Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 287 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 204 out of 287
  2. Mixed: 54 out of 287
  3. Negative: 29 out of 287

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  1. thefinn
    Jul 6, 2012
    5
    I'm a fan of the game, this is my first sins game and I love it. However, the problems with the game are so prolific that after a couple of play-throughs it really does become unplayable.

    The engine is from "yesterday" - no multicore support. Heaps of gameplay bugs - as a for instance, one ship has an ability called "Armistice" which stops all fighting for 1 minute.. unfortunately    I'm a fan of the game, this is my first sins game and I love it. However, the problems with the game are so prolific that after a couple of play-throughs it really does become unplayable.

    The engine is from "yesterday" - no multicore support.

    Heaps of gameplay bugs - as a for instance, one ship has an ability called "Armistice" which stops all fighting for 1 minute.. unfortunately the AI can get stuck with multiple akkan's constantly "casting" this ability over and over so that you cannot ever fight that fleet, thereby never winning the game.

    The AI is kind of underfed in terms of ability to play and overfed in "cheat" modes.

    The interface doesn't easily allow you to select units like fighters (they can move awfully fast and selecting all fighters and all bombers is a nightmare).

    The game eventually on larger maps - as you will want to play after a few goes at the game, crashes - a lot.

    A half finished product on an old engine - its' only saving grace being an awesome game and concept.

    Seems a lot like a typical "moneygrab" from a gaming company, where they release a small product almost the same as the original for a quick grab at players money for little new content (certainly no new engine) and in this case have released it far too early with heaps of bugs and gameplay issues.

    It gets a 5 from me..    … Expand
  2. Finfid
    Jun 18, 2012
    5
    Rebellion offers only a small amount of new content versus the original game. The Core game is still the same, and while the few enhancements that have been added are nice, they are far from worth the HUGE price tag of $40 for a so called Stand Alone Expansion. If you never bought the original game and its expansions, then Rebellion is probably the best way to go. For the rest of usRebellion offers only a small amount of new content versus the original game. The Core game is still the same, and while the few enhancements that have been added are nice, they are far from worth the HUGE price tag of $40 for a so called Stand Alone Expansion. If you never bought the original game and its expansions, then Rebellion is probably the best way to go. For the rest of us however I cannot see the value here. This is one of those games that you will probably reconsider when Steam has it on sale for $20 bux. Until then, unless you are really jonesing for a fix, avoid this game.… Expand
  3. Tridus
    Jun 13, 2012
    7
    There was two things that Sins needed most: multicore support and a 64 bit version. Rebellion adds neither. So if you like huge maps and mods, you'll still encounter slowdowns at some point. Getting that out of the way, what they did add is new toys that are pretty fun to play with. Doing things like eating planets for resources, building a ship that's just a giant gun, and attackingThere was two things that Sins needed most: multicore support and a 64 bit version. Rebellion adds neither. So if you like huge maps and mods, you'll still encounter slowdowns at some point. Getting that out of the way, what they did add is new toys that are pretty fun to play with. Doing things like eating planets for resources, building a ship that's just a giant gun, and attacking people by flying Starbases at them are pretty awesome. They're also pretty imbalanced. So all in all this is kind of a mixed bag. If you liked Sins before and you're okay with balance issues being present in this version (hopefully to be patched later), then you'll enjoy Rebellion.… Expand
  4. waterwaterwater
    May 30, 2013
    6
    I love sins, they are all very good games. I'm giving this a 6 because it just did not feel like enough was added to justify releasing a new game. Stardock likes to do that with their games tho. Most recently with fallen enchantress and then fallen enchantress: legendary heroes. Although there is no doubt that they are making the games better with each release, it always seems to me likeI love sins, they are all very good games. I'm giving this a 6 because it just did not feel like enough was added to justify releasing a new game. Stardock likes to do that with their games tho. Most recently with fallen enchantress and then fallen enchantress: legendary heroes. Although there is no doubt that they are making the games better with each release, it always seems to me like whenever stardock releases a game I should just wait a year and buy the REAL version of the game.… Expand
  5. ClockworkSpec
    Jul 7, 2012
    5
    While I have loved Sins for a long time, I find myself disappointed with this "Stand Alone Expansion". For the price and hype, very little is actually added to this game and it still suffers from the same performance issues with large games that previous versions have. I honestly believe Ironclad should have held off on making this game and rebuilt their game engine instead.
  6. gas
    Aug 6, 2012
    5
    Tbh i dont understand much why those many good reviews and scores, the game is a tactical space rts, most of the old turn based tactical space games ive played are still much better, Space Empires IV , Masters of Orion II, Galactic Civ II, are by far superior then this one.
    Honestly i think that there is a misunderstanding, they wanna serve us real time as something modern and better then    Tbh i dont understand much why those many good reviews and scores, the game is a tactical space rts, most of the old turn based tactical space games ive played are still much better, Space Empires IV , Masters of Orion II, Galactic Civ II, are by far superior then this one.
    Honestly i think that there is a misunderstanding, they wanna serve us real time as something modern and better then before, but sadly it means that the game must be very streamlined and limited to allow the player to manage all in real time.
    Also i have to tell that those 3D maps zoom in / zoom out /rotate all the time are nearly useless, 3 levels with a fixed air view were more then needed to play this game perfectly.
    I give a 5 cause the game overall isnt bad, just im a bit sad to see this game seems the "Cod generation" version of good tactical space games.    … Expand
  7. HexDoctor
    Aug 29, 2012
    6
    i like the game but i deeply miss the story mode the trailers for both the original and rebellion sets the stage for, i believe that this game could win so much if there was a goal to play for rather than just doing the countless skirmishes the game offers. a simple question to the final statement in the trailer explains a lot...
    -What warning???
    when that is said i like a good long    i like the game but i deeply miss the story mode the trailers for both the original and rebellion sets the stage for, i believe that this game could win so much if there was a goal to play for rather than just doing the countless skirmishes the game offers. a simple question to the final statement in the trailer explains a lot...
    -What warning???

    when that is said i like a good long lasting game and rebellion simply nailed it, there are so many ways of playing this game with several different factions.
    i'll not say that they have added tonnes of material but there's plenty toys to play with.

    the core have not been enhanced for what i'd call up to date and the price for at game without any development in storyline or game engine is somewhat hefty    … Expand
  8. gracjanski
    Mar 4, 2018
    6
    First of all...this game has no campaign. So the big question is, how can I get motivation to play this game? The only thing you can do are skirmishes against AI or other players. And the AI ist not so good, it is just cheating and have certain benefits players dont have, just like you know from other games.
    The background of the races is very interesting and invites you to a big and    First of all...this game has no campaign. So the big question is, how can I get motivation to play this game? The only thing you can do are skirmishes against AI or other players. And the AI ist not so good, it is just cheating and have certain benefits players dont have, just like you know from other games.
    The background of the races is very interesting and invites you to a big and great campaign, that doesnt exist.
    The gameplay is not bad and more a tactical game than strategic. But on a big maps it lacks overview and it take some time to search for a certain unit or building. There is a search function, but somehow it didnt work.
    Graphic is nice and sound is ok.    … Expand
  9. KvasarInFire
    Nov 7, 2015
    7
    The game is very cool, but I have many problems with her. Any lost of my line ships or tytan and game crash immedietely. It is very frustrating. Nothing help. Checking files, reinstall, nothing. I can't lose any of my biggest ships, but when is severely damaged all enemy units attack this one only!
  10. joeybear
    Dec 28, 2012
    7
    While Rebellion adds great new features to a solid game, you can't help but wonder why these features weren't included from vanilla release. The expansion is overpriced if you already own the original game, there is alot of missed potential here: where are the new factions? new planet types? only 3 new ships per faction? The game is an addictive, fun, and challenging RTS, it does howeverWhile Rebellion adds great new features to a solid game, you can't help but wonder why these features weren't included from vanilla release. The expansion is overpriced if you already own the original game, there is alot of missed potential here: where are the new factions? new planet types? only 3 new ships per faction? The game is an addictive, fun, and challenging RTS, it does however still suffer from balancing issues.… Expand
  11. TedDawson
    Nov 7, 2019
    6
    Looking forward to a new incarnation of this game.
    Star Trek Armada 3 Mod is cool.
    Tutorial was not enough - Thanks to YouTube videos I learned how to play. Stopped playing because in late game is chaotic. The easy overview is missing - messages about Titans and Superweapons and you dont really know which sector is affected or in which system the enemy is. You have ti find the message,    Looking forward to a new incarnation of this game.
    Star Trek Armada 3 Mod is cool.
    Tutorial was not enough - Thanks to YouTube videos I learned how to play.
    Stopped playing because in late game is chaotic. The easy overview is missing - messages about Titans and Superweapons and you dont really know which sector is affected or in which system the enemy is.
    You have ti find the message, zoom out most of the time or use space to jump to the event but sometimes another event already happend...    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best PC Game of 2012
64
#64 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
40
#40 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Absolute Games
    Aug 30, 2012
    62
    Rebellion is clearly an improvement over the original Sins of a Solar Empire, but it's still a not very successful attempt to cross an RTS with a 4X strategy game.
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  2. GameCritics
    Aug 6, 2012
    75
    Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is a game I really wish I was more skilled at. I appreciate all the various aspects of gameplay and the depth that the combination of those aspects provides. Still, as my fellow critic Kristin Taylor might say, I was far too enamored with the construction of my newfangled Titan to react quickly enough to the raiders destroying my infrastructure. While it's a long, long way from being up my alley, it at least makes for a good spectator sport.
    Read full review
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Jul 31, 2012
    90
    Miles deep, loaded with options and gorgeous art, Sins: Rebellion is a great, genre-transcending strategy game. [Aug 2012, p.60]
See all critic reviews »