StarDrive 2

 PC
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 105 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 105
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 105
  3. Negative: 38 out of 105

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Vasot
    Apr 9, 2015
    9
    If you like Civilization style TBS games, but always wanted similar style empire building, but in space with amazing ship to ship combat. I highly recommend this game for anyone looking for a galactic empire building game featuring that "just one more turn" itch that some of the great 4x games of the past have offered. This is definitely a game that can keep you up late at night,If you like Civilization style TBS games, but always wanted similar style empire building, but in space with amazing ship to ship combat. I highly recommend this game for anyone looking for a galactic empire building game featuring that "just one more turn" itch that some of the great 4x games of the past have offered. This is definitely a game that can keep you up late at night, constantly clicking end turn just to see what lies ahead in the development and struggles of the star nation you've spent hours carefully building.
    Right from the start, you'll be faced with interesting events, encounters, and anomalies that will drive you to spread your chosen species farther out amongst the stars. You'll research interesting technologies, some of them unique to your species and others totally random in nature. You'll find valuable resources to claim through colonization and exploration. You'll design and build your own starships to conquer your enemies and protect all you've gained. You'll engage in diplomacy and espionage with/against a variety of interesting and unique alien species all with their own agendas. You'll meet minor species to either befriend, enslave, or exterminate.
    The combination of turn-based empire management with real-time space combat helps to break up the pace of the game into enjoyable yet distinct pieces. Being able to see a newly researched weapon help your ships blaze a path of destruction across an enemy fleet in real-time combat helps to tie the entire game together and makes it feel like every decision you've made matters. The ship designing and customization are definitely high points of Stardrive 2. The space combat is visually impressive and always fun to play. The ground combat is turn-based, with an X-Com Enemy Unknown feel to it, which I've come to really enjoy as an entirely separate mini-game within Stardrive 2.    … Expand
  2. psycros
    May 8, 2015
    5
    Stardrive 2 starts out with the enticing possibility that it really is a modern answer to MOO/MOO 2. It doesn't take very long to discover this isn't quite the case. The AI isn't just ultra-aggressive but also cheats more than just about any game in recent memory. Forget about winning - its impossible to even keep pace with the computer. And that's on the "easy" setting. Many aspectsStardrive 2 starts out with the enticing possibility that it really is a modern answer to MOO/MOO 2. It doesn't take very long to discover this isn't quite the case. The AI isn't just ultra-aggressive but also cheats more than just about any game in recent memory. Forget about winning - its impossible to even keep pace with the computer. And that's on the "easy" setting. Many aspects of the UI are vague and difficult to figure out as well as lacking polish and even the most basic of "smart" features. There are all sorts of side missions that recruited NPCs offer but they require playing an annoying turn-based tactical game ala Front Mission or X-COM..but at least you have a chance of beating them if you're careful. That's about the only victory you can hope to see in Stardrive 2 past the first couple of random encounters with space crystals or pirates. Even the galaxy maps aren't very friendly. If you have multiple fleets around a star its sometimes impossible to click on one of them because they display in the exact same position. There are a fair number of rough edges all round. Want to start a game with a custom race? That's a crashin'. Actually winning a space battle in hands-on mode (i.e. non-auto combat)? That's a crashin' more often than not. All that having been said, this is still an impressive effort from a small indie developer. The game probably just needs a bigger team and about another six months in the oven. The devotion to the 4X perfection of MOO2 is hugely appreciated and I have hopes that Stardrive 2 will be made playable in the near future. Right now its a bit of a mess. Sidenote: there's some bathroom language in at least one NPC dialog which seems totally out of place in a game like this (and most games, if I'm honest).… Expand
  3. ExtremistPain
    Feb 5, 2016
    0
    I do heavily enjoy this game. But I find it limited. I also find that its bugs make it unplayable. Here i am, 5 hours into a game, I've just lost 3 fleets and 2 planets. No no, don't misread, i wasn't defeated in battle. The enemy flew off the map and i was faced with a choice. let the battle play out, or end the match and sacrifice the match. I gave the first match like this 15 minutes,I do heavily enjoy this game. But I find it limited. I also find that its bugs make it unplayable. Here i am, 5 hours into a game, I've just lost 3 fleets and 2 planets. No no, don't misread, i wasn't defeated in battle. The enemy flew off the map and i was faced with a choice. let the battle play out, or end the match and sacrifice the match. I gave the first match like this 15 minutes, and no conclusion came. I am currently playing out the third match like this as i edit my review. Zero, the dev, has no intention of releasing a finished game, or even a playable game. This is just a cash grab by him. Why would i claim such? well Stardrive 1 wasn't particularly improved, but was just left as he started the project for SD2. The last patch notes Ive seen was released Nov 24, 2015. The game is on sale today for 7.49 usd. It isn't worth $2.00 usd. Fix this game Zero. I am ashamed to admit I actually thought you'd continue to support this game.… Expand
  4. FurballHer0
    Apr 10, 2015
    7
    I've got about 7 hours in so far,

    As a veteran of Imperium galactic series, Galactic Civ, and SD1 as well as a few others I have to say StarDrive 2 holds its head up high among its piers. the gameplay is fresh yet familiar. I have to admit I was leery of the new turn based system but in the scheme of things it makes sense and it's a welcomed addition. Currently I've restarted the    I've got about 7 hours in so far,

    As a veteran of Imperium galactic series, Galactic Civ, and SD1 as well as a few others I have to say StarDrive 2 holds its head up high among its piers.

    the gameplay is fresh yet familiar. I have to admit I was leery of the new turn based system but in the scheme of things it makes sense and it's a welcomed addition.

    Currently I've restarted the campaign 3 times as I wrap my head around some of the new mechanics and because my poor human civilization was blasted to death by alien scum - which means either I'm terrible at this game or it's hard, which is awesome!.

    The graphics are beautiful, especially the way space combat looks, the planets are all awesome looking as well, the new hex system and fresh.

    The mechanics of researching and building your fleet is pretty much the same as SD1, which is a good thing.

    Space combat is enjoyable and satisfying, nice big explosions and a slow motion mode too! One gripe I have in space combat is that weapons don't lead targets, they aim at where the target was, not at its expected position. Missiles don't turn to intercept targets instead they make weird turns trying to catch up to it... it all feels very unnatural and I hope it's addressed in a patch.

    When it comes to planet colonization, the variety of planets is massive making the whole experience of picking and choosing where you want to focus the new seeds of your civilization as engaging as it is important.

    I like the way they've handled the freighters. Moving food and colonists around really saves us from a lot of the needless planetary micro from SD1. However freighters are not controllable, combine that with the smaller fleet caps and it makes it difficult to protect freighters when your main fleet is off attacking or exploring, they will literally fly directly at an enemy and suicide themselves. We should be able to control freighters, either directly or give us the ability to force them to dock at the nearest planet until the enemy fleet is taken care of.

    Fleet Caps: I really don't see the point of fleet caps. Since each ship has an upkeep cost which in itself is the fleet cap, to compound that with an additional cap to me seems redundant. I like the idea of the fleet cap but instead of having it give you a monetary penalty, it might be more interesting if it gave you a penalty to ships rearm and repair rate, maybe even a damage dealing reduction to ships. Reasoning being they just aren't receiving the maintenance they should.

    Ground combat. The research and upgrades aspect of it is well thought out and implemented however the actual ground combat is meek, it needs a re-tune. If it would have followed in the footsteps of Fallout 2 or X-COM it would have been amazing! But currently, weapons have a hard limit of minimum and maximum ranges,

    Covert Ops: Works similar to the first one, but different enough to be fresh, that being said I think it needs a re-tune. I have 5 spy's doing counter espionage which is the max and I'm still getting tech stolen from me every few turns, which is really quite frustrating. Perhaps remove the spy caps for home defense?

    Spatial anomalies, these are quite fun and new, really enjoying them so far and is a very welcomed addition.

    Interface: interface is well designed, lots of tooltips and the information is easy to understand and readily available in most circumstances. A few gripes I have, on the planetary screen, when cycling from planet to planet via the arrows - every time you click to go to a different planet, the arrows location move to a slightly different spot, making cycling planets in this way annoying, and dizzying. If a fleet is hovering over a planet, the planet under the fleet becomes un clickable, there's also a few other minor annoyances that needs that little bit extra polish.

    Overall, StarDrive2 is an engaging experience and I will surely play many more hours of it as I attempt to conquer the universe however as much as I like it, it's not quite there yet. everything seems 70-80%. It just needs one more good thick coat of polish to make this game really shine.    … Expand
  5. Koblihozrout
    Apr 12, 2015
    6
    It's basically a Master of Orion 2 clone, but it's worse in pretty much every aspect, except maybe combat. It only made me want to play MoO2 again, for it's better UI, less tedious micro demands and better game design depth.

    The game is playable, the AI is not disastrous (as is very common for 4x genre), but it feels like early raw alpha version. It feels like it was released year too    It's basically a Master of Orion 2 clone, but it's worse in pretty much every aspect, except maybe combat. It only made me want to play MoO2 again, for it's better UI, less tedious micro demands and better game design depth.

    The game is playable, the AI is not disastrous (as is very common for 4x genre), but it feels like early raw alpha version. It feels like it was released year too early. Shame I would really love a good MoO clone.    … Expand
  6. JERupp
    Jun 18, 2015
    0
    He didn't finish his first game, and he didn't finish this one. I honestly don't know why I thought it would be different this time around.

    He's a scammer, plain and simple.
  7. Int
    May 30, 2015
    1
    Good first impression was ruined by insane amount of bugs and game incompleteness overall. Even no end screen, game just hangs on global map after last enemy elimination (the only victory condition). Ground combat is a joke. 12 FPS in mass battles on i72600k/GTX970/8Gb ram system. No desktop crashes, thanks for that, yet bugs are everywhere. Even after 5-6 patches and 7 (seven) weeksGood first impression was ruined by insane amount of bugs and game incompleteness overall. Even no end screen, game just hangs on global map after last enemy elimination (the only victory condition). Ground combat is a joke. 12 FPS in mass battles on i72600k/GTX970/8Gb ram system. No desktop crashes, thanks for that, yet bugs are everywhere. Even after 5-6 patches and 7 (seven) weeks since release. Bugs known on first day still there. And what disappointing most, developer playing games instead of fixing bugs. A LOT. Right now he just officially abandoned patching to play Witcher 3. Doubt it will be even properly patched someday, not to mention any development.… Expand
  8. Animorganimate
    Apr 18, 2015
    4
    In short, StarDrive 2 is very shallow for a modern 4X space game. Its main focus is combat, which isn't necessarily a problem, but when that combat requires the same rush-tactics each game, StarDrive 2 feels less like a 4X game and more like a turn-based Starcraft clone. Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you're looking for more strategy and more than one dimension in yourIn short, StarDrive 2 is very shallow for a modern 4X space game. Its main focus is combat, which isn't necessarily a problem, but when that combat requires the same rush-tactics each game, StarDrive 2 feels less like a 4X game and more like a turn-based Starcraft clone. Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you're looking for more strategy and more than one dimension in your 4X games, StarDrive 2 should be a last resort. I'm giving it a 4 because I do think it can be improved, if only slightly. Here's hoping the developer puts the work in required to make StarDrive 2 more like a 4X and less like a chore.… Expand
  9. Rellin
    Apr 13, 2015
    6
    I would not recommend this game at this time. Ship design has been dumbed down with much less flexibility and therefore much less depth. You can not determine the directions face as an example, it is based on where the weapon is located on the ship. The new "instanced" combat windows where battles take place are much less fun and strategic than the first version of this game.I would not recommend this game at this time. Ship design has been dumbed down with much less flexibility and therefore much less depth. You can not determine the directions face as an example, it is based on where the weapon is located on the ship. The new "instanced" combat windows where battles take place are much less fun and strategic than the first version of this game. Performance is still extremely terrible during large late game battles. Racial hull sizes are not balanced by any inherent bonuses to smaller hulls, therefore the races with the largest hulls that can fit the most stuff on them are the strongest. In addition, "command points" limit the number of ships you can field and races with smaller ships of the same class, e.g. Battleships, for two given races where one is much larger than the other still cost the same amount of command points to field. I feel like most of the random map generation settings, which are limited in the first place, are largely non-functional. If you choose an ultra-fertile galaxy, you will not find it to be ultra-fertile, but still largely barren and uncolonizable. The game does not save your previous game settings, so if you are like me, and restart until you get a good starting system, it takes many click and slider adjustments to restart the map over and over.

    I may change this review later, but because Zer0, the only dev for this game, abandoned development of the previous title, Stardrive 1, before the performance was fixed, multiplayer was added, and other unfinished quests and bugs, I have little hope that this game will ever meet my expectations. I wish I had not bought it.

    All that said, it is decent, not terrible or great, but decent, but I would recommend something else instead such as GalCiv3 which I am sure will be much better than this upon release.    … Expand
  10. LittleHooah
    Apr 13, 2015
    6
    I won't be as radical as the fools that vote a game 10/10 or 0/10 but i'll be fair. If you played and enjoyed SD1 you'll be probably disappointed, a lot.

    The main problem of the game is that (as 1.00 release) it still unfinished: an UI that misses a lot of crucial infos, a very basic and lacking fleet control, a very basic and lacking ship building (totally dumbed down and "nerfed" in    I won't be as radical as the fools that vote a game 10/10 or 0/10 but i'll be fair. If you played and enjoyed SD1 you'll be probably disappointed, a lot.

    The main problem of the game is that (as 1.00 release) it still unfinished: an UI that misses a lot of crucial infos, a very basic and lacking fleet control, a very basic and lacking ship building (totally dumbed down and "nerfed" in respect of SD1), an extremely controversial diplomacy and much more. Every game that you play you find things that shouldn't be there or, more commonly, should be.

    I recommend to buy it 6 months from now. That's a beta not a release game. Maybe this time we'll get a multiplayer (not included now) ? Or the Dev is gonna dump even this game to work at SD 3 ? We'll see.    … Expand
  11. Zanteogo
    Apr 19, 2015
    6
    This game is a mixed bag.

    It's not a bad game, but I find it's a game with missing potential. The graphics are nice, the UI is crisp. The game shines with space combat. However, it's lacking in many other areas. The game is way too war and combat focused. If you want to build an empire and have mostly peaceful relations with a war or two mixed in, this is not the game for you. Not    This game is a mixed bag.

    It's not a bad game, but I find it's a game with missing potential. The graphics are nice, the UI is crisp.

    The game shines with space combat. However, it's lacking in many other areas.

    The game is way too war and combat focused. If you want to build an empire and have mostly peaceful relations with a war or two mixed in, this is not the game for you. Not yet anyhow.

    All the systems in place are designed to make you, sooner or later, to be at war with most of the galaxy. Diplomacy has some base flaws, once the AI starts to dislike you, you can never really build up any sort of relations. Every AI will start to dislike you at some point, thanks to an over harsh expansion relations penalty. The AI will also start sending colony ships to take the toxic "useless" worlds in the middle of your core space. This puts giant holes in the middle of your empire that will frustrate you to no end. You are left with no real options but to declare war and take these worlds from them. (and further increasing your "expansion" penalty) The AI can for some reason fly around your core space and you can do nothing but go to war. (while the AI is able to attack you without going to war in THIER core space...)

    Another annoying flaw is that, though the AI does not cheat with production and research at normal difficulty level, the AI does play by special rules. It can see the whole galaxy from the start, it has special rules that apply to it's borders, and other strangeness.

    I do give the sole programmer of this game credit, he has been patching this game like mad since release to remove the (fairly limited) number of bugs and to balance the space combat. I really hope he turns his attention to make the game more "open" to other play styles rather than the "attack everyone!!" style all my games have forced me into.    … Expand
  12. Szlomka
    Apr 20, 2015
    0
    StarDrive 2 isn't innovative and does not pretend to be. It aims to deliver the Master of Orion II experience. The idea, the main premise of the game is taken fully from a successful past title. So can't really praise for creativity here. We all know this type of game.

    First off the game requires the terrible invasive steam drm, at the time fo writing this it's not available on any drm    StarDrive 2 isn't innovative and does not pretend to be. It aims to deliver the Master of Orion II experience. The idea, the main premise of the game is taken fully from a successful past title. So can't really praise for creativity here. We all know this type of game.

    First off the game requires the terrible invasive steam drm, at the time fo writing this it's not available on any drm free sites.

    The AI in game as is right now buries it, time and again poking You in the eye with it's blatantly one dimensional choices, breaking immersion by constantly reminding that You are up against an algorithm. Get ready for non stop war, arbitrary visible values that force diplomacy into the ground. You will constantly have irrational AI requests, always leading to war, somewhat understandable in a game that has only domination through conquest as a victory condition, You will always have silly brackets preventing You from doing large exchanges of tech and/or resources, on the one hand preventing You from breaking the system by effectively benefiting from say 2 races research.. but on the other hand preventing You also from effectively using a more relaxed mechanic to stop the "strong starter" races dominating Your game.

    There are longish periods to it where chain clicking "next turn" is pretty much the only recourse.

    Again the AI is such an insult to the otherwise finely done space combat... where once You learn the enemy ships attack in the same pattern .. never taking advantage of the numerous possible ship-builds.. You will quickly figure out designs to benefit the terrible lack of I in the AI.

    Content.. there is so little of it.. the GNN messages just don't spice it up enough, nor are they witty enough (especially read for the umpteenth time). So much more fun fluff could be added here. There are some good ideas: the Rambowl springs to mind, whose little storyline was quite refreshingly fun, the little touches of references say "Zapp Groening - daring idiot" or the "Goonswarm" - perk on a planet. These are good, but there just isn't enough of them to fill the game.

    Maybe StarDrive 3 will be worthy of recommendation. I'll certainly take a look.

    SD2, so far, is just a skeleton. Judging by some angry reviewers pointing at SD1... it will remain this way.    … Expand
  13. Eysteinh
    Apr 17, 2015
    6
    This review is after 1 week of playing. The game very much captures the spirit of Master of orion 2. However it is lacking some features of that game like: Hall of fame, Score and end game victory conditions and MP. What it improves upon MOO2 is the diplomacy system (due to tolerance), different designs for different races (albeit not very balanced), a real time combat system in a turnThis review is after 1 week of playing. The game very much captures the spirit of Master of orion 2. However it is lacking some features of that game like: Hall of fame, Score and end game victory conditions and MP. What it improves upon MOO2 is the diplomacy system (due to tolerance), different designs for different races (albeit not very balanced), a real time combat system in a turn based game and finally the races feel much more unqiue than the MOO2 races. Overall I have had good fun with the game and it is worth its price point so I give it a score of 6/10. With expansion packs fixing the missing features this game can easily become a 8-9 or even 10/10.… Expand
  14. JxP
    Apr 16, 2015
    4
    Diplomacy is nonexistent, poor UI, and it seems like a lot is just recycled from the first one. I might recommend this game if the developer had a record of supporting it's products, but it doesn't (see SD 1). The game has potential, but the developer is probably already working on SD3 and this one might not see much improvement. I hope I am wrong on that though.
  15. Djatwork
    Apr 13, 2015
    8
    Being that 4x games are by far my favourite genre, i have to say SD2 did a good job.
    Yes there where some problems at launch but the developer is actively fixing the minor bugs and participating on numerous forums to get info. This is also a big + to me.
    Keep in mind that this game also has the ease of Modding built into it, this is a great achievement if you ask me, you do not need a    Being that 4x games are by far my favourite genre, i have to say SD2 did a good job.
    Yes there where some problems at launch but the developer is actively fixing the minor bugs and participating on numerous forums to get info. This is also a big + to me.
    Keep in mind that this game also has the ease of Modding built into it, this is a great achievement if you ask me, you do not need a lot of knowledge to mod the game. Besides the dev is actively helping you with mods and trouble shooting.

    Back to the game.
    The game definitely fits in the ranks together with MoO2, Imperium Galactica, etc. It went back to the roots of 4X and how 4x games should be. Yes it could use a bit more fixes and tweaks and maybe some more content but this is also a personal feeling, is it ever enough?    … Expand
  16. KiwiTracker
    Apr 15, 2015
    8
    This game is a lot of fun! If you are in to 4x games, definitely check this one out! It is what space combat games should have been for the past few years, and coming from such a small development team; kudos.

    The best part about this game is the level of customization. You can name any planets, units, race, etc. You can customize the loudest of your fleets (down to the ship!) or land    This game is a lot of fun! If you are in to 4x games, definitely check this one out! It is what space combat games should have been for the past few years, and coming from such a small development team; kudos.

    The best part about this game is the level of customization. You can name any planets, units, race, etc. You can customize the loudest of your fleets (down to the ship!) or land units (down to their individual equipment!.) This aspect alone makes for massive replay value.

    The factions are fun, distinct, and interesting, and the story line is 100% yours to dictate.

    The learning curve isn't too steep and the AI is challenging.

    The graphics are (meh) but nothing to complain about and the game overall is rather quiet. Meaning not a lot of voice acting (well pretty much none) and no unique sounds for the races.

    Overall a solid game, good combat, and lots of replayability.    … Expand
  17. norvil-khee
    May 1, 2015
    9
    First of all: I played Stardrive 1, and yes I was disappointed in how it got "abandoned" by its creator after a few patches.

    However, after having played this title lots of hours, I can at least confirm it gets very close to the Moo2 experience back in the 90s. Also I have only encountered one bug so far (naming ships sometimes broken, that is). The UI is not as bad as some people say.    First of all: I played Stardrive 1, and yes I was disappointed in how it got "abandoned" by its creator after a few patches.

    However, after having played this title lots of hours, I can at least confirm it gets very close to the Moo2 experience back in the 90s. Also I have only encountered one bug so far (naming ships sometimes broken, that is).
    The UI is not as bad as some people say. Issueing orders for ships, switching from star map to planet view, redistributing workers and back to star map all works very smoothly. Ship design UI is understandable and easy. Only thing I am missing is detailed tech info when I am researching new ship modules for example.

    Updates and patches come in nineteen to the dozen and all in all it seems the dev has learned from previous mistakes. I keep my hopes up that he will stay focused on this one rather than thinkning about Stardrive 3 already :]

    I would give a 7. But as 7 is disappointingly yellow'ish and to counter some of the ridiculously low scores here, I'll go for a 9.

    TLDR: you loved moo2? play this one.    … Expand
  18. gamegremlin
    Apr 12, 2015
    0
    This game is a waste. It crashes, suffers from frame rate issues. There is no way you can play a big galaxy. The AI cheats and is always a war game because the AI will attack you as soon as it can and that is on easy.
    It only allows single player and the diplomacy for that is terrible. I can not believe I wasted my money on this.
  19. ravinblade
    Apr 10, 2015
    1
    In response: StarDrive 2 has crashing issues right off the bat, very thorough alpha and beta testing done to be sure. StarDrive 2 has very limited Diplomacy options for a game that is only Single Player. StarDrive 2 has again a bad U.I. that is causing players problems. Also StarDrive 2 was made possible only by the funds gathered by Stardrive 1 that was never finished properly, noIn response: StarDrive 2 has crashing issues right off the bat, very thorough alpha and beta testing done to be sure. StarDrive 2 has very limited Diplomacy options for a game that is only Single Player. StarDrive 2 has again a bad U.I. that is causing players problems. Also StarDrive 2 was made possible only by the funds gathered by Stardrive 1 that was never finished properly, no Kick-starter, no pre-release.… Expand
  20. Youngblood-52
    Apr 27, 2015
    2
    Meh...there are better out there. The UI is not very user-friendly. The combat is bland with ships rotating around each other. It just seems like not a lot of effort was put into the game play. The game "looks" ok but just isn't very fun.
  21. ConstantineXI
    Apr 15, 2015
    7
    This is a review of SD2, not SD1. I fully understand the frustrations over SD1 since I played it through development and release. SD2 does not feel like a full sequel to me due to the limited time in development between the two titles and the large amount of reused assets.

    That said, this is a good space 4x game that should please fans of the genre. I have played almost every 4x game    This is a review of SD2, not SD1. I fully understand the frustrations over SD1 since I played it through development and release. SD2 does not feel like a full sequel to me due to the limited time in development between the two titles and the large amount of reused assets.

    That said, this is a good space 4x game that should please fans of the genre.

    I have played almost every 4x game ever released, and many of the modern crop, including many of the more recent space 4x games. SD2 is easily the best of the modern space 4x games from the last few years, and certainly stands in the company of other top space 4x games. It has the majority of features expected of the genre. It has wonderful graphics and sounds. It includes tactical space and ground combat. It features some new and innovative ideas that are new or uncommon in the genre. While many of these features have rough edges, there is really no reason for this game to be getting a bottom tier score. It is a far more complete experience than most of the other recent space 4x games.

    There have already been several balance patches, and I expect more to come. The mod scene is also getting moving, which should help expand the game. If Zero continues to refine the game, and expands it a bit with some additional content, then SD2 will clearly be a top tier space 4x. Once the base game is improved a bit, there is even room for DLC and expansions, which I would be willing to pay for (assuming the base game is fixed this time, unlike SD1).

    My favorite parts of the game:
    - Instanced combat. I liked the liveliness of SD1's real time galaxy, but I greatly prefer the turn based strategic layer, which feels far less frantic and twitch-focused. Ground combat is also greatly improved by having a separate mode.
    - Exploration / Experience. The universe feels interesting, with plenty of different surprises to be found. This could be improved with a larger amount of content so that you don't see the same storyline missions every game.

    Things to improve:
    - Diplomacy. There are some good systems in place, but it still lacks some basic options.
    - Victory conditions. This is very limited and forces you to play for conquest. Really needs some other paths to victory.

    I'm far more excited about this game than Galactic Civilizations 3, which looks to be far less exciting and innovative than SD2. Hopefully it will sell well enough for Zero to keep improving it.    … Expand
  22. evilgenius76
    Apr 10, 2015
    1
    The title does not live up to it's hype.

    It has a tendency to crash and the UI is not easy to work with. Maps are really to small for any sort of exploration mindset and the AI is immediately aggressive with the user. The shipbuilding design feature is overly complex for the end result.

    There are much better games out there for the money, this is another try and fail moo2 clone.
  23. CrazyDays21
    Apr 10, 2015
    1
    Not really thrilled with the release of Stardrive 2. The UI is non-intuitive. I've experienced random crashes. When doing Diplomacy I have had the game hang. Combat is slow and laggy. Until these items (and many more according to the Steam Forum posts) are fixed and the game is more stable, it's a pass.
  24. Durandle
    Apr 10, 2015
    9
    All round good game. I like the combat and the ship design most. Not a fan of how insanely aggressive the AI is, but that can be tweaked or worked with, since the StarDrive mod community is fairly active.
  25. abydos21
    Apr 10, 2015
    1
    I enjoyed SD1 but not enjoying SD2. What I've found:

    1. Game freezes periodically and have to restart 2. Troop transports not working correctly 3. Even easy difficulty is way hard 4. AI cheats 5. Tooltips half covered by other UI elements sometimes 6. In battle area, if you win or lose the battle, the campaign doesn't forward and you have to restart game As a result I cannot    I enjoyed SD1 but not enjoying SD2. What I've found:

    1. Game freezes periodically and have to restart
    2. Troop transports not working correctly
    3. Even easy difficulty is way hard
    4. AI cheats
    5. Tooltips half covered by other UI elements sometimes
    6. In battle area, if you win or lose the battle, the campaign doesn't forward and you have to restart game

    As a result I cannot recommend this game until these issues are fixed.    … Expand
  26. FireStorm1010
    Apr 13, 2015
    9
    Simply put , for me, SD2 is the game i was waiting for each time the new 4 x games disspointed. Its imho a very good game, below in points:
    1-The AI is hard and fun . Again let me stress how great this is , to have a good AI , in todays times when 4x games are usually released with broken AIs.
    2-The galaxy is colourful and alive. You got events, heroes, mini quests, space monsters.Also    Simply put , for me, SD2 is the game i was waiting for each time the new 4 x games disspointed. Its imho a very good game, below in points:
    1-The AI is hard and fun . Again let me stress how great this is , to have a good AI , in todays times when 4x games are usually released with broken AIs.
    2-The galaxy is colourful and alive. You got events, heroes, mini quests, space monsters.Also there is alot fo humour.
    3- The ship designing is one of the best in any 4x games ever. It got a bit simplified compared to SD1, but its still miles ahead of anything out there.
    3-Real time combats are fun and pretty..
    4- Contrary to some of the reviews i read here, it was rock solid on my computer and overal fairly polished. I didnt have 1 crash in my 25 hours so far, some minor bugs. It also run smootly but i got a rather good rig, I7 and gf 970gtx, there are some posts on forums about big battles lag, so it might be a problem if you got a slow computer.
    5- The tech tree is much bigger then in SD1 and got nice, inventive stuff. New stuff usually isnt just bigger and better but also some different abilities.
    6- The graphics and music are great.
    7- The UI imho is for the most part very intuitive. Some of it is abit annoying for me.
    8--The diplomacy is imho very transparent with a great tolerance system. Simply put thanks to tolerance you cant just do to many deals at once with a new or unfriendly race. You got to build the trust overtime.

    On the minus side for me:
    1- Some stuff need balancing badly.
    2- Some people complain its very war/combat oriented which imho it is. But Its how i like it:)

    So again ,imho its a great 4x game.    … Expand
  27. Noctifer
    Apr 10, 2015
    10
    Really enjoy this game, it feels like there is finally a 4x game that followed in the footsteps of MOO, while still thinking outside the box. UI is clean and easy, complexity is in the choices not the interface. The races feel both unique and clear. Ship design is very fun, combat is good enough. Ground combat is ok, an added bonus the dev threw in that's not as polished but fun andReally enjoy this game, it feels like there is finally a 4x game that followed in the footsteps of MOO, while still thinking outside the box. UI is clean and easy, complexity is in the choices not the interface. The races feel both unique and clear. Ship design is very fun, combat is good enough. Ground combat is ok, an added bonus the dev threw in that's not as polished but fun and optional. Some reviewers with bad scores seem upset by a previous game (which I liked in spite of the bugs), this is not that game (so wish they'd leave their reviews for that one in that game's area), this is nice, polished, and so far (6 hours in) bug free.… Expand
  28. edda
    Apr 13, 2015
    10
    Good value. Been playing constantly since release and I have only run into one bug which was fixed about the same time as I ran into it. Which I did not realize until I reloaded the game the day after release. I never closed out on day 1.

    Some moo2 features are missing, not a fan of the ground combat. But otherwise I am more than happy. It improves on moo2 in some areas. The AI is    Good value. Been playing constantly since release and I have only run into one bug which was fixed about the same time as I ran into it. Which I did not realize until I reloaded the game the day after release. I never closed out on day 1.

    Some moo2 features are missing, not a fan of the ground combat. But otherwise I am more than happy. It improves on moo2 in some areas. The AI is about as aggressive as I remember moo2 being if you are weak. AI is weak tech wise.

    Diplomacy, interface and AI is better than Moo2. Ship combat on hard is still a bit easy. Your custom designs combined with human tactics will over whelm even 3 to 1 odds. Which makes the highly aggressive AI essential in stopping you from smashing each race in turn too early in the game. Yes I know this contradicts other reviews but this is how both my recent games have panned out. I do still have to avoid some of the master fleets but everything else is usually easy prey if you get your designs right.    … Expand
  29. abonka
    May 1, 2015
    10
    A sweet game that I have been waiting on for a long time.
    Not alla features are there yet, but the developer is working 24/7 to implement those that the community wishes for.
    So on some months I think the game will be absolutely perfect, with a lot of different end game options and ways to conquer the stars! The high scores is based on the developers high ambitions and good respons to    A sweet game that I have been waiting on for a long time.
    Not alla features are there yet, but the developer is working 24/7 to implement those that the community wishes for.
    So on some months I think the game will be absolutely perfect, with a lot of different end game options and ways to conquer the stars!

    The high scores is based on the developers high ambitions and good respons to the players!    … Expand
  30. ImSpartacus
    Aug 31, 2015
    3
    This game is not finished and never will be. It has many, many problems. It looks decent at first, but play on if you must - the farther you advance the more obvious and game - breaking the problems become. There has been no significant improvement after the first two weeks of release until now - more than 4 months later.

    It is the developer's second game and the second time the    This game is not finished and never will be. It has many, many problems. It looks decent at first, but play on if you must - the farther you advance the more obvious and game - breaking the problems become. There has been no significant improvement after the first two weeks of release until now - more than 4 months later.

    It is the developer's second game and the second time the developer has released an unfinished mess and then walked away - after calling his customers insane morons and many other names both in his forums here and on twitter. Buyer beware.    … Expand
  31. StrategyAddict
    Apr 13, 2015
    9
    I'm giving StarDrive 2 eight points, because it shines in many aspects and we've not had a 4X-Game that shiny for a long time. The ninth point is given, because of the many zero point reviews just because of release version crashes. I find those unjustified, since it's pretty normal for any game to become more stable after some patches.

    One point remains missing because SD2 sadly does    I'm giving StarDrive 2 eight points, because it shines in many aspects and we've not had a 4X-Game that shiny for a long time. The ninth point is given, because of the many zero point reviews just because of release version crashes. I find those unjustified, since it's pretty normal for any game to become more stable after some patches.

    One point remains missing because SD2 sadly does not support multiplayer, which is undoubtedly it's biggest flaw.

    StarDrive 2 probably has the nicest graphics of all comparable games. I would even go so far and say, that it's our new leader of the competition for single player.

    Comparing SD 2 with Sins of a Solar Empire, you can say it has much more depth in planet development and ground combat. Compared with Endless Space, it has much nicer space battles.

    A special innovation might be that it combines XCom-Like tactic ground battles with space based 4X. Overall, I think it's a very round experience, combining aspects of many games in a polished package. So, I'm very glad, we have this addition to the genre.    … Expand
  32. TyPin
    Apr 14, 2015
    8
    As an old MoO2 Veteran I have long waited for such a game. I always said, just take MoO2 and overhaul the graphics and you got yourself and new well selling product. Well... and here it is^^

    I often tell myself, let's play for an hour... and I end up playing 3 hours without even realizing. If you have played and liked MoO2, you will like this game too. It plays very much the same. But    As an old MoO2 Veteran I have long waited for such a game. I always said, just take MoO2 and overhaul the graphics and you got yourself and new well selling product. Well... and here it is^^

    I often tell myself, let's play for an hour... and I end up playing 3 hours without even realizing. If you have played and liked MoO2, you will like this game too. It plays very much the same. But is improved in several areas.

    The Ship Designing is very interesting and offers a huge variety of ways to customize your ships and fleets. Battles don't seem very tactical in the beginning, but I have won several hugely outnumbered battles after the 3rd try or so by changing and adapting the positioning and behavior of my ships. So tactics do indeed play a significant role. Ground combat though is horrible in this game. I let the AI fight the battles out. I do not wanna be bothered with that horrid part of the game.

    The empire management is pretty much the same as in MoO2 and feels okay. Even if the UI looks different. However, I sometimes wish, as I also did playing MoO2, to have my buildings categorized as to find easier, what I wanna build, instead of scrolling through a huge list of build options. Unlike MoO2, your freighters (which also serve as troop transporters) are existent in the game world and can be attacked. A concept I really love.

    In research you pick one out of up to 3 technologies on a certain level in a certain tech category. The others, once your pick has been researched, can not be researched any more and you continue on the next level. A concept well known to MoO2 players. It makes you need to pick well and flush out your strategies in advance. Do you wanna focus on a certain aspect in your empire and your fleets? Or do you wanna go a more balance approach. Both is possible and you always can trade or steal other technologies, which you missed. If you don't like to be forced to choose, then pick the "creative" trait in the race design and you will have access to all technologies.

    Diplomacy has a very interesting system with tolerance as a kind of diplomatic recourse, which allows or limits diplomatic actions. Other than that, it is the same as in other games. But it feels very good and the AI has so far never surprised me in its behavior.

    There are many more features in the game and over all it is a well balanced out game, that takes the feeling of MoO2 and presents it very beautifully. I had read some reviews and comments complaining about over aggressive AI and impossible to win battles due to hugely superior AI armies. Personally I can not confirm that. Some AI races are indeed very aggressive, but this fits well within their race design and should be expected.

    The game has but still some bugs and suffers from inconsistent UI button placement, that makes maneuvering through the UI a bit hard at times. You also easily overlook that a planet has nothing to build or that you run out of money. The AI makes stupid decisions sometimes and needs an overhaul in tactical combat too imho.

    So in the end, although I really really love this game, a 10/10 would be too much. Certain bugs, AI issues and UI problems accumulate and can sometimes really break the feel of the game. So I'd rate it but with a solid 8/10. It is a very good game with even more potential once the bug/UI/AI issues as well as the horrible ground combat are fixed.    … Expand
  33. Remrrg
    Apr 28, 2015
    8
    OK I will make this short and sweet

    Pros + Space battles are fun to watch and control! + Diplomacy is good + customizing your ships! + Visuals are amazing (for some parts kind of iffy) + planets are highly detailed and it has a Galactic Civil feel. + Ground battles are intresting + Music is good! Cons - Minor bugs. i had a funny glitch where I could control the invaders.    OK I will make this short and sweet

    Pros

    + Space battles are fun to watch and control!
    + Diplomacy is good
    + customizing your ships!
    + Visuals are amazing (for some parts kind of iffy)
    + planets are highly detailed and it has a Galactic Civil feel.
    + Ground battles are intresting
    + Music is good!

    Cons

    - Minor bugs. i had a funny glitch where I could control the invaders.
    - has a low end Xcom feel (ground battle.) it would be better if they added a cover system.
    - the models are not that detailed for the races but its good enough

    So in conclusion, this game is fun as hell and has tons of replayability but it has a minor set backs.

    So therefore i would give it a 8/10 for its ground battle.    … Expand
  34. staka
    Apr 26, 2015
    10
    there will be some review that user are complaining about AI and diplomacy but developer are patching constantly and they are going to right direction. many of reviewer are already writing what kind of game is this so i don't write about it much.

    i don't know how i can explain, sometimes many of 4x games are feels like i'm reading the number on the paper and full of inorganic data but    there will be some review that user are complaining about AI and diplomacy but developer are patching constantly and they are going to right direction. many of reviewer are already writing what kind of game is this so i don't write about it much.

    i don't know how i can explain, sometimes many of 4x games are feels like i'm reading the number on the paper and full of inorganic data but this game makes me feels more emotion and life from the creator. this game is already great play feels but i believe this game can be masterpiece if creator decided to release one or two expansion.    … Expand
  35. vezon
    May 6, 2015
    8
    After reading some bad reviews, I just had to write myself one. In most of those reviews they share opinion's based on lies (facts that are not in the game).
    In a nutshell, this is a Master of Orion II Clone, HD remake or whatever u want to call it (even the devs makes reference about that in-game).
    I just grabbed Orion II again and played it as well to be sure I'm not talking *** like    After reading some bad reviews, I just had to write myself one. In most of those reviews they share opinion's based on lies (facts that are not in the game).
    In a nutshell, this is a Master of Orion II Clone, HD remake or whatever u want to call it (even the devs makes reference about that in-game).
    I just grabbed Orion II again and played it as well to be sure I'm not talking *** like others, relying on 20years old subjective memories.
    The UI + graphics are improved and ok for todays standards.
    The diplomacy way more improved, again ok for todays standards (I like the new tolerance system).
    The AI needs tweaking, but the devs are hard at work with patches.
    The biggest difference is the battle, its a nice realtime battle but also here lays my biggest complain: the control of the battles, no fire on hold, separate gun targets etc. Hope the devs will do a patch for it.
    It's not a 10, but definitely a good remake. If u want to play a Moo Clone again for old time sake and till u wait for GalCiv3 then go for it, or if u never had the opportunity for Orion1,2 and u are a 4X strategy fan, again go for it. For the rest there is nothing new.
    PS. I can't compare it with SD1, only with Orion1,2,3, SpaceEmpireIV, V, GalactivCiv1,2, SoS1,2, Civilization 1-5, and lot more (u get the idea) out of which for me Orion1 is the king.    … Expand
  36. Emphatic
    Apr 17, 2015
    8
    A true successor to MoO2, challenging and thoroughly enjoyable, any true 4x fan will enjoy this series. Builds upon Star drive, this game really comes into its own and stands tall among its peers.
  37. theirrelephants
    Mar 7, 2016
    6
    Better than the first game, still not nearly as good as it could have been. It's trying to be a successor to Master of Orion, and it keeps getting closer and closer with each game - but it still isn't there yet. He also seems to have a problem with actually finishing his games, releasing them well before promised features are implemented - and then NEVER IMPLEMENTING THEM (thats why it'sBetter than the first game, still not nearly as good as it could have been. It's trying to be a successor to Master of Orion, and it keeps getting closer and closer with each game - but it still isn't there yet. He also seems to have a problem with actually finishing his games, releasing them well before promised features are implemented - and then NEVER IMPLEMENTING THEM (thats why it's a 6 instead of a 7).

    The actual game play was improved over the first one... buuuut, the AI is still pretty bad (but better than in the 1st game) and UI is better.

    You will see people in the reviews complaining about tough AI. Ignore them, they are bad at the game. The AI is only tough on your first run through. After that, you should be able to beat it on the 2nd hardest difficulty with only few to moderate problems. Following that, beating it on the hardest difficulty is pathetically easy.

    Spoilers: Build missile ships. The AI's laser ships will never get within range to hit you, making battles stupidly lopsided in your favor. I was consistently destroying massive armadas with a handful of ships.

    The worst part was the attempted humor by whoever wrote the galactic robot/news guy. Holy crap was that irritating and cringe worthy. I hope the developer fire whoever did that, or alternatively hire someone who can actually write if he did it himself.    … Expand
  38. TheOmegaMan
    May 28, 2015
    9
    Review is current per ver 1.1a
    With the latest patch fixing many gameplay and bug issues this is NOW a awesome game with a ton of potential. Best tactical space combat in any 4x game. Combines the best parts of Moo, Moo2, Gal Civ and other 4x games. -1 point for bug/ things need to be patched or fleshed out (occasional Crashes) and fixed but with future mods an patches this game with    Review is current per ver 1.1a
    With the latest patch fixing many gameplay and bug issues this is NOW a awesome game with a ton of potential. Best tactical space combat in any 4x game. Combines the best parts of Moo, Moo2, Gal Civ and other 4x games. -1 point for bug/ things need to be patched or fleshed out (occasional Crashes) and fixed but with future mods an patches this game with last years of fun.    … Expand
  39. Loyal_V
    May 8, 2015
    9
    TLDR: superb and engaging.

    Long version: A month after release and much has been done via patches to address community concerns for diplomacy, weapon balance, tweaks, and AI which is excellent and punished the weak (some people are just bad at 4X). As it stands, the single dev is absorbing and responding to all feedback and incorporating new options.changes regularly. I recommend    TLDR: superb and engaging.

    Long version: A month after release and much has been done via patches to address community concerns for diplomacy, weapon balance, tweaks, and AI which is excellent and punished the weak (some people are just bad at 4X). As it stands, the single dev is absorbing and responding to all feedback and incorporating new options.changes regularly.

    I recommend this because it's the closet thing to a MOO2 successor yet. Clean and intuitive UI, detailed ship design (although not as detailed as SD1), punishing AI which separates the 4X players from the casuals, interesting enemies and ships and many varied galactic map events. Great graphics and effects, the galaxy map is gorgeous. Outside of the sandbox game there is a ship battle arena where you can design ships and fight with them, good for testing things out.

    Mod support with guides from the dev and a helpful community, this is a very enjoyable game and I've personally had no crashes or bugs in 40+ hours.

    I suggest even those who posted negative reviews based upon the release version, and especially those who are sore over SD1 and try to poison SD2, to try the game again now.    … Expand
  40. Baldonus
    Apr 6, 2016
    5
    The game is good, with unique mechanics from StarDrive 1. Unfortunately, game experience is often ruined by bugs, fleet battles that go at 1/2 fps even with a good pc setup, and shows a game that is now tested.
    From the concept, I like it, from the execution, it's far from a professional game on Unity, game crashes often.

Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Jun 14, 2015
    82
    Close to greatness, needs an end game. Like the original Galactic Council. [June 2015]
  2. Everyeye.it
    May 29, 2015
    70
    If you like 4X strategy, this might be very interesting. It lacks multiplayer, but it makes up for it with many customizing options for single player games. Sometimes it lacks balancing, but the gameplay is still very compelling.
    Read full review
  3. Gamer.nl
    May 17, 2015
    70
    Stardrive 2 is a pretty good turn-based science-fiction RTS. An extensive tutorial takes you away to a fantastic milky way where you are a galactic colonist. At times, this game does not seem to lead anywhere, but with AI that acts up and awesome but difficult battles, Stardrive 2 challenges you and your strategic side to the max.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »