Sword of the Stars II: Lords of Winter

 PC
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 135 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 135
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 135
  3. Negative: 70 out of 135

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  1. Monte28
    Jun 2, 2012
    9
    June 3rd, 2012. The game is stable and i have 22 hours played and no crashes or freezes. The game has alot of features but is very complicated. The UI isnt bad its just there are so many menus you can get lost sometimes. Overall its the best 4x title i have ever played and its stunning graphics and mechanics is just awesome. The reason i take a point off is the fact there are a bit ofJune 3rd, 2012. The game is stable and i have 22 hours played and no crashes or freezes. The game has alot of features but is very complicated. The UI isnt bad its just there are so many menus you can get lost sometimes. Overall its the best 4x title i have ever played and its stunning graphics and mechanics is just awesome. The reason i take a point off is the fact there are a bit of things here and there that are EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. Such as the fact you HAVE to assemble a fleet to protect ever single system you own. This is so frustrating its unreal. Plus combat gets annoying because you cant freely move the camera, you have to double click on your units and then the camera follows. So really the game just needs a few tweaks and it would be perfect.… Expand
  2. mrpepperkitty
    Jul 4, 2012
    8
    Mrpepperkitty back here almost a year after that fateful release day, and I must say Kerberos has pulled through, defying all the skeptics out there (Myself initially included). Kerberos' efforts are beyond dedicated, and if you don't believe me you can go on their site and browse the thousands of fixes and additions that have been made to the game. Or don't believe that, and buy it. IMrpepperkitty back here almost a year after that fateful release day, and I must say Kerberos has pulled through, defying all the skeptics out there (Myself initially included). Kerberos' efforts are beyond dedicated, and if you don't believe me you can go on their site and browse the thousands of fixes and additions that have been made to the game. Or don't believe that, and buy it. I just bought the game again, and at turn 30 am still going strong. I have to admit the UI is still a little clunky and it might be hard for beginners, but the game and all of its featurey goodness is there now. It has finally begun to capture the magic of the original, and hopefully soon with the stream of updates that has yet to cease, it will surpass its predecessor. I think the worst game of 2011 may soon be one of the best of 2012!… Expand
  3. Metametheus
    Nov 3, 2012
    10
    Bought SotS2 without playing the first games, also got it right when it came out... complete mind you. Wanted a game that was like a more advanced model of Masters of Orions and pretty much I have it now with Sword of the Stars 2, the game has evolved so well in the past year since its early conception. Much of the game is geared towards a strategy / simulation genre in a turn-based 4XBought SotS2 without playing the first games, also got it right when it came out... complete mind you. Wanted a game that was like a more advanced model of Masters of Orions and pretty much I have it now with Sword of the Stars 2, the game has evolved so well in the past year since its early conception. Much of the game is geared towards a strategy / simulation genre in a turn-based 4X Strategy universe. Very complex, very hard to get into when you first start playing, but very well designed. Complete ship designing from the command - role - engine systems, and design of the weapons and what goes into it. Gives a whole new spin on Development and Deployment game mechanics where no one can predict what you will roll out next. The multiplayer is outstanding, long... but outstanding, its never the same game twice when playing with another person and gets persistantly better everytime you play it. Again its long, even with small 1 on 1 maps.
    Only downside is its still relateively incomplete, but for what its content is at the moment, its worth a 10... now I just need a 10 + 1 for that little extra credit for when its complete.    … Expand
  4. Cecilo
    Nov 22, 2012
    9
    I will say first, That this game WAS horribly broken at the release of it. Kerberos has as they have in the past shown that they are willing to fix their mistakes. The Game is very much playable and enjoyable in it's current state. (Nov 22nd, 2012). The game is deep and not a copy cat upgraded graphics game. It has new mechanics and new types of ships. New tech. New Weapons. And more. IfI will say first, That this game WAS horribly broken at the release of it. Kerberos has as they have in the past shown that they are willing to fix their mistakes. The Game is very much playable and enjoyable in it's current state. (Nov 22nd, 2012). The game is deep and not a copy cat upgraded graphics game. It has new mechanics and new types of ships. New tech. New Weapons. And more. If you like 4x games. Please, do yourself a favor and buy this game.… Expand
  5. Treliant
    Nov 5, 2012
    9
    I bought and started playing this Game shortly after its release over a year ago and like many others was very disappointed. I saw a lot of potential in the game even back at the start and will give Kerberos serious credit for not giving up and putting in the time to make this game shine. A quick look at the reviews by date of submission will tell you all you need to know about how farI bought and started playing this Game shortly after its release over a year ago and like many others was very disappointed. I saw a lot of potential in the game even back at the start and will give Kerberos serious credit for not giving up and putting in the time to make this game shine. A quick look at the reviews by date of submission will tell you all you need to know about how far this game has come and what state it is in now.
    The game has 6 distinct races that vary widely enough in there mechanics that it feels like you are playing a brand new game with each one, a randomized tech tree that guarantees a think on your feet approach to playing (no perfect path to victory every time here), In depth ship design with a nice array of weapon types to choose from and absolutely stunning RTS Space combat. The game really does remind me of Shogun 2 in space.
    Having said that The UI can be clunky at times and directing your ships in RT combat can require some intense micro because of it. The game is very complex and there is a very steep learning curve but fortunately the Kerberos forum community is very active and helpful and most questions are answered within minutes of posting. The AI is decent for newcomers to the genre but most people will quickly figure out its weaknesses and shouldn't have too much trouble taking it down. For veterans of the genre there is a fairly active multiplayer community on steam that will step up the challenge if that's what you are looking for. The developers have been listening very closely to the community and have stated they plan on continuing to update both the UI and AI shortcomings. If they put in even a small fraction of the effort they have applied over the last year I have no doubts this game will make the step from great to outstanding.    … Expand
  6. Birdyman
    Nov 17, 2012
    8
    November 17, 2012 - I registered to metacritic just to write this review. I do seriously enjoy this game and while is USED to have its fair share of glitches and whatnot, Kerberos has turned this ship around. It speaks a lot when a company stands by their product for over a year - constantly making upgrades and patches to make it what it should have been. Yes, it is arguable why it wasNovember 17, 2012 - I registered to metacritic just to write this review. I do seriously enjoy this game and while is USED to have its fair share of glitches and whatnot, Kerberos has turned this ship around. It speaks a lot when a company stands by their product for over a year - constantly making upgrades and patches to make it what it should have been. Yes, it is arguable why it was released in such a poor state in the first place but that is in the past. Hats off to all the developers for the extreme amount of hard work it took to overcome the pile this used to be.This game is fantastic if you are looking for a very complex and deep 4x strategy game - I mean each race has their own means of traveling between stars! I love the fact that the tech tree is randomly generated - meaning one game you might be able to get the super-ginormous-fusion cannon and the next game, you can only get basic lasers. It adds a unique factor to the game and forces you to modify your strategy. As an added bonus - Kerberos has just announced a FREE expansion which includes another race as well as some other bonuses! So why just the 8? Truthfully, last time I played with a bud (before the "All clear"), there were some minor glitches and fixes still needing to be done. I have yet to confirm if these have been fixed but have no doubt they will be in due time. Off to play!… Expand
  7. edda
    Nov 17, 2012
    10
    To say I was disappointed by this game on release is an understatement. They should have kept it off the shelves so to speak and released when it was ready. Which is pretty much now 1 year later. For those who are interested in buying this game now, go for it. Its good value at $29.99 and seems to go on sale often. I am very happy with the support from kerberos-productions. ITo say I was disappointed by this game on release is an understatement. They should have kept it off the shelves so to speak and released when it was ready. Which is pretty much now 1 year later. For those who are interested in buying this game now, go for it. Its good value at $29.99 and seems to go on sale often. I am very happy with the support from kerberos-productions. I expected this game to get dropped and possibly take them with it. They are clearly passionate about their game. Thanks for the four free ship skin DLC's that the initial purchases have already been given and the promised free, to existing owners "End of Flesh" expansion. Thanks again for the continued support.… Expand
  8. darkcerb
    Nov 30, 2012
    9
    As of today December 1st 2012 the game has received an "enhanced edition" free makeover so it seemed a good time to put up a quick review. One of the worst launches in game history has turned into a fully functional 4x space sim, ignore the vast amount of launch reviews here if you're a fan of the genre games like sins of a solar empire or even the civilization series you'll enjoy this.
  9. Tarax
    Nov 25, 2012
    10
    While the game came out in bad shape. Those times are now long gone. Today The game Is pretty Amazing now. Sure there a some bugs here and there,and a few "missing" features. But compared to how it was at the start, its nothing that disturbs the game play at all. I love playing this game now.
  10. R3DSKULL
    Dec 1, 2012
    9
    While this game had a rocky start unlike any major company kerberos stood by its product and repaired its mistake. What went from a terrible release to the best space 4x strategy game ever. This game is not perfect yet, hence the 9 not 10 score. But its worth every penny, for it's replay alone. Its blindingly addictive, 6 hrs can pass and you didn't even realize. With its latest enhancedWhile this game had a rocky start unlike any major company kerberos stood by its product and repaired its mistake. What went from a terrible release to the best space 4x strategy game ever. This game is not perfect yet, hence the 9 not 10 score. But its worth every penny, for it's replay alone. Its blindingly addictive, 6 hrs can pass and you didn't even realize. With its latest enhanced edition kerberos gives the new expansion, End of Flesh with the new version of the game. this adds yet another race. now 7 races totally different experience with each race, super in depth gameplay and an awesome random tech tree/Forest that changes the game every time you play. This is a game you could play again and again and it would change so much you would learn something new each and every time. The GFX are great and kerberos continues to stand by its product and set an example everyone in the industry should learn ////cough/// blizzard. ITs nice to see a game with what i would have agreed with 44 metascore coming to fruit, and in desperate need of a change. A far far better game than endless space. Dont let old reviews scare you away this is a brand new game worth every bit of time and money you spend on it.… Expand
  11. omniste
    Aug 20, 2012
    9
    This game has finally been patched to a suitable release state. And what a game. Sword of the stars 2 is perhaps the most expansive and full featured 4x strategy game available today. Ship design excels with an expansive research tree and excellent macro management design for your empire. Whilst the occasional crash is still an issue, the autosave more than compensates for this. The timeThis game has finally been patched to a suitable release state. And what a game. Sword of the stars 2 is perhaps the most expansive and full featured 4x strategy game available today. Ship design excels with an expansive research tree and excellent macro management design for your empire. Whilst the occasional crash is still an issue, the autosave more than compensates for this. The time has come that the negative reviews can now be largely ignored and the game easily picked up at a bargain price. Give it a try, if you enjoyed the original, or any 4x strategy game you'll find something to love here.… Expand
  12. HerrKohlrabi
    Nov 22, 2012
    10
    Nov. 22. 2012.
    While the game still has a small number of bugs and missing features, it is the greatest sci-fi 4x game I have encountered so far. It does well in comparison with Sins of a Solar Empire, Endless Space, Masters of Orion etc, but is a totally different game. One comparison would be a Total War game in space, but that doesn't do SotS II justice at all. Sword of the Stars II    Nov. 22. 2012.
    While the game still has a small number of bugs and missing features, it is the greatest sci-fi 4x game I have encountered so far. It does well in comparison with Sins of a Solar Empire, Endless Space, Masters of Orion etc, but is a totally different game. One comparison would be a Total War game in space, but that doesn't do SotS II justice at all. Sword of the Stars II has great lore, beautiful and fun tactical battles, and great strategic gameplay, and the different aspects of the game ties together really well, creating a sum larger than its parts.
    The game does have a great deal of complexity though, and the game differs from it's peers in several aspects, which might scare away newcomers to the game and to the genre.
    Players that are able and willing to do just a little reading in the beginners guide, the manual, the wiki or the forums won't have any trouble.
    Give the game a few hours, and you'll never regret your decision!    … Expand
  13. Tarrak
    Jun 8, 2012
    9
    It took a good while, but the game is finally becoming what it was supposed to be. And it is great, more stable than many other games. It isn't the same as SotS Prime, but it has grown into something more, something different. There are aspects that might not immediately be interesting to everyone, but the gameplay overall should be highly desirable to all 4X players. I got burned like soIt took a good while, but the game is finally becoming what it was supposed to be. And it is great, more stable than many other games. It isn't the same as SotS Prime, but it has grown into something more, something different. There are aspects that might not immediately be interesting to everyone, but the gameplay overall should be highly desirable to all 4X players. I got burned like so many others when the game came out, but I decided to not take the refund option. At this time I'm no longer sorry and no longer angry, I'm quite glad.
    If we are to be mad about the launch, we must also give credit where it is due. More than 50 patches has been uploaded. That is dedication most big companies would never even think of.    … Expand
  14. Jaynestown
    Jun 7, 2012
    9
    This is a great game with a frustrating but incredibly rewarding learning curve. The game is beautiful and the backstory, while not represented with a single player campaign, per say, is in depth and engrossing. Randomized tech tree makes each play through unique. The six factions each offer a different play style. Furthermore, the addition of new technologies, ship classes, weapons,This is a great game with a frustrating but incredibly rewarding learning curve. The game is beautiful and the backstory, while not represented with a single player campaign, per say, is in depth and engrossing. Randomized tech tree makes each play through unique. The six factions each offer a different play style. Furthermore, the addition of new technologies, ship classes, weapons, space stations, and a truly new and interesting fleet management system set it apart from Sword of the Stars 1 and its expansions. I purchased my copy on release, and waited somewhat impatiently for the developers to address all of the many bugs and technical issues which cropped up with the initial launch. It was definitely worth the wait.… Expand
  15. Avatar
    Jun 28, 2012
    8
    As time progressed the game became - and still becomes - more and more complete. From my point of view almost 95% of its features are now in place and many have been modified by the devs to serve customers requests. As one of the people who bought the game ahead of its release it was like seeing a game getting from Alpha to Beta and now nearing Gold-Status. It is now stable, running quiteAs time progressed the game became - and still becomes - more and more complete. From my point of view almost 95% of its features are now in place and many have been modified by the devs to serve customers requests. As one of the people who bought the game ahead of its release it was like seeing a game getting from Alpha to Beta and now nearing Gold-Status. It is now stable, running quite fast and bugs are diminishing by the hour. Some still remain, but I am in good hope that they will be dealt with. Mainly they are visual glitches, like problems with refraction or some moons appear completely black on the map or non-critical things like Sol-System (in the "canon"-map) having an additional planet between Earth and Mars. Crashes appear to be a thing of the past and if they appear, then mostly in multiplayer.… Expand
  16. vtez
    Jul 3, 2012
    10
    When I first bought this game I couldn't play more than 2 minutes without it crashing. It was a disastrous release. I've waited months and after continuous weekly patching, not only is SOTS 2 stable, but it is everything it was feted to be and MORE. Unlike SOTS1, you don't feel like you're grinding in this game (which got a bit annoying in the first iteration). Every feature: ship design,When I first bought this game I couldn't play more than 2 minutes without it crashing. It was a disastrous release. I've waited months and after continuous weekly patching, not only is SOTS 2 stable, but it is everything it was feted to be and MORE. Unlike SOTS1, you don't feel like you're grinding in this game (which got a bit annoying in the first iteration). Every feature: ship design, economics, politics, warfare, research; has been improved and made more interesting. This game is more realistic, more satisfying and everything SOTS 1 could never be. Truly a full experience. Pity they couldn't have waited 8 months to release it!… Expand
  17. Sera
    Jul 30, 2012
    10
    The game gets better and better every month and every update.
    At the end i think it can sell well on Steam.
    But first many more people must test the new version of the game.
    every month came very big bug fixing and balancing patches and the game is now one of the best scifi space games on steam ^_^
  18. Devalinor
    Oct 11, 2012
    9
    At the beginning, it was a hardly bugged game, but
    now, after the patching, its a really great game
    The dev's did a really great bug hunt.
    To keep it short: I like it !
  19. ASC
    Aug 31, 2012
    9
    Now after a long wait for repairs, the (main) strategy side of this game is possibly the best space based game- beating Legends of Pegasus, Endless, Gal Civ. It is a shame that the formerly justified low ratings are putting people off. Feasibility study before research, and prototypes before mass production, limited upgrades to existing ships or total redesign and replacement to useNow after a long wait for repairs, the (main) strategy side of this game is possibly the best space based game- beating Legends of Pegasus, Endless, Gal Civ. It is a shame that the formerly justified low ratings are putting people off. Feasibility study before research, and prototypes before mass production, limited upgrades to existing ships or total redesign and replacement to use completely different technologies, and just when you start wishing there were Q ships available to deal with pirates they pop up as available to research. The huge differences in strategy between the core racial technologies mirror the original. Logistics via tankers and star-bases gives an extra dimension. Would be nice if planetary characteristics were less abstracted, and could be linked to technologies & races.… Expand
  20. b15h09
    Nov 1, 2012
    10
    I've been playing this game off and on since around April 2012. It was rough, the turn times were long, the delay between menus were absurd... but I still saw some great stuff in the game. Fast forward to October 2012, and the All Clear. Now, the roughness has a good bit of polish, turn times are much improved, and the menu delays cut down massively. They're still present somewhat,I've been playing this game off and on since around April 2012. It was rough, the turn times were long, the delay between menus were absurd... but I still saw some great stuff in the game. Fast forward to October 2012, and the All Clear. Now, the roughness has a good bit of polish, turn times are much improved, and the menu delays cut down massively. They're still present somewhat, but what were once 10-12 second delays are now 1-4 second delays. Still breaks the flow a bit, but not so much that it makes you want to rage quit. The game is exceptional. It's Total War in Space. If your thing is diplomacy or commerce, you'll probably find SotS2 too combat oriented (It's 'sword' of the stars, after all, not 'merchant' of the stars). If you like good strategic and tactical warfare, however, this game should be right up your alley. It's not very friendly to get into, just because of the massive depth, but none of that depth could be called fluff. Each bit is important, and the more you understand the games systems, the more you can improve your game. Kerberos has created something special here, which is the only reason I'm writing a review. It's a great game if you can get past the massive depth, and lack of in-game tutorial (there is a manual, and you should probably read it if you want to play). As epically bad as the launch of this game was, the game itself has turned into something epically good, and any fan of good space 4x would be doing themselves a disservice by not giving the all clear version a play. There are still a few technical problems that I'd say would give this game a 8/10. If those were cleared up, I'd easily say it's a 9/10, just from the excellent design. I give it a 10/10 to raise it's score, because it's ridiculously low for a game so good. With an xpack or two and the aforementioned technical problems fixed, I think this would be worth a 10/10. I haven't had a game that feels so damn good once you get into it since MoO2.… Expand
  21. Resok
    May 27, 2012
    10
    The game has come a long way from launch. The amount of dedication to making the game better and fixing all of the issues is unheard of from most developers. Yes, it could have had a better launch - but at this point it's time to move on. The reality is they've patched and fixed the game to such a degree that it's fun and playable now.

    I've been following this game since it's launch,    The game has come a long way from launch. The amount of dedication to making the game better and fixing all of the issues is unheard of from most developers. Yes, it could have had a better launch - but at this point it's time to move on. The reality is they've patched and fixed the game to such a degree that it's fun and playable now.

    I've been following this game since it's launch, and clocked over 700 hours of play time over various versions of the game. It's the only offering to the 4X genre that really contains depth. Games these days have continued to shirk away from adding depth and complexity to their games for fear of alienating the casual demographic. Well... this game follows in the footsteps of Sword of the Stars 1 and it's expansions and continues to evolve both the strategic depth as well as the tactical combat detail. The weapons are unique and varied. The races continue to be diverse and interesting, and have actual gameplay differences between them. Every game is unique and different and will often challenge the player to use new strategies due to the random nature of the research system.

    The game has come a long way and continues to get better. Right now it's a fun and engaging experience and will only get better as they add more to the game with expansions down the road.    … Expand
  22. Gintea
    Jun 8, 2012
    9
    Despite the troubled past, i gave it a try and got hooked right away.
    The game has still some kinks in the interface and needs a bit work on but the gameplay ist just awesome. After over 30 hours of gameplay i did not run into any crashes.
    There seem to be some unsquished bugs still but with the ongoing superfast patching this will hopefully sort out pretty soon. A big plus is the helpful    Despite the troubled past, i gave it a try and got hooked right away.
    The game has still some kinks in the interface and needs a bit work on but the gameplay ist just awesome. After over 30 hours of gameplay i did not run into any crashes.
    There seem to be some unsquished bugs still but with the ongoing superfast patching this will hopefully sort out pretty soon.
    A big plus is the helpful community.
    Beside the clunky interface and the somewhat sparse documentation, i am fully satisfied.    … Expand
  23. Dagonite
    Oct 10, 2012
    10
    This game definitely deserves to be reviewed again. Despite the fact the all-clear has not been given by the team, the game is already playable and very enjoyable.

    In the last couple of months I have collected 265 steam hours. Next best on my steam library is sitting at around 100 hours. To be honest, I never considered myself a fan SOTS but more a fan of the genre, which I have played    This game definitely deserves to be reviewed again. Despite the fact the all-clear has not been given by the team, the game is already playable and very enjoyable.

    In the last couple of months I have collected 265 steam hours. Next best on my steam library is sitting at around 100 hours. To be honest, I never considered myself a fan SOTS but more a fan of the genre, which I have played extensively, and this game is really all I could wish for.    … Expand
  24. 31337
    Jul 22, 2012
    8
    I think i bought this game after it was fixed because I havent had a single issue. My friends and i played the original alot and this is and improvement in every aspect. The best way i could describe this game to someone is Civilization in space. The spaceship customisation is great although i would prefer more choice, but i can see for simplicity's sake why its the way it is. Getting theI think i bought this game after it was fixed because I havent had a single issue. My friends and i played the original alot and this is and improvement in every aspect. The best way i could describe this game to someone is Civilization in space. The spaceship customisation is great although i would prefer more choice, but i can see for simplicity's sake why its the way it is. Getting the hang of the game isnt the easiest of tasks and i think the game doesnt really cater for new players very well. That being said once ou into it, it can be very addictive and better with friends !… Expand
  25. jimhacker
    Aug 13, 2012
    10
    This game was a train-wreck at launch but the dedication of the devs is showing. The game is now stable, has all the features it was intended to launch with and the devs hav thrown in some extra goodies as well. What's more, its a comples 4x/strategy game which is fun to play. Right now I'd only put it at 8 or 9 out of 10 buts its clear that even more is in the works - and after that weThis game was a train-wreck at launch but the dedication of the devs is showing. The game is now stable, has all the features it was intended to launch with and the devs hav thrown in some extra goodies as well. What's more, its a comples 4x/strategy game which is fun to play. Right now I'd only put it at 8 or 9 out of 10 buts its clear that even more is in the works - and after that we can expect 2.5 expanions as well. This game is clearly heading in the direction of 10 out of 10 evenif it hasn't quite reached it yet.… Expand
  26. whargod
    Jun 11, 2012
    10
    I read a lot of negative feedback before I decided to buy this title, since most of it was from a few months ago now. Playing since late May/early June and I have not found a single problem. No crashes, visual glitches or anything.

    One thing that is lacking however is a manual. What are the benefits of individual space stations? Effective patrolling, and a few other things. However I    I read a lot of negative feedback before I decided to buy this title, since most of it was from a few months ago now. Playing since late May/early June and I have not found a single problem. No crashes, visual glitches or anything.

    One thing that is lacking however is a manual. What are the benefits of individual space stations? Effective patrolling, and a few other things. However I don't view this as a negative because I am very used to games like X3 which tell you even less about how to play them.

    If you are curious and like strategy games I highly recommend this one, it has a lot of depth and immense replay value.    … Expand
  27. epicbeard42
    Aug 8, 2012
    10
    So first of I would have to say that Sword of the Stars 2 had a horrible launch. When the game launched it was unplayable. To this day there are still a few issues, however anyone who played Sword of the Stars 1 from the beginning can tell you that even the first game was not perfect when it came out however it is one of the best 4x games that is out right now. With Sword of the Stars 2So first of I would have to say that Sword of the Stars 2 had a horrible launch. When the game launched it was unplayable. To this day there are still a few issues, however anyone who played Sword of the Stars 1 from the beginning can tell you that even the first game was not perfect when it came out however it is one of the best 4x games that is out right now. With Sword of the Stars 2 it is moving in the same direction as the first one. There are very few major bugs in the game as of now. You can actually play the game, and while it is different in so many ways than Sots 1, I personally feel that the game is better than the first. Now if they can get rid of all the remaining bugs that crash the game and get is completed. I will say that if you do purchase the game now you are helping fund the completion of the game and personally I see nothing wrong with that. Yes it would have been nice to know this from the beginning, but really get over it people when the game is finished it will be amazing based on what has been fixed so far. I am glad that I bought this game when I did and I have no issues with the waiting(I did the same with Minecraft and that turned out wonderful too). However for those who are not wanting the game till its finished Kerberos has said that they would let the world know when the game is finished. I can tell you that if you pay attention you can pick the game up really cheap and then save some money now. I ended up only paying 7 dollars for Sots 2 and I got way more than 7 dollars of entertainment from the game and know that I will continue to do so. The game is improving at every patch. The bad For me there are really only 2 things that are worth putting in this spot from my last play through.

    1) There is a Pure virtual function call that happens in combat some times that crashes the game.

    2) The Zuul (Suul'ka Horde) do seem to be unfinished with there tooltips. Also had a wierd bug where the game said that a node that wasn't actually there had collapsed and then it gave me a free ship that had a very long trip at sublight back to the closest station.

    The Good
    1) The new mission system which while different from sots 1 in my opinion is way better and more realistic

    2) In sots 1 I never messed with my budget after the initial placement of 50 percent savings and 50 percent research and that worked great for me. In Sots 2 There are many reasons to actually mess with your budget and there are actual options for things to adjust instead of one slider.

    3)The hiver are awesome and even more so than in sots 1

    4) I love the new feasibility study option over the not having the tech show up at all. And even if right now you get a low result you can study other things related to the subject and come back and try again and get a better score.

    5) The graphics are much improved.

    6) The retrofit system to let you upgrade your weapons on your current ships.

    7) In sots 1 when you used a colonization ship you lost it and had to build a new one. In Sots 2 you no longer lose the colonization ship. This is also more realistic.

    8) You can control the Lords of Winter in the game which is awesome as there way bigger than any thing else on the board(You are limited to a max of 7 I believe)

    I could go on and on about improvements over sots 1. The thing really is that change is good and waiting for this game to be complete will be worth it. Yes there are issues still, but where sots 1 felt like a 4x lite game sots 2 takes the series into hardcore 4x.    … Expand
  28. Dark_Messiah
    Oct 27, 2012
    9
    The devs stated that the game reached release state a few days ago so i thought i'd play it a bit. and for 3 days i couldn't stop it's that good(im at turn 563).

    So most of the bugs/crashes were fixed, they added new features like retrofitting, diplomacy works now, most of the technologies work now, and they're making ui improvements every time. As for the bad reviews, they are no    The devs stated that the game reached release state a few days ago so i thought i'd play it a bit. and for 3 days i couldn't stop it's that good(im at turn 563).

    So most of the bugs/crashes were fixed, they added new features like retrofitting, diplomacy works now, most of the technologies work now, and they're making ui improvements every time.

    As for the bad reviews, they are no longer valid.
    For those who are complaining about a lack of manual, you are just lazy as hell, because if you've actually spent any time looking for the manual of the game you'd have noticed that it was released digitally AT RELEASE. Not to mention sots2 wiki has answers for EVERYTHING, so stop being lazy and use google it's your friend.

    The starmap part of the game has become much better and more polished than it was, and the added view options make the game much easier to manage.

    The battles are great and immersive, you can aim at sections/subsections of a ship by clicking on parts of the ship, like weapons, forth mid and aft sections engines and such, not to mention you can turn and roll your ships into different positions and with this you can minimise damage to your ships and if you are at a disadvantage this can turn the tide giving the combat immersion.

    The research is also good, the feasibility is there for a reason: the reason being if you dont have the pre-requisites there might still be a chance of researching the tech albeit low. Also the devs staid that they'll probably add revisit feasibility option.

    Retrofitting: you can retrofit old and outdated ships with new and shiny tech, so you dont have to destroy your ships all the time to upgrade.

    Yes there are still bugs although in the past days of playing the game i have seen none, yes the turn end times can be long when playing against 5 ais, and the ui is still crappy, but you should still try this game now, it's playable, its fun, and in this state it can beat other 4x games.

    Also there's the dedication of the dev team, after release for months they released weekly 4-5 patches and even now they release monthly 2-4 patches i mean come on what other game gets support like this?    … Expand
  29. Sethar
    Dec 4, 2012
    8
    Launch:
    I didn't buy this game when it first came out, so I cannot comment on the launch situation which seems overwhelmingly negative. Stability:
    The game is in good shape. Minus a few minor annoyances (some of which have been fixed in the latest "enhanced edition" and expansion), the game is very stable and plays well.    Launch:
    I didn't buy this game when it first came out, so I cannot comment on the launch situation which seems overwhelmingly negative. Stability:
    The game is in good shape. Minus a few minor annoyances (some of which have been fixed in the latest "enhanced edition" and expansion), the game is very stable and plays well. UI:
    The UI leaves a bit to be desired. Mostly, there's a lot of guesswork and not a lot of helpful tooltips. Even reading over the wiki, the forums, and the manuals there are still things I do not quite comprehend. The tech tree does not do a very good job of saying what is a prerequisite of what unless it's a direct upgrade. (IE - To build a leviathan ship, you need to have several techs that are in various tech lines. Nowhere clearly lists the exact path of all the techs you need to reach leviathans.) Some of this on the forums was explained as a deliberate obfuscation, but that does not help people like me who like their information very accessible. I cannot for the life of me understand why there is no bulk management screen for anything. Sure, there's a fleet management - but you can't modify admirals or issue commands to the fleets from it. You literally can't do anything with the fleets from the fleet summary screen other than look at your fleets. Being able to issue orders to your fleets from here would be a 100% decrease in annoying micromanagement. The planet manager is slightly more useful in that you can adjust your construction --> trade balance, overharvest, biosphere, and infrastructure/terraforming sliders - but lacks a huge feature in that you cannot issue construction orders to build ships. You also cannot issue colonize orders to planets that are uninhabited from this management screen. The station manager does what it says, allows you to manage your stations, modules, and even issue station upgrade orders - but does not let you build new stations from the screen. For all of these things that are "missing" above, you have to either scroll to the fleet and issue an order to do it, or scroll to the destination (spot you are attacking, colonizing, building a station, etc.) and issue a fleet to come do it. It's clunky and tedious when you have a bunch of fleets or things you want to do. Accessibility/Gameplay:
    It has a bit of a learning curve, especially coming from SOTS 1. There are several things done differently, but in my opinion the game adds more depth while retaining the charm of the original. Read the manual and study the forums and wiki, there are several game concepts I wasn't even aware of (like provinces giving additional trade cash bonuses, biosphere affecting psionic points, and keeping the treasury 500,000+ giving a morale bonus) until I dug around on the forums and got a better understanding of what exactly the purpose was. The shining star of this game is the unique qualities given to each race. It's not just a simple "This race gets +10 to weapon damage", but there is a fundamental and drastically different travel system for each race which completely changes the gameplay strategy of each race. The randomized tech tree is great in that you can't always bulldoze to your tech of choice, there's a chance it won't be available and you will have to adapt on the go. It keeps things interesting and the gameplay dynamic. Graphics:

    The quality is good overall, with the exception of some of the text and weapons graphics. Zooming in, some of the text becomes pixellated/blurry like it's not designed to scale (vectorized vs. rasterized) - I am specifically referring to the star system names. The same situation exists with some of the laser beam style graphics in real time combat (you see it on the opening background video with the "lightning" type weapon and green lasers). Fully zoomed in, it seems like there is a fair amount of sharp edges and a lack of smoothing. That being said, the ship textures are amazing and the fact that you can target specific points on a ship and whittle away at weak points is excellent game design. Overall:

    The game is a very fun game, though trying at times with what seems like tedious fleet management.    … Expand
  30. Snowcaller
    Dec 4, 2012
    9
    It's finally, over a year later, mind, it's the 4X it was meant to be.
    I feel for Kerberos that this game may never stand amongst the great 4X's. If it had been released in it's EOF(Enhanced) state then it would have rocked.
    But it's cheaper now, and if you need a 4X fix, i don't hesitate to recommend it now.
  31. tototototo
    Jul 16, 2012
    9
    An interesting pattern can be seen by viewing user reviews by date. The dedication of Kerberos to fix this game, rather than sweep it under the rug of 'it's a feature' are the cause of this.
    When I bought the game back at release it was nigh unplayable. The improvement from release is so vast that all reviews on this game are completely outdated and have no reflection on the current game
  32. Korkenzieher
    Nov 1, 2012
    9
    Sword of the Stars 2 was an unfinished product - full of bugs to the core. But I have never seen in my gaming history a game with more patches and support than SOTS2. Currently (Nov 2012) the game is like a phoenix risen from the ashes of a bug apocalypse. Its possible to play the game with micro management like ship customisation or to stay at global strategy level. To keep this short -Sword of the Stars 2 was an unfinished product - full of bugs to the core. But I have never seen in my gaming history a game with more patches and support than SOTS2. Currently (Nov 2012) the game is like a phoenix risen from the ashes of a bug apocalypse. Its possible to play the game with micro management like ship customisation or to stay at global strategy level. To keep this short - its hard to find a game more 4x than SOTS2. At patched state a clear "must buy"!… Expand
  33. Zantatsu
    Apr 11, 2012
    8
    This thing launched horribly, but by now its very playable and actually quite fun. If you were a fan of Galactic Civilizations or are just into space empires in general, this is a great game to buy.
  34. CommonSensePles
    Dec 5, 2011
    9
    I have been quite surprised by the level of negativity associated with this release. I understand the people who were upset at the time of release and they were issued refunds. Was the game ready for release? No, but I would rather it be released unfinished and get patched into the great game that it is becoming then have it to have died like so many of other due to lack of funds toI have been quite surprised by the level of negativity associated with this release. I understand the people who were upset at the time of release and they were issued refunds. Was the game ready for release? No, but I would rather it be released unfinished and get patched into the great game that it is becoming then have it to have died like so many of other due to lack of funds to continue development. Should the company have let people pre-order it and then have access to the beta like other games have done? Maybe that would have been better. But everyone who says the gameplay sucks hasn't spent enough time playing to know what they are talking about. I realize that might be from all the crashes that the game experienced at release. Was it really buggy? Yes. Was it complete? No. Does the game suck? Absolutely not. If you don't want to play it because it's unfinished wait until the company makes the announcement that it is in a releasable state, which they acknowledge it wasn't on Oct 28th. But one of the devs stated it was either release at that time or not release at all. I chose to support a team that obviously has passion for the game they have created rather than so many companies that stop supporting a game as soon as it is release. The game it is very complicated and visually stunning. The initial instability is gone. It is too bad how short-sited people are these days. Just thought I'd chime in my two cents. Love the game and I have spent too much time playing it already. :)… Expand
  35. Frankenleigen
    Dec 4, 2012
    9
    A must have if you're into 4X games- It's rich and detailed, it has some of the most dynamic, diverse and flexible 3D space combat around, excellent ship and faction customisation - but most of all it has this fresh creativity which opens the game world up to a huge range of unexpected encounters, galaxy-destroying catastrophes, events and god-like alien incursions. I don't think I've seenA must have if you're into 4X games- It's rich and detailed, it has some of the most dynamic, diverse and flexible 3D space combat around, excellent ship and faction customisation - but most of all it has this fresh creativity which opens the game world up to a huge range of unexpected encounters, galaxy-destroying catastrophes, events and god-like alien incursions. I don't think I've seen a game implement so many different sci-fi ideas so well - some of the hundreds of examples include: AI uprisings, galaxy-infesting insect swarms, tractor-beam drones which attempt to smash your ships onto the surface of a planet, asteroid storms, ancient automated defence platforms, a society of telepathic nomadic cyborg space-squids, megacomets which carve a path through the stars and I even once had a 'galactic peace enforcer' from another galaxy who sat in the middle of the map and broadcast orders for every species in the galaxy to stop all wars, otherwise it would use almost unlimited tech to wipe out the aggressors.
    All happening visually and spontaneously in an unscripted - randomly generated way, on a 3D plane, and in bloody excellent DX10 graphics.

    Of course it also has a mind-bogglingly complex strategic interface, weeks-long playtimes and a cliff of a learning curve, but most good games do.

    The game has come a long way since its abysmal release over a year ago, the game is now fully playable and fairly stable overall. I play it regularly and quite enjoy it. That said, there are some lingering interface issues and one or two features which don't feel properly polished yet - and I get a crash to desktop once every few hours of gameplay.

    The developers have a long history of supporting their games for YEARS after release, and so far they've deployed thousands of free bugfixes and content updates, plus released a free expansion pack in the last few days.

    I have absolutely no doubt that the game will be patched to perfection and mountains content added as the years go by, just as the first game was supported.

    Bottom line: This is a well-implemented deep sci-fi universe with impressively creative mechanics, sophisticated and satisfying space combat and some of the most dedicated developers (Supported their last game with 3 expansion packs and constant content patches over 5 years) and deserving publishers out there (Paradox fund new and interesting kinds of games, unlike the commercial giants who tend to be afraid of creativity).

    I strongly recommend you buy it and support these guys to make a great game even better.    … Expand
  36. TheSaviour
    Dec 5, 2012
    10
    New Player to SOTS:
    It has been a little over a year since release, and with the release of the enhanced edition it is now ready to play, and at such a low cost, as a result I would recommend this game to any fan of 4X games. There are many features and lots to do, however it is complicated in areas, which will make the casual crows hate it, but when has the casual crowd ever played space    New Player to SOTS:
    It has been a little over a year since release, and with the release of the enhanced edition it is now ready to play, and at such a low cost, as a result I would recommend this game to any fan of 4X games. There are many features and lots to do, however it is complicated in areas, which will make the casual crows hate it, but when has the casual crowd ever played space 4X games...
    Pro's: Faction differences - particularly in it's travel methods
    Mission System - initially seems worse when you get started but when you have a large empire you notice how intuitive it actually is
    Combat - looks great and is very tactical
    Graphics - Game looks amazing

    Con's:
    Load times - game has long load times, at times
    CTD - game occasionally crashes, however you can see all the patches for this and it auto saves regularly    … Expand
  37. Bluemanze
    Nov 5, 2011
    8
    Game was released prematurely. I would recommend not buying it in its present state unless you would like to support the developers. If you just want to play the game, wait a couple weeks. THE GAME DOES NOT DESERVE THE TERRIBLE REVIEWS YOU SEE HERE. IT IS A GOOD GAME OFF TO A BAD START.

    THAT SAID, here is my review. This game represents the very niche 4X space genre. Like many    Game was released prematurely. I would recommend not buying it in its present state unless you would like to support the developers. If you just want to play the game, wait a couple weeks. THE GAME DOES NOT DESERVE THE TERRIBLE REVIEWS YOU SEE HERE. IT IS A GOOD GAME OFF TO A BAD START.

    THAT SAID, here is my review.

    This game represents the very niche 4X space genre. Like many space-themed games, it is very complex, with deep customization options, huge randomly populated tech trees, dozens of star systems per map with the possibility of multiple habitable planets in each system, diplomacy, random grand menace encounters, etc.

    Essentially, it plays like a much more complex version of the Total War series. You build and explore from the main turn-based strategic star map, and have actual battles in a real-time combat mode.

    Graphically, the game is beautiful, with some exceptions. Ships are rendered in unprecedented detail, and the modular construction of ships mean that each design can look very different from one in the same class. Explosions and weaponry is dazzling and intricate, with ship damage being represented down to individual turrets.

    The UI is one of the major downsides of the game. While it may be improved upon in the future, right now it is very intimidating and unintuitive. Something as simple as sending a ship to another system took me about 15 minutes to figure out.

    AI is also a bit strange. Diplomacy can be a chore, as other factions tend to act randomly/irrationally. Again, this may be improved in the coming weeks.

    Again, this game has many excellent features and will be worth buying in the coming weeks. Wait a bit, them give it a go! This may be one of the last decent space games we see in a long time, so fans of the genre should consider buying now to support the developers.    … Expand
  38. Naiba
    Oct 11, 2012
    9
    Just checked the game out again, not played it since a few weeks after launch...

    IT WORKS! IT ACTUALLY WORKS!!!
    Its pretty fun too :) Weapons and defences seem rather balanced, The AI seems to know what it's doing (to an extent) the menu and UI makes sense and I have not had a single glitch or crash in the last 10 hours playing.
  39. vVREDVv
    Dec 19, 2011
    10
    brilliant game, there alot of thing i dont like about i tho but there just minor ui tweaks. now that being said this game is buggy as hell its a pile of crap right now alot of people are bashing it and well due to its current state id agree, but just wait 2 more months and see if the dev can turn it around . This game is a gem but its currently a train wreak.
  40. zanzibar196
    Aug 30, 2015
    10
    Game has come a long way since it's horrible, bungled launch. Maybe not as much of a classic as the original SotS was, but with a bit more TLC and polish from Paradox, this game could easily become supremely awesome. A shame that Paradox has dropped the ball on this.

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
44

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 7 out of 14
  1. CPUGamer
    Feb 13, 2012
    30
    Bottom line is that on paper, this is an incredibly deep and varied game, but time and again, the reach of the programmers vastly exceeds their grasp. Even months after release, there's so little in this game that's working as intended, that only the most desperate die-hard fan of the genre should even consider this game.
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  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Feb 13, 2012
    79
    Sword of the Stars 2 had one of the worst launches ever. At present condition (January) the code is quite playable, game is sometimes even fun. Kerberos will upgrade the game and it seems to be getting better and better. [Feb 2012]
  3. Absolute Games
    Dec 23, 2011
    35
    Sword of the Stars 2 is what happens when a space opera becomes a hostage of amateurish idealists.
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