some obscure discovery.

    Balance is everything with these games, and when each system takes 150-200 turns to conquer and the tech tree is a complicated limiting factor, even on Easy difficulty (which is boring) it's very possible to build your empire "wrongly" and reach a stage where you can't make further progress against AI opponents who only have 3 stars but chose the "right" kinetic weapons oojahmahflip from tech tree #2 50 turns previously.

    Combat is always between two fleets of up to 12 "command points" (1=gunship, 2=cruiser, 4=battleship). In practice, most battles are between maxed-out fleets and victory is determined by tech. Tactics and ship customisation will not change the outcome against an opponent with an extra point in beam weapons. A fleet with an extra point in beam weapons and an extra point in deflector shields will chew up an infinite number of weaker fleets suffering virtually no attrition in the process (due to insta-repair during the opponent's turn). This means the economic weight of a galactic empire during the end-game isn't an advantage, making the end-game take even longer. They have actually found a way to make the 4x formula's classic problems even worse.

    The ship customisation is so limited that they might as well have kept it to templates. Choose from little, medium or big and lasers, machine guns and missiles. There are also carriers, but this is a bad use of "command points", and also ground bombardment and ground invasion options. Ground invasion could have been quite an interesting idea, but there are no significant fixed defences to bombard, and no garrisons to attack. Sieges take 20-30 turns, or you can send in a single unit of infantry for instant conquest.

    Sins of a Solar Empire also came out recently as an easier-on-the-eye, slightly "liter" 4x strategy game, and it's much better at the things listed above with few if any drawbacks. The one thing Endless Space does get right by comparison is that its map consists of stars and their orbiting planets, rather than the peculiar free-floating planets of SoaSE. Upgrading planets in Endless Space makes as little sense as the tech tree, but it does at least give the impression of there being a solar system whose local planets co-operate with each other to build stuff. Planets can be: barren, arid, desert, tundra, terran, jungle, asteroid belt, lava, arctic, gas giant (hydrogen, methane or helium), and they can be tiny, small, medium or huge. The differences aren't as noticeable as they should be so long as you choose advanced intergalactic bobbins on tech tree #3 (left branch), they are all equally easy to settle and look after.

    The graphics and artwork are mediocre. Planets of the same type look the same as each other, each faction only has six ship graphics and I defy anyone to actually tell them apart either at the strategic scale or in the close-up battle sequences. The auto-resolve battles (with added rock/paper/scissors) aren't as annoying as others have made out I had been watching them to try and better understand the combat mechanics. The problem is that you can tell who is going to win by adding up the tech levels of each gun in their fleets. Graphically, they impressed me less than Gratuitous Space Battles, as well as tactically.

    I got this on Steam for a single-digit sum of money and was bored within 8 hours. Get a fan-mod of Empire of the Fading Suns, or even a copy of Supremacy (1990) instead for "4x lite" done well. Don't get this.    … Expand
  33. vence
    Dec 23, 2013
    6
    Boring game, you are supposed to lead your civilization into the galactic age searching for some ancient race or something but everything is so abstract you just don't care anymore after a few turn and you just keep playing like a zombie, even fighting use a paper-rock-scissor system to resolve battles and you can not witness your mighty battle steeds clashing in glorious battle
  34. Warlord8
    Dec 23, 2013
    8
    This is a good strategy game. Difficult, that makes you think more on what to do and wait to wage war...if it's not needed. You can't focus on one single war tech, you have to adapt and develop. I like it
  35. iThirst
    Dec 13, 2013
    10
    Do you like composing your own unique race, building vast empires, playing the complex game of politics, and waging war with obscenely customizable fleets of ships? I know I do, and Endless Space pushes all those buttons just right.

    There are so many options that the game can seem intimidating at first, but the UI is incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate while the game comes in    Do you like composing your own unique race, building vast empires, playing the complex game of politics, and waging war with obscenely customizable fleets of ships? I know I do, and Endless Space pushes all those buttons just right.

    There are so many options that the game can seem intimidating at first, but the UI is incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate while the game comes in varied difficulty from granny mode to juggernaut levels of play. You're not going to understand the whole game at a glance, so if you're looking for something no more mentally challenging than an FPS, this is not the game for you. However, once you do grasp it, it provides you with the tools to play the game in new and creative ways every single time.

    Since its original creation this game has been updated and expanded(mostly free of charge) into something far superior to the original product. Critics rightly pointed out the flawed combat, semi-bland universe, and wildly unbalanced starting situations in multiplayer. However, every single one of these problems has been thoroughly handled by the devs at Amplitude. The universe is still not top of the line in terms of interesting story-telling, but the combat has been fleshed out to an absurd level and the unfair luck of the early game has been almost entirely eliminated.

    In short, if you like 4X strategy games, get this one. It's currently the most solid one on the market due to the horribly botched coding of Civ 5. If you don't like them, don't bother, this game is 4X to the core with nothing particularly unusual to offer a player who doesn't care for the genre.    … Expand
  36. Raybit
    Dec 4, 2013
    8
    The game begin with random and you may really need to reload to obtain a couple of lucky planets which can provide a decent resources since AI seems never lack of resource.

    The real strategy part begin in the mid game, well, the battle system is simplified by playing cards, but enemy AI is quite smart at the hardest level I mean it responded to player's ship weapon&armor very soon:    The game begin with random and you may really need to reload to obtain a couple of lucky planets which can provide a decent resources since AI seems never lack of resource.

    The real strategy part begin in the mid game, well, the battle system is simplified by playing cards, but enemy AI is quite smart at the hardest level I mean it responded to player's ship weapon&armor very soon: almost each time you beat them, they will convert their ship's weapon&armor into the kind can restrain yours in a few turns. So, the earlier fight is not gonna be easy since you won't have enough resource/tech to upgrade or convert your weapons. Thus you'd better try your best to defeat enemies with your new weapons at their planets before encountering them at your base, and by this means they won't have reacting time to adjust. And this situation will only get changed after you take down your first close opponent since after that you can grab more resource from new planets and your ships and heroes also become experienced a lot whereas enemy just rebuild ships and recruit new heroes.

    And then the late game become a bit boring because opponents may fight each other and not just against you, and their advanced ship and weapons are not lead by a high level hero, which cause them to lose bounus -like 50% atk/def power.

    -----
    I tried several times at the hell level of "-195" but all failed, since whatever how many times you use S/L and other bug or trick,this largely weakened ship or resource setting won't give you the chance to take your most close(or weakest) opponent down while other opponent will do that before you can, and then the whole game lose the balance. It seems someone succeed in that by using very specified race, map and other setting- but I don't think that method contains any of strategy.    … Expand
  37. Saw7473
    Dec 3, 2013
    8
    This game is fun but sadly i have no friends to play it with and that's a bit of game breaker for me. Once I had the slightest idea what to do it became very fun and i do like a lot of things about it, the only thing i cant stand and the only reason it didn't get 9 stars is the expansion penalty. Even if your playing as a class that is the most likely to win you get a penitently forThis game is fun but sadly i have no friends to play it with and that's a bit of game breaker for me. Once I had the slightest idea what to do it became very fun and i do like a lot of things about it, the only thing i cant stand and the only reason it didn't get 9 stars is the expansion penalty. Even if your playing as a class that is the most likely to win you get a penitently for expanding, even the mostly robotic faction with basically no emoticons (according to the description) or anyway of disapproving expansion still has this. Once i dealt with that there are only some minor things that bug me like when your planets go into rebellion but that's usually my fault :D Over all i would still recommend it because it is very fun.… Expand
  38. keefbaker
    Nov 4, 2013
    8
    Very good 4x space game with pleasing visuals and a really crazily wide technology tree. It plays somewhat like a cross between master of orion 2, fragile allegiance and galactic civilizations 2.
  39. Rotar_Rocket
    Oct 17, 2013
    0
    Poor turn-based game that has a military focus. A hack copy of Master of Orion without any fun.

    This is another example of Steam taking peoples money for complete crap.
  40. dajarvi
    Oct 17, 2013
    10
    Simply put, Endless Space is the most recent turn-based 4x space strategy game available on the market that is worth a 10 score. Not as much as a "Total War" kind of game, as the battles are less focused on, Endless Space requires attention to empire management and cultural development, as well as beefing up your battleships for war.

    I was surprised to see a Metacritic score of 7.3,    Simply put, Endless Space is the most recent turn-based 4x space strategy game available on the market that is worth a 10 score. Not as much as a "Total War" kind of game, as the battles are less focused on, Endless Space requires attention to empire management and cultural development, as well as beefing up your battleships for war.

    I was surprised to see a Metacritic score of 7.3, and was compelled to bolster its points. The game is great. Anyone who enjoys turn-based strategy will find enjoyment in this game. My only major criticism is the lack of "movie-like" detail in the battle sequences. I hope the develops make a sequel that truly reels in the feel of outer-space in battle and Empire building through visuals.    … Expand
  41. Zekraviax
    Aug 24, 2013
    8
    Such a huge game. There is a lot to take in when you play, and it can be a little off-putting if you are new. But if you persevere, you'll discover a simply amazing game. Each game is not entirely the same, but not entirely different. There is a lot of patience needed to play this game, clicking "End Turn" repeatedly while waiting for something to be finished isn't most people's idea of aSuch a huge game. There is a lot to take in when you play, and it can be a little off-putting if you are new. But if you persevere, you'll discover a simply amazing game. Each game is not entirely the same, but not entirely different. There is a lot of patience needed to play this game, clicking "End Turn" repeatedly while waiting for something to be finished isn't most people's idea of a good time. And space combat is fairly limited. You pick three tactics for the three phases of the battle. But the battles themselves look simply amazing; no tiny little units stabbing each other here. Full on cinematic battles are just the icing on this sci-fi cake. There's a large amount of strategy behind the beautiful grahpics, and I would heartily recommend it to any turn-based strategy fan.… Expand
  42. KingMob4313
    Aug 23, 2013
    7
    Possibly the best successor to Master of Orion 2, even better than Galactic Civilization 1.

    ...If it didn't completely fall apart in the last half of the game. The game is very easy to master and best even on the highest difficulties. The game is in serious need of balancing (Favors expansion far too much) and the tech tree provides too little bang for your buck. Still, if you're    Possibly the best successor to Master of Orion 2, even better than Galactic Civilization 1.

    ...If it didn't completely fall apart in the last half of the game. The game is very easy to master and best even on the highest difficulties. The game is in serious need of balancing (Favors expansion far too much) and the tech tree provides too little bang for your buck.

    Still, if you're looking for your x4 fix and you've completely exhausted MOO2 and you find the humor makes Galactic Civ 1 feel too lightweight for you, this might be your game.    … Expand
  43. Wizzsama
    Jul 30, 2013
    8
    Endless space definetly is a good game. I like to spend some hours in it. But there is few things that I don't like. And all of them based around fighting.
    1. I don't even bother myself again with another 4x with "rocket/laser/cannon" cliche. Really, I don't find it fun to always rebuild my fleet to fighting with rebuilded enemies. And AI do this faster and better.
    2. I prefer MoO2 or    Endless space definetly is a good game. I like to spend some hours in it. But there is few things that I don't like. And all of them based around fighting.
    1. I don't even bother myself again with another 4x with "rocket/laser/cannon" cliche. Really, I don't find it fun to always rebuild my fleet to fighting with rebuilded enemies. And AI do this faster and better.
    2. I prefer MoO2 or even MoO3 combat. 3-turns collisions sometimes makes me feel slight frustration.
    3. Conquering systems just *censored*.

    But it still ggod game about building space empire with funny features.    … Expand
  44. Osmium
    Jul 29, 2013
    4
    As much as I want myself to actually like this game, I just cannot really get myself to give it another go. Being a big fan of space strategy (or 4x) games and having played for around 30 hours, I find the game mediocre at best. The start is extremely slow and tedious. The starting position in this strategy game and the first hour of gameplay basically defines if you will have a chance toAs much as I want myself to actually like this game, I just cannot really get myself to give it another go. Being a big fan of space strategy (or 4x) games and having played for around 30 hours, I find the game mediocre at best. The start is extremely slow and tedious. The starting position in this strategy game and the first hour of gameplay basically defines if you will have a chance to prosper or fail miserably. Also, I found yourself confronted with an AI that clearly cheats so hard in this game (starting from "normal" difficulty, everything below is pointlessly easy) it makes you feel absolutely incompetent. Fighting and invading usually comes down to who has the bigger fleet, which in turn comes down to who has the bigger empire. The slow pace, the weird balance due to AI cheating, the boring combat system, and the somehow lifeless and uninspired presentation made this game a disappointment to me.… Expand
  45. greywolf00
    Jul 28, 2013
    8
    Best space 4X game I've played since GalCiv 2. My only major complaint is the AI, it's terrible. Even on normal difficulty the AI gets artificial boosts to make them "competitive" with the player. The combat system is different, basically rock paper scissors. Everything counters 1 other card (resulting in a boost), and is countered by one. I was pleasantly surprised to see the AI seems toBest space 4X game I've played since GalCiv 2. My only major complaint is the AI, it's terrible. Even on normal difficulty the AI gets artificial boosts to make them "competitive" with the player. The combat system is different, basically rock paper scissors. Everything counters 1 other card (resulting in a boost), and is countered by one. I was pleasantly surprised to see the AI seems to learn from the system and adapts its strat around your habits.… Expand
  46. Ian277
    Jul 23, 2013
    8
    The diplomacy is probably the most well refined in a Turn based strategy game i have played, surpassing civ V. there are really only a few things i want improved, and none of them are in gameplay. They need to add different art to planets (there is little to no variation). and to be honest the biggest reason i love the game is being amazed by the beautiful planets. the fact that there isThe diplomacy is probably the most well refined in a Turn based strategy game i have played, surpassing civ V. there are really only a few things i want improved, and none of them are in gameplay. They need to add different art to planets (there is little to no variation). and to be honest the biggest reason i love the game is being amazed by the beautiful planets. the fact that there is so little variation sucks. also the map art when you zoom out for a specific map type is the same every time, they need to add variation to that too. i really like the soundtrack (it makes me space out and fall into a gaming coma). really all i want is more aesthetics and art variation. I'm not sure if they are going to patch it. but there being so little planet variety is actually sort of a big issue. other than that, it is good. it isn't worth 30$ in my opinion get it when it is on sale. I think it is a game you could get a good 50 to 100 hours in before it gets redundant.… Expand
  47. billybobdiddly
    Jul 19, 2013
    7
    Started off with a lot of potential. Felt a lot like a space-based Civ V, in a good way. I liked it. I was just getting into it when the battles started. That's when it began to unravel for me. The battle system for individual battles is OK, I get how it's supposed to work. But there isn't a way to defend your territory. Enemy ships get to blow by my fleet like it's not even there. So, IStarted off with a lot of potential. Felt a lot like a space-based Civ V, in a good way. I liked it. I was just getting into it when the battles started. That's when it began to unravel for me. The battle system for individual battles is OK, I get how it's supposed to work. But there isn't a way to defend your territory. Enemy ships get to blow by my fleet like it's not even there. So, I have to cover every one of my planets with large fleets to defend them, meanwhile endlessly chasing the enemy around? Lost me at that point.… Expand
  48. Cailore
    Jul 17, 2013
    5
    It is a pretty game, until it crashes, and it will.

    The "strategy" is next to non-existent as you try to out spread AI players in an endless slog of waiting after pushing the "end turn" button.

    So very much wasted potential, doesn't live up to the Master of Orion comparison.
  49. Bobchillingwort
    Jun 29, 2013
    4
    Purchased the game on Steam sale recently after hearing a lot of hype. Endless Space looks pretty- the graphics a good for an indie title, and the menus have a pleasingly clear aesthetic. Unfortunately this title fails in some fairly basic areas of the 4X genre.

    First of all, the game does a poor job of explaining game mechanics to you, optional tutorial notwithstanding. It is    Purchased the game on Steam sale recently after hearing a lot of hype. Endless Space looks pretty- the graphics a good for an indie title, and the menus have a pleasingly clear aesthetic. Unfortunately this title fails in some fairly basic areas of the 4X genre.

    First of all, the game does a poor job of explaining game mechanics to you, optional tutorial notwithstanding. It is difficult to tell how much food you need to a planet to add a new population point, or when your borders will expand (and by how much), or even how missile weapons actually work (the game's description is misleading). There is no in-game 'Pedia, but rather a link to the fan-made Wikia, which is out-of-date on some topics and useless on others.

    Second, the combat system is awful. As many people have commented here, a lot of it comes down to guessing the correct cards to counter the AI and loading your fleets with energy weapons and heroes. There is some strategy in the form of ship load-outs, but even that basically boils down to "lots of lasers & some defensive modules". Invading planets is a hideously boring affair, where you camp above AI worlds for potentially dozens of turns (and at least four), fending off the disposable fleets the computer pulls from its ass. Far too much is automated, leaving the player with little to actually control. Apparently the new expansion pack (from a different studio) resolves some of these issues, but I am not particularly inclined to invest 10 more bucks to make the combat system enjoyable.

    Finally and most egregiously, there just isn't a whole lot to do in the game. Even on a large map you'll expand to a half-dozen or so systems and then find your only options are to sit around teching for eternity or build up enormous fleets to take on an AI which hates to make peace, gradually wiping out one faction after another. If battles were more enjoyable to fight you might want to go after other empires for the sake of combat, but it's a mostly joyless affair. There's nothing much to explore once you've colonized your core systems and met your neighbors. Really, it ought to be called "Empty Space".    … Expand
  50. dam1730
    Jun 5, 2013
    3
    Endless Space is one of those games that I think where you are going to love it or hate it. There are a lot of problems that I have with this game. First of all, the attempt to mix real time strategy with turn based strategy was a failure with having all players take their turns at the same time. This mechanic makes pursuing enemies extremely frustrating as you will attempt to move toEndless Space is one of those games that I think where you are going to love it or hate it. There are a lot of problems that I have with this game. First of all, the attempt to mix real time strategy with turn based strategy was a failure with having all players take their turns at the same time. This mechanic makes pursuing enemies extremely frustrating as you will attempt to move to there position and they will simply move toward you somehow going through your fleet. Secondly, there is an amazing lack of depth to this game. The different races really lack personality. The whole game really lacks personality. The launch price for this game was $30, however I believe this game looks like a $5 to $10 game based on the graphics quality and the attention to detail. The combat mechanic on this game really seals the deal for this being a below average game. The settlement elements, technology research, empire management, and and fleet construction are all poor, but that could have been made up for if the combat mechanics were interesting, challenging, and exciting, unfortunately this isn't the case. The whole system is basically a luck of the draw system. You pick a card and if it matches up well against the card the AI chose, your fleet will do well in battle, if it doesn't match up well, then you don't do well. There really isn't any strategy of any kind to the combat.… Expand
  51. DonnGwuan
    May 23, 2013
    2
    Looks great and i'm sure i'd have a lot of fun, if it wouldn't freeze up.
    Which is a problem for many and has been for a reasonably long and extended time.
    A 2 for appearance.
  52. MayhemMike83
    May 7, 2013
    9
    It is a good game to get into the 4x genre. It has nice artwork, streamlined gui and got lots of free dlcs.
    It isn't as complex as SOTS2 or similar games but that's not always a bad thing isn't it ^^
  53. nitehawk
    May 2, 2013
    8
    While Endless Space is a very very good game, the only flaws I see are the lackluster borderline-dull card based space combat; and the micromanagement level of large empires. In my opinion most 4x and turn based stragety games become tedious at endgame, this game falls into the same pit with limited automation abilities.

    Fantastic music, very clean and simple UI.
  54. NichG
    Apr 30, 2013
    8
    Endless Space is what Master of Orion 3 should have been. That said, its main problem may be that it can best be described in relation to other games, and not so much on its own. It has a sprawling tech tree, planetary systems to develop, space battles, alien empires, powerful commanders: basically the whole mess that we have learned to associate with the 4X genre and love it for. But IEndless Space is what Master of Orion 3 should have been. That said, its main problem may be that it can best be described in relation to other games, and not so much on its own. It has a sprawling tech tree, planetary systems to develop, space battles, alien empires, powerful commanders: basically the whole mess that we have learned to associate with the 4X genre and love it for. But I have a hard time pinpointing what it does that goes beyond this point. It feels like its searching for its own niche with the interesting idea of the sentient currency that is Dust, but this fluff isn't matched to game mechanics that explore it; if I called it Credits, the game wouldn't really be all that different. I really want to see Endless Space create its own mark on the genre, something unique to it. The good news is that the developers have been expanding it constantly since release, with four free expansions out so far (though so far these are more 'additional content' and less 'gameplay changing'). So hopefully this uniqueness is something it will achieve in the near future.… Expand
  55. Vasot
    Apr 30, 2013
    5
    AWFUL BATTLE SYSTEM THAT COMPLETELY RUINS A MAJOR PART OF THE GAME The battles are pre-render boring cutscenes and you have to use cards in battles. Why they made the battle system into something like Yu-Gi-Oh is beyond me. Tthe battles are a complete turn-off from my point of view As for the rest of the game (economy, colonization etc) fortunately it is better but everything you do inAWFUL BATTLE SYSTEM THAT COMPLETELY RUINS A MAJOR PART OF THE GAME The battles are pre-render boring cutscenes and you have to use cards in battles. Why they made the battle system into something like Yu-Gi-Oh is beyond me. Tthe battles are a complete turn-off from my point of view As for the rest of the game (economy, colonization etc) fortunately it is better but everything you do in the game feels like a chore somehow. After playing some hours i got bored with the game. Does not have the same kind of addiction like MOO2 had it becomes "stale" after playing some hours with it… Expand
  56. rtcreator
    Apr 27, 2013
    8
    This is a nice game, but the combat system is done via cards which are selected in which you choose the type of attack or defense you wish to use for that phase. This game is pretty easy to learn and the different levels of difficulty provided will ensure many hours of enjoyment whether playing against the AI or in the multiplayer mode against other human opponents. For myself, the gameThis is a nice game, but the combat system is done via cards which are selected in which you choose the type of attack or defense you wish to use for that phase. This game is pretty easy to learn and the different levels of difficulty provided will ensure many hours of enjoyment whether playing against the AI or in the multiplayer mode against other human opponents. For myself, the game has never crashed and I am glad to have bought this game as I consider it money well spent, but if you are more interested in having space battles with lone ships up to fleet size, then I suggest you try playing StarDrive. Both Endless Space and StarDrive are fantastic games and each offer a special type of space strategy gaming, which should be experienced.

    Enjoy    … Expand
  57. Kruos_95
    Apr 26, 2013
    10
    A good and very promising game!

    Lots of new original concepts and game mechanics. Very refreshing. Moreover the support of the dev is constant, the patch are quite regular with lots of new and free contents (free DLC).

    Endless Space is a diamond with golden future.
  58. Alphad115
    Mar 30, 2013
    9
    Extremely good looking game and very customisable and overall enjoyable, few minor grudges with the game like it's extremely slow passed as it is a turn-based game but I personally can live with that, Amazing game, graphics and thanks steam for letting me buy it for 12e. All the people who enjoy strategy and space I recommend it to you!
  59. Quellor
    Mar 18, 2013
    5
    I've purchased the game, based on some user reviews and the video content of game play. From what I see, it's a turn based game similar to Civilization 3. No graphic display of combat. I'm a bit disappointed and I feel a bit mislead by the video with regards to fleet combat. Combat is a bit like some card based game, use hero cards mixed with action cards and boom, win or lose after aI've purchased the game, based on some user reviews and the video content of game play. From what I see, it's a turn based game similar to Civilization 3. No graphic display of combat. I'm a bit disappointed and I feel a bit mislead by the video with regards to fleet combat. Combat is a bit like some card based game, use hero cards mixed with action cards and boom, win or lose after a click. Some of the game shows polish with art and concept, but there is no game beyond micro managing star systems and Pokimon style combat. I choose you Defence Frigate, use tactic 1 for +10% combat strength and use Captain card for a +15% bonus. Lets see, looks good, click and lose... Just glad it was on sale.… Expand
  60. KongMinZi
    Mar 6, 2013
    9
    I think this game is perfect choice who want to pursue realistic SF. For example, 'Sin Of Solar Empire' and 'Galactic Civilizations' are not realitstic SF 4X games but RTS that mix some 4X. This game is not warfare game. This is real 4X game and you need some skills of diplomacy and management. I hope that 'Sins Of Solar Empire' learn this game and next one maintain balance.
  61. Boltfrowah
    Feb 28, 2013
    7
    Played this game recently and it wasn't too bad. I agree that there is a bit of lacking in the depth area, both in content as well as the races. The combat system was a bit redundant in that I grew quickly tired of the same battle cutscenes time and time again. The tech tree is just all over the place. And the AI pose little to no threat on a consistent basis. While this game did have somePlayed this game recently and it wasn't too bad. I agree that there is a bit of lacking in the depth area, both in content as well as the races. The combat system was a bit redundant in that I grew quickly tired of the same battle cutscenes time and time again. The tech tree is just all over the place. And the AI pose little to no threat on a consistent basis. While this game did have some potential, it's replay-ability was pretty much in the shallow end.… Expand
  62. Kanazawa
    Jan 27, 2013
    5
    It's okay. Really there's just not anything special about this 4X game. I wanted to enjoy it, but it ended up being really repetitive once I got the hang of the game. The same strategies are usually used to win every game, and there's not much difference. The maps are too small even at the largest size. I wish it were more entertaining, but it feels like it's missing too much.
  63. deadlockedworld
    Jan 25, 2013
    9
    I thought I wouldn't ever really return to the joy of turn based strategy from the 90s. Games had moved on. However Amplitude makes one of the best attempts I have ever seen at modernizing the glory. Its not quite Civilization, but for an small developer's first try? It's awesome. I'm being honest with myself and rating this a nine. I'm tempted to give it a 10 like others just because II thought I wouldn't ever really return to the joy of turn based strategy from the 90s. Games had moved on. However Amplitude makes one of the best attempts I have ever seen at modernizing the glory. Its not quite Civilization, but for an small developer's first try? It's awesome. I'm being honest with myself and rating this a nine. I'm tempted to give it a 10 like others just because I want to see endless space 2 so bad. This is a GREAT start to what could be an epic series. I got it cheap on Steam promo, now I want them to release something else so I can give them the full price they deserve.… Expand
  64. Arcon
    Jan 3, 2013
    8
    A good strategy game with some interesting concepts implemented to make it an enjoyable experience. I did find that poor tutorial a sticking point for me at first, but once you get the hang of things its a good game. Watch a youtube tutorial or play your first game on easiest mode just to figure stuff out while you do not care about victory. The card game which is part of the space combatA good strategy game with some interesting concepts implemented to make it an enjoyable experience. I did find that poor tutorial a sticking point for me at first, but once you get the hang of things its a good game. Watch a youtube tutorial or play your first game on easiest mode just to figure stuff out while you do not care about victory. The card game which is part of the space combat is an interesting twist which can either give you an advantage or disadvantage depending on what you and your enemy plays. If you catch this game for $10 or under it is well worth it providing you like turn-based strategy games.… Expand
  65. SadSatyr
    Jan 3, 2013
    8
    This review is accurate as of January 2013 and includes only single player. To give a background the only space 4x games i've really enjoyed were alpha centauri and the galactic civilization series. I've tried others and have never found them to be very engaging. I have enjoyed every civilization game since the beginning although V held my interest the least. I have enjoyed other similarThis review is accurate as of January 2013 and includes only single player. To give a background the only space 4x games i've really enjoyed were alpha centauri and the galactic civilization series. I've tried others and have never found them to be very engaging. I have enjoyed every civilization game since the beginning although V held my interest the least. I have enjoyed other similar 4x titles, but games like europa universalis tend to be to complex for my liking.

    Pros:
    9 pre-made factions plus 1 reskin. I've seen complaints about the factions being bland, but I feel each faction has a very distinct playstyle that it encourages
    the ability to make a custom faction
    complete control over the galaxy you play in. Choose the shape, size, density level of systems, abundance of resources, pirate strength (or existence) etc.
    the tech tree is very interesting in the way it is laid out. 4 trapezoids with the small ends all around a central point with the tree growing wider the further away it is.
    Decent graphics with low requirements. I play on a laptop from mid 2010
    Once understood the combat system actually does a good job of building tension.
    The game has free addons that the studio continues to develop (The game shipped with only 8 races) There is a special xmas event that has been added (you can disable it if you like) and the community actually votes on what features will be included in upcoming releases. This level of developer support is amazing I would say the game is worth getting based on this alone to help make a statement to the industry.

    Cons:
    No Demo!
    The tutorial is better than when it was released, but still leaves something to be desired. As you'll only use it once it isn't a big deal.
    The graphics aren't the same quality as a AAA title, but they are adequate. There are no cut scenes which some people may find as a turn off, but that isn't why I play 4x so it doesn't bother me.
    The combat is card based, and at first seams very luck based, but i'll go into combat more at the end.
    Custom factions use a base race as a template. This includes racial bonus, ship design, and portrait.
    The ship visuals do not change based on their weapon and armor load outs. During the combat animations weapons actually just fire from the side of the ship, it looks a little silly.
    The game tends to end abruptly. I'm often surprised by the game ending and have to take a minute to figure out what victory condition was achieved.

    Combat:
    I've seen numerous complaints about combat not being tactical enough, or the entire game being card based. Both of these are false. The combat is handled by choosing a tactic (based on cards) that you have researched. your ships then carry out those orders. You can select your cards before battle if the battles happen to quick for you, or you can select them as the battle plays out so you can react to how the battle is going. It is only not tactical in the sense that you can't control each ship individually, but you do decide the tactics your army will use for each phase of combat (long, medium, and short). Also, each weapon type performs in a unique fashion compared to the others, and the armors behave differently as well. You can learn what ship types your opponent has, or what tactics they typically employ and modify your fleets and/or tactics to counter them. It is only in situations where you are way ahead or behind in tech that the outcome is a given. Lastly if you are finding the battles tedious to watch you can select all your cards, then auto battle. The battle will play out in about 10-15 seconds showing you which cards where played by you and the opponent and the outcome.

    If people are claiming that this is just a card game with a 4x skin then they are only interested in combat. If you enjoy other aspects of 4x then rest assured this is far more then "just a card game"

    The last thing I want to mention is about the story. It is true that there is no inherent story, but stories in 4x games are often odd creatures requiring your "persistent" civilization to restart the tech tree, lose your entire military, and rebuild your economy from the ground up for every mission. I tend to look at each play through as its own story. If you require something to motivate you there are achievements, some of which can be very difficult to accomplish.

    TLDR: This is a good space 4x game. It is not perfect, but in my opinion it is a contender for best space 4x game on the market right now. If you are still on the fence go try the demo for star ruler. http://starruler.blind-mind.com/ If you like it get that, if not, get this.    … Expand
  66. Orctownorc
    Dec 29, 2012
    6
    This game has elegant design and a nice progress system for developing colonies and terraforming planets. Good luck trying to actually win a game though if you want to be peaceful. There are numerous victory conditions and NONE of them are EXPLAINED. It's a game based on building the biggest space empire possible yet if you expand you are BRUTALLY PUNISHED with DISAPPROVAL. Why? Um,This game has elegant design and a nice progress system for developing colonies and terraforming planets. Good luck trying to actually win a game though if you want to be peaceful. There are numerous victory conditions and NONE of them are EXPLAINED. It's a game based on building the biggest space empire possible yet if you expand you are BRUTALLY PUNISHED with DISAPPROVAL. Why? Um, because people don't want to be part of a large successful empire?????? You can "Choose" eight factions, only there are no choices beyond the selection. You are stuck with a horrible generic race portrait, and cannot choose any variants skill sets from the set-piece. All the science choices in the game unlock a vast number of system enhancements yet only a few of these, such as the one that allows travel through wormholes, are actually worth getting. And while there are dozens of "possible" play styles and victory conditions offered. All of them are a waste ot time, as the AI cheats and will beat you on even the easiest difficulty setting, and by huge margins if you waste your time hunting for an 'economic' science' or 'wonder' victory. The best and only way to come out on top in this game is find an ally and go to war. attack the other factions as soon as you can, develop as many war-techs and build as many ships as you can afford and destroy everyone else. When your enemies are dead betray and attack your ally. Diplomacy and trade in this game and undeveloped and joyless. The tech tree is a vast forest of useless distractions giving you literally hundreds of ways to improve your planetary systems which will be lost if you can't fight to hold them. Endless Space seems to have the makings of a good game. And it may get there with more patching and playtesting. For now you can summarize how much fun this is to play by the facts visible in the steam achievment screen: Less than 12% of gamers who bought this game have played more than 10 turns of it. They were the wise ones who quit while they were ahead. After 300 turns in 4 lost games I still can't figure out how it is the AI be trading tech or whatver it is they are doing behind the scenes that gives them such massive score boosts, such superiority in all development areas and such massive fleets. Something is wrong with this game. At present it is more frustrating than enjoyable, and it needs, if nothing else some kind of INSTRUCTIVE tutorial that actually illustrates the principles of winning. As a side note, I actually love the combat card system. The game gets many things right and could be sublime if the developers either explain how to play better, or re-code it to support the less aggressive victory types… Expand
  67. suneater
    Dec 26, 2012
    7
    4X turn-based strategy with a focus on economy & tactics. The music is very immersive and changes based on where you are in the game (planetary view, shipyard, etc.). Combined with the crisp, clean visuals the devs have found a way to make the sterile menu navigation somehow not boring. Sadly this charm can only last so long since most of the game is spent digging through menus trying to4X turn-based strategy with a focus on economy & tactics. The music is very immersive and changes based on where you are in the game (planetary view, shipyard, etc.). Combined with the crisp, clean visuals the devs have found a way to make the sterile menu navigation somehow not boring. Sadly this charm can only last so long since most of the game is spent digging through menus trying to balance your empire on a see-saw. The biggest graphical disappointment is how "flat" the galaxy feels; there are eye-catching planetary views when zoomed into a star but from above it feels like playing a board game. Although there is combat, there is an "Auto" mode that lets you pre-load commands so many battles end up playing themselves. Even with the wealth of tooltips, many basic game features are hard to grasp, such as the seven victory conditions. The devs have been working hard to improve the game but the current tutorial is really barebones and is basically popup screenshots that explain things that the tooltips already show.

    Endless Space is a highly customizable sandbox in space that offers you many unique ways to conquer the galaxy (or not at all; you can disable all victory conditions). A work in progress worth picking up if you can handle the difficulty and steep learning curve.    … Expand
  68. pyradius
    Dec 24, 2012
    8
    Just would like to point out that the developer has continued to make not just bug fixes but enhancements to the core game and seems to be doing a pretty solid job in this regard. Even if this game gets a 7ish score initially, I think this dedication to their game should bump its value to an 8.
  69. ianx50
    Dec 21, 2012
    6
    I felt this game could have used more micromanagement. Most similar to Master of Orion III. I played both Master of Orion two and three, and while MoO II was an excellent game, 10/10 would play for the rest of eternity, MoO III fell short. Why? No micromanagement. Same thing goes for Endless Space.
  70. shadywack
    Dec 21, 2012
    1
    This is just a virtual card game. Steam advertises this as some kind of RTS or action oriented game, when in reality you make a huge litany of small decisions in order to counteract the means by which the deck of cards hits you when you have to face other empires. The lack of ingame information is also infuriating. After spending a couple hours watching youtube tutorials, the faction IThis is just a virtual card game. Steam advertises this as some kind of RTS or action oriented game, when in reality you make a huge litany of small decisions in order to counteract the means by which the deck of cards hits you when you have to face other empires. The lack of ingame information is also infuriating. After spending a couple hours watching youtube tutorials, the faction I chose apparently didn't like missiles. No matter how large or how vast a fleet I made, I would just watch it get blasted to smithereens by two paltry and insignificant pirate ships. Space combat is entirely dictated by who draws a better card. If you try to employ any kind of strategy, logic, or common sense the card just smacks you in the face with "sorry about your luck, your vast armada just got blown to bits by a couple lowly pirates". This is by far one of the most regrettable purchases I have ever made on Steam.… Expand
  71. Necrotaur
    Dec 19, 2012
    6
    I came into Endless Space expecting something like Civilization meets Sins of a Solar Empire, and... well, I don't know what I got. It plays very similarly to Civ in that it's turn based, has a tech tree, and you direct your 'civ' through their first steps into colonizing other planets, but that's about where the similarities end. The biggest surprise for me was finding battles are foughtI came into Endless Space expecting something like Civilization meets Sins of a Solar Empire, and... well, I don't know what I got. It plays very similarly to Civ in that it's turn based, has a tech tree, and you direct your 'civ' through their first steps into colonizing other planets, but that's about where the similarities end. The biggest surprise for me was finding battles are fought through a 'card' system as opposed to something more tactical. Perhaps it was a bad assumption on my part, but it's not mentioned in the game description and the screenshots seem to indicate otherwise, so it's something to be aware of. The rest of the game (tech tree, economy, even ship designing) is pretty shallow once you get past the technobabble. Researching Xenobiology sounds cool the first time, but soon you'll realize about 3/4 of the entire tech tree just give +1 to a particular stat in a star system, and research loses a lot of shine. The biggest disappointment: 90% of the game is spent staring at the galaxy map clicking 'end turn'. On the plus side, graphics during the combat portion are pretty nice, and I enjoyed the random events which pop up from time to time. So, I don't know, Endless Space isn't bad, but then again, it's not all that great, either.… Expand
  72. Shadowbane
    Dec 3, 2012
    5
    This review is only of Single Player.

    I am going to start this review off by simply going through a match adding in the ups and downs. You begin by going through and either picking a race to play or creating your own. I found the premade races to be a bit generic, with only a few fresh races. Upon creating m own race I ran into m first few disappointments. 1st: Your race will have the    This review is only of Single Player.

    I am going to start this review off by simply going through a match adding in the ups and downs. You begin by going through and either picking a race to play or creating your own. I found the premade races to be a bit generic, with only a few fresh races. Upon creating m own race I ran into m first few disappointments. 1st: Your race will have the generic ship look of one of the premade races of your choice. You will not get to customize your races ships past conforming to a premade race style. Also your picture/portrait will also have to be a premade races portrait. Both of these things slightly irritated me from the start as my United Federation of Planets had no style of it's own. Moving on during race creation there is a ton of traits/skills/cultural things you can add to your race or take away. You can also use this system to give advantages or disadvantages to your home planet. I found this system to be very creative and well though up. You can even going into the negative in some aspects to get a higher bonus in others. Getting into the game I noticed the GFX were ok, the menu system and interface was easy enough to use as well. The tutorial while somewhat bland did indeed show me the basic ins and outs of the game systems. I will also add that the story line was non-existent. You just in a galaxy with a whole bunch of races who apparently just want to beat the other race or something. You then start playing with a couple ships to colonize and scout other systems out. One of the first positive things I found was that if you had a colony in a system you could use that planet to colonize other planets in the same system this is a boon as I would not have to build a ship for each planet. Early phase of the game is basically a scramble to colonize as many systems as you can, and to explore as much of the galaxy as possible. Each solar system that has not been explored by any factions has some sort of exploration event. These events tended to bore me as I seemed to always get the same one aka finding another scout ship out of magic land. Also it is worth noting when you meet another race early on you start as cold war status. This basically means they kill every ship of yours they see until you or them research peace through the research trees. Some reason every1 is just out to kill each other in this galaxy for no reason. During the mid game you will be focusing on upgrading solar systems and planets. Every planet can be exploited in one way be it for food (farms) labor (factory) money (called dust, and you never get a good explanation of exactly what it is) or science. Solar systems get a large amount of upgrades that require money, and labor. You can unlock better planet exploits and better solar system upgrades through the research trees. During mid game you are bound to get into combat. There is always one race that hates you no matter what, and you will be forced to smash their face or give them something for peace (even if your stronger) First off let me tell you there are only 6 ship visual designs per race. There is absolutely no ship visual custom designs. So no matter what you watch the same 6 ships no matter what weapons or armor you put on them. During combat you can see the different weapons in action, but this only amounts to a different color missile or a blue laser instead of a green. The combat is visually appealing, but slow and tedious. When you go to war and you have 4+ battles each turn you will quickly learn to hit the auto button (Might I add the auto fight still takes about 45 seconds of watching a blue bar fill). The combat system used cards to attacks/def bonuses. You opponent can counter your cards with their own. You start with about 6 cards and more can be researched through the tech tree. This system while original is utter horse **** So many times I went into a fight with a superior force only to be countered every time by the computers cards and loose my fleets. Also you only have 30-45 seconds to pick your first card, you don't have enough time to make a correct choice before the battle begins and you miss out. It boils down to pick as fast as you can and prey. The research trees are my next topic. To be frank it blows. Research is all over the map. If you want better weapons do down the combat tree, if you want bigger ships you gotta go down the exploration tree. If you want more ships in a fleet to kill your enemy with number you gotta go down the diplomacy tree..... What this amounts 2 is you either balance you tech out and play the same way every game of you get stomped. If you focus your combat weapons and def you will get destroyed by bigger ships in larger fleets. If you focus on big ships, you will be destroyed by larger fleets of ships with better weapons. If you just want large fleets then you will die to bigger ships with better guns.    … Expand
  73. Chomag
    Dec 3, 2012
    7
    It's an indie game. Ofcourse it has little to no voice-overs or amateuristically done at best and the quality is low to mediocre. I wish people would stop buying indie games only to whine about the lack of depth and quality.
  74. Minowara
    Dec 2, 2012
    7
    A good 4x game for long winter nights, but with a disappointing card-based combat game play unfortunately. Perfect technology tree, nice graphics and good planetary management system.
  75. Gingerjobs
    Dec 2, 2012
    2
    Now this game has a very acute taste. For those who wan't to buy this game and have seen the steam trailer I say to you "It's not really like that". Part of the trailer is accurate, but it forgets to show the painstakingly long period of time where it's basically you clicking next turn and research this. Plus the actual gameplay fighting scene/battle... WHICH, I would have never called itNow this game has a very acute taste. For those who wan't to buy this game and have seen the steam trailer I say to you "It's not really like that". Part of the trailer is accurate, but it forgets to show the painstakingly long period of time where it's basically you clicking next turn and research this. Plus the actual gameplay fighting scene/battle... WHICH, I would have never called it that. It is a strategy game and multiplayer but it is a pointless game. Which is anything but addictive. I played it on the normal setting's it provides as default and to but it nicely, "IT WAS CRAP". I played it for over 4000 turns to see if it was any good and i unlocked everything off the tech-tree and it was useless. The game requires multiplayer to make it the slights entertaining, but that was only because i was chatting to them on Skype. The only thing you can do on this whole cheap, crapy knock-off of "Civ" is, inhabit planets, choose what you would like to do on the planet, explore the universe which after 150 or so goes is done. Then there is the battle stage which you still only get to click buttons!!!!!!!!. To summarise this game I would say buy Civ 5 or any other strategy game that isn't this S**t piece of a game. It makes me so mad that i fell for that stupid cinematic trailer. What a waste of £27 or £23 for those who buy the normal edition. DON'T BUY THIS GAME. unless you like crapy repetitive stuff.… Expand
  76. Swarning
    Dec 1, 2012
    0
    I do not accept the argument "Your playing wrong, don't just have fun exploring and colonizing planets while defending yourself. That isn't how Endless Space is meant to be played, and we won't LET YOU play it that way"!

    There is a concept in most of these games of "corruption". As your empire grows bigger, you need to spend more to maintain it. I made it 1/2 way through one game before    I do not accept the argument "Your playing wrong, don't just have fun exploring and colonizing planets while defending yourself. That isn't how Endless Space is meant to be played, and we won't LET YOU play it that way"!

    There is a concept in most of these games of "corruption". As your empire grows bigger, you need to spend more to maintain it. I made it 1/2 way through one game before my economy went from 1 or 2 planets out of 25(ish) having problems with major problems with corruption to my entire empire crashing... in ONE turn (and the game was then unplayable).

    I was researching (and building) people-placating technology at about a 4-1 ratio compared to everything else.

    If I can't expand my empire and enjoy myself without the game breaking, it isn't worth playing. I wish I could get a refund from Steam for this turd.    … Expand
  77. Triggerhappy
    Dec 1, 2012
    6
    The current installment is decent and fun to play. If you are looking to colonize space, research futuristic techs and design your own battleships, this is definitely worth the money. It has little to no storyline and very little "flavour", tho, and feels a bit too cold - I would say that it lacks a little grit that old masters like Alpha Centauri or Masters of Orion had. But it still hasThe current installment is decent and fun to play. If you are looking to colonize space, research futuristic techs and design your own battleships, this is definitely worth the money. It has little to no storyline and very little "flavour", tho, and feels a bit too cold - I would say that it lacks a little grit that old masters like Alpha Centauri or Masters of Orion had. But it still has good, distinct feel to it and a very decent soundtrack. Negatives include linear gameplay - there really is only one winning strategy, despite multiple "victory types", repetitivness of tasks (all systems colonized need to have nearly the same basic structures build, in the same order), pointless diplomacy options (all are worthless) and a lack of any voiceover. I can't help it, but I would love to have some narrative and voiceovers incorporated.… Expand
  78. super3588
    Dec 1, 2012
    0
    Nope. Not a game you want, whether or not it's a Steam Free Weekend this weekend (11/30/12-12/2/12). Yuck. It's like intergalactic Risk: It's slow, you can't figure out what to do, and basically, it's not a game I want in any way, shape, or form.
  79. kenobi87
    Nov 29, 2012
    3
    It must be in Spanish or another language.. It's only in English, If it had been free to play, I wouldn't have been disappointed. I like games based in the space
  80. NGResonanceFan
    Nov 28, 2012
    2
    I really wanted to like this game, but after playing it feel that I was a victim of the pre-release hype machine. As a long-time strategy gamer, I'm mystified by all the high scores people have given it on Metacritic. Fanboys I guess. Anyway, there is a lot wrong with this game: 1) An AI that cheats and spams. 2) The research tree is a total mess. For example, you will find criticalI really wanted to like this game, but after playing it feel that I was a victim of the pre-release hype machine. As a long-time strategy gamer, I'm mystified by all the high scores people have given it on Metacritic. Fanboys I guess. Anyway, there is a lot wrong with this game: 1) An AI that cheats and spams. 2) The research tree is a total mess. For example, you will find critical military technologies buried half-way up non-military tech trees. 3) A terrible rock/paper/scissors combat system. 4) A totally dull and lifeless galaxy void of any real surprises. 5) Diplomacy feels useless. 6) Generic races that lack an serious differentiation other than the physical. 7) Dull 'advance turn, advance turn' gameplay. 8) Heroes are overpowered. 9) Soundtrack is uninspired and amateurish. In short, this game is devoid of any soul is the worst case of the Emperor's New Clothes I've ever seen in a game. If you like 4X space strategy games, try the infinitely better grand strategy RTS Distant Worlds.… Expand
  81. sarahcohen
    Nov 23, 2012
    1
    Extremely deceptive game. It's not really a 4x space strategy game with spaceships battling in space but its actually a card game disguised as a 4x game! If they had mentioned this in the advertisement, I never would have bought it!
  82. Efferkongen
    Nov 15, 2012
    6
    As much as the research is nice, the game is horribly slow. I have given it several chances because I really want to like the game, but it just has boring combat and a limited A.I system, plus the lack of story mode is to bad.
  83. madmax55
    Nov 9, 2012
    5
    Wouf.
    Seemed to be a funny game. Amount of playing time won over the fun I had. Mysterious technology tree, mysterious conditions to win. Sometime you play for 10 hours and the computer suddenly annouce you that you have lost even if everythings was looking like if you were heading to win. At a moment I faced some agressive pirates and when I finally get rid of them, I had two planet and    Wouf.
    Seemed to be a funny game. Amount of playing time won over the fun I had. Mysterious technology tree, mysterious conditions to win. Sometime you play for 10 hours and the computer suddenly annouce you that you have lost even if everythings was looking like if you were heading to win. At a moment I faced some agressive pirates and when I finally get rid of them, I had two planet and my neighbours 20 ! another lost game and few suggestions to do better. If you choose an easy way, you will overcome and destroy any ennemy. If you choose the hard way, the ennemy arrive with unbeatable armada. I had like to find the middle way.    … Expand
  84. jjhalberd
    Oct 31, 2012
    4
    It is only after buying this game that I found out that it's card-game wearing a 4X's skin. The lack of tactical combat is txtremely dissappointing to say the least. The technology also seems kind of bland.
  85. TacSmasher
    Oct 29, 2012
    6
    Endless Space is a dumbed down version of the strategy classic Galactic Civilisations II. You dont even get better graphics, compare the old graphics of 'GalCiv' with this and GalCiv wins every time. If you are one of those people scoring it a 10 then go get a copy of the aforementioned game (I think you can still get it as a digital download) and be prepared to be astounded by theEndless Space is a dumbed down version of the strategy classic Galactic Civilisations II. You dont even get better graphics, compare the old graphics of 'GalCiv' with this and GalCiv wins every time. If you are one of those people scoring it a 10 then go get a copy of the aforementioned game (I think you can still get it as a digital download) and be prepared to be astounded by the gameplay and combat cut scenes. (yeah more than a little has been taken by Endless Space from that old Classic - unfortunately not enough). I give Endless Space a score of 6 because its at least a step towards satisfying my desperate need for a good successor to GalCiv II.… Expand
  86. Zazen
    Oct 28, 2012
    8
    Endless Space is very well done. However, right up front I will tell you about it's fundamental flaws. I had to play a lot before the flaws really became an issue. We must divide the game into single player and multiplayer modes, because they play differently. In single player mode the AI has to cheat ALOT to compete. Yet, has no clue how to manage systems and heroes effectively. Since theEndless Space is very well done. However, right up front I will tell you about it's fundamental flaws. I had to play a lot before the flaws really became an issue. We must divide the game into single player and multiplayer modes, because they play differently. In single player mode the AI has to cheat ALOT to compete. Yet, has no clue how to manage systems and heroes effectively. Since the latest patch, except on the very highest difficulty levels, which just make it cheat more, it spams sips until it eventually goes bankrupt. Now in multiplayer mode, it's a lot better as you have hyper-efficient human opponents that don't make the AI's blunders. But, there are two glaring problems there too. Namely, the combat that favors "glass cannon missile boats" and the fact that the combat is simultaneous with the strategy map. This means that if you have 3 fleets that could potentially face combat ina turn , you can only actually play out the fight in one of them, the other two will be auto-resolved. The auto-resolve is terrible, so you will lose a lot of fleets you otherwise would not in this way. So, what ends up happening is you end up having to customize your ships and character traits based on knowing yo will have no participation in 95% of the battles. All that being said it is a great game and is a lot of fun, the small studio that made it s 100% committed to fixing the aformentioned shortcomings in the future, so it should only get better from here.… Expand
  87. Jintoss
    Oct 26, 2012
    6
    The card-based combat is an interesting idea that could have been executed much better. As it stands, there are two ways to approach combat. You can gamble with your fleets which is not a good idea because you will need them as AIs will get very aggressive as soon as your borders meet (the AI has a knack for suddenly exploding in military despite the most retarded planet managementThe card-based combat is an interesting idea that could have been executed much better. As it stands, there are two ways to approach combat. You can gamble with your fleets which is not a good idea because you will need them as AIs will get very aggressive as soon as your borders meet (the AI has a knack for suddenly exploding in military despite the most retarded planet management ever...), which they will always because you either expand or get overrun. Or the better choice is to just ignore the combat mechanic entirely and just focus on outnumbering (ships per fleet, not overall - that would be impossible) and just steamroll through fleet after fleet loosing only a few ships. Then switch your weapon tech when they adapt (AI is very slow at adapting). Almost trivial.

    In the end, all the components of a good 4x seem to be in place, but it just doesn't 'balance out' in the end. And the game becomes either trivial or frustrating. Still could be fixed with some balancing of techs, introducing some AI (I wouldn't call the current computer oppenents 'intelligent' at all, just abusive of difficulty bonuses - raw resources for them, and approval penalties for you, what joy!) and a rework of the combat.

    TLDR: Another promising 4X game that misses the mark entirely. You will either figure it out the game-breaking strategies quickly and grow bored, or will give up trying.    … Expand
  88. Slackerboy
    Oct 22, 2012
    7
    This game was so close to being a classic game but fell short on a number of bugs and lack of polish. I can not tell you how disappointing it can be to play a 20 hour long game and at long last when you win what happens? A simple pop-up that says y"You win!"

    That's it. It would have been worth at least 1 more point to have had something at the win/lose of a game beyond 2 words. The    This game was so close to being a classic game but fell short on a number of bugs and lack of polish. I can not tell you how disappointing it can be to play a 20 hour long game and at long last when you win what happens? A simple pop-up that says y"You win!"

    That's it. It would have been worth at least 1 more point to have had something at the win/lose of a game beyond 2 words.

    The other major issue was with the lack of information, too many parts of the game just had to be tried to find out what they did and many I still do not really understand despite having over 40 hours into the game.

    Still it is a nice twist on the 4x games and was a lot of fun, with a little patching this game could be an easy 9.    … Expand
  89. Ajdino
    Oct 22, 2012
    6
    As nice as the game is in looks, it's a very difficult game to enjoy. Even on the easiest difficulties, I find my race always in last place, eventually being wiped out. Nothing is more torturous than a game you can't win. Other then difficulty, it's an alright strategy game. The music is good, as well as the climatic battle scenes. The graphics are beautiful. If you've ever scene theAs nice as the game is in looks, it's a very difficult game to enjoy. Even on the easiest difficulties, I find my race always in last place, eventually being wiped out. Nothing is more torturous than a game you can't win. Other then difficulty, it's an alright strategy game. The music is good, as well as the climatic battle scenes. The graphics are beautiful. If you've ever scene the camera work for Battlestar Galactica, it's just like that. Multiplayer is a failed concept. Turn based multiplayer is an absolute bear.… Expand
  90. rant
    Oct 15, 2012
    7
    It's a fun, straight-forward 4x space strategy game, with a great UI. The developers seem motivated to keep improving the game, too. Not a classic, and not a must-have, but also not a bad way to spend some time.
  91. MannyUK
    Oct 14, 2012
    7
    A good modern remake of the classic game STARS! in my opinion. This is a typical 4X game (eXpand, eXplore, eXploit, eXterminate). Turn based games bring back the nostalgia of the 90's and so does this one, it made me dig out the original CD for STARS! and install it with dosbox to compare. They are both good but i think STARS! edges it with the extra depth. Good graphics, they remindA good modern remake of the classic game STARS! in my opinion. This is a typical 4X game (eXpand, eXplore, eXploit, eXterminate). Turn based games bring back the nostalgia of the 90's and so does this one, it made me dig out the original CD for STARS! and install it with dosbox to compare. They are both good but i think STARS! edges it with the extra depth. Good graphics, they remind me of the ships from EVE. Brilliant interface, very smooth and easy to work. Makes the learning curve a little less vertical.

    I would reccomend it to kill a few nights but not varied enough to make me go back for more. I got about 20 hours out of the game.    … Expand
  92. Remainz
    Oct 10, 2012
    6
    Fun, but needs a lot more work to be worth the $30 I put into it. I guess we will see how the three major updates they promised change the game.
  93. Broadnick
    Oct 8, 2012
    4
    I played many 4x games before and this one is the greater deception of all games I tried. Endless Space looks promising and is a nice production, but the game play is so boring than I give up after only two or tree hours of playing. I gave the game a second chance some days later...same sleepy effect! Research system is well developed but return no real feeling of some advantage; combatsI played many 4x games before and this one is the greater deception of all games I tried. Endless Space looks promising and is a nice production, but the game play is so boring than I give up after only two or tree hours of playing. I gave the game a second chance some days later...same sleepy effect! Research system is well developed but return no real feeling of some advantage; combats are boring and need absolutely no strategy; Commercial exchange are frustrating because of the balancing value mechanism.

    Don't spend your money on it.    … Expand
  94. Smolson
    Sep 25, 2012
    10
    Love the climate and music of this game. For a long time I haven't played such an awesome turn bassed strategy game that attracted me for long hours of gaming, making me to come back to it over and over again. If you like old school turn based strategies, Endless Space is a good pick
  95. CainGaming
    Sep 25, 2012
    9
    Really loved the game. I recently took a liking to 4X games, especially space-themed ones, and this is what I really loved. If you're new to the 4X genre, or even a hardened veteran, you /should/ like this game. The graphics and general look of it is fantastic. The interface isn't cluttered, and relatively easy to grasp after the tutorial. The tech trees are quite interesting, but itReally loved the game. I recently took a liking to 4X games, especially space-themed ones, and this is what I really loved. If you're new to the 4X genre, or even a hardened veteran, you /should/ like this game. The graphics and general look of it is fantastic. The interface isn't cluttered, and relatively easy to grasp after the tutorial. The tech trees are quite interesting, but it seemed to me with enough science production, the colonization tree was the easiest to gain a 'technology' win, after building the wonders that are unlocked via the last technology. Maybe that was just me, being Sophons (I think.).
    But it seems a lot of emphasis is placed on three things. One, your dust production, two, your 'building'/production production, and three, your ships. I don't know if I was a bad ship designer or what, but it seemed the enemy /always/ had better combat strength than me, and I had to build an armada of ships every time I went to war. Dust production plagued me throughout games, even when I put all emphasis on dust production and improvements, I still was struggling on the net gain of dust. Building/production was rather easy to obtain being the Sophons, and really it's the basis for everything in the game. Slightly OP, if you have a high building rate. You can build everything faster, improvements and ships, so you have a bigger edge. Then again, that might have been me. The game itself is really good in terms of mechanics, it's really smooth until you start exploring a large galaxy and end up waiting for a bit for other players'/AIs ships to move, but that's to be expected. The ship building was pretty interesting too. The only thing I rate this down from a 10 is the combat. Although the card-based combat is okay, I'd really prefer a RTS combat-style, so I can really see how useful those things I put on my ships are. It's not gamebreaking, unless you are the kind of person who just attacks everyone and wants to exterminate the universe. Although that is one of the 4 Xs, I tend to stick to more technology/diplomatic victories. Although having an armada of dreadnoughts helps too! Brilliant game, I love it.    … Expand
  96. Latrec
    Sep 13, 2012
    6
    An cap of a space rts game, if only to fall short on the mark.. This game features ruling ruling solar systems, space fleets, and heroes. Unfortunately the lack of random events, indepth diplomacy or strategic battleplay or actual planetary system management makes this game somewhat bland. You'll find urself ignoring food production or public happiness and seeking merely to boostAn cap of a space rts game, if only to fall short on the mark.. This game features ruling ruling solar systems, space fleets, and heroes. Unfortunately the lack of random events, indepth diplomacy or strategic battleplay or actual planetary system management makes this game somewhat bland. You'll find urself ignoring food production or public happiness and seeking merely to boost production/economic output. Your space battles will be fun at first, but will quickly turn to a repetitive "damn i have to sit through another one..." as it is purely cinematic, unskippeable and there is a lack of tactical mobility. You'll find yourself trying more to figure out/research your tech tree than actually playing an rts game. With a few patches this game could quite likely become something to talk about, but up to this point its not.… Expand
  97. Thoto79
    Sep 6, 2012
    9
    A great 4x game that just keeps on getting better! The game is allready polished but it is still constantly tweeked and patched by Amplitude Studios. They will also release 3 free add ons witch you can read more about at the Amplitude Studios home pages before Christmas.
    This is the typically "just one more click" game that will keep you up all night. Deep and streamlined at the same time    A great 4x game that just keeps on getting better! The game is allready polished but it is still constantly tweeked and patched by Amplitude Studios. They will also release 3 free add ons witch you can read more about at the Amplitude Studios home pages before Christmas.
    This is the typically "just one more click" game that will keep you up all night. Deep and streamlined at the same time with an exceptional UI, a must buy for turn based strategy games fans!    … Expand
  98. Planetar
    Sep 5, 2012
    7
    Refreshing game in this genre, have lot of upgrades, lot of improves, lot of everything but don't have more important thing...story which would make you to sit and read, watch, interact in the same story of being ultimate best strategist of universe! also its much more addicted when its battle time because game itself is a bit of boring when u wait for research, turns, but when shipRefreshing game in this genre, have lot of upgrades, lot of improves, lot of everything but don't have more important thing...story which would make you to sit and read, watch, interact in the same story of being ultimate best strategist of universe! also its much more addicted when its battle time because game itself is a bit of boring when u wait for research, turns, but when ship creation start then begins fun and build of same! tons of ships, tons of dps, tons of everything! 7/10 just because lack of deeper reason for playing. .… Expand
  99. dplehwalder
    Aug 28, 2012
    1
    Looks so good, but is really a very bad game. Combat is horrid! You cant auto resolve combat unless you have at least two times the force they have or you will always lose. Once I attacked with three times the force and still lost. STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME!!!!
  100. vomov
    Aug 27, 2012
    3
    Initially, it seems like loads of fun, and it does do some things pretty good. The different types of planet and their pros and cons are pretty fun, the heroes can give specific systems a pretty hefty bonus, and the graphics quality is also quite nice.

    However; the amount of stuff you can actually do boils down to setting governors, select cards (yes, cards) for combat, and maybe build    Initially, it seems like loads of fun, and it does do some things pretty good. The different types of planet and their pros and cons are pretty fun, the heroes can give specific systems a pretty hefty bonus, and the graphics quality is also quite nice.

    However; the amount of stuff you can actually do boils down to setting governors, select cards (yes, cards) for combat, and maybe build some ships.

    The tech tree is somewhat arbitrary, but especially the military end of the tech tree is a simple upgrade system with pretty names. In the end, I couldn't finish a single game, and went back to other, more fun 4X games, which don't need heroes to give the player some level of control over an otherwise bland and boring game.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best PC Game of 2012
36
#36 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
60
#60 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 36
  3. Negative: 1 out of 36
  1. GameOver.gr
    Feb 12, 2013
    70
    What it lacks in storytelling and script it gains in gameplay and in the way it can get awfully addictive.
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  2. Gamer.no
    Oct 27, 2012
    80
    This is a fun and addictive space strategy game. It doesn't quite have the character of Master of Orion 2, but it offers intelligent gameplay, smart opponents and plenty of fun while you build your interplanetary empire. Well worth trying, for both hardcore and casual strategy gamers.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 14, 2012
    83
    Master of Orion still retains its throne, but Endless Space with its enticing atmosphere and fluid gameplay is one of the best 4X games in recent years. [Sept 2012]
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