Stellaris: Console Edition

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 48 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 48
  3. Negative: 11 out of 48

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  1. ataalavi89
    Mar 2, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hi, I have everything in Stellaris except the Megacorp update. It seems the PS4 version is a downgrade from the latest expansions in the game. These pros and cons were written by me for Wccftech in their comments section.

    Pros:
    -You can build your race, complete with its ethics, behavior and likely-hood of declaring war.

    -Gameplay is different for each civilization you choose (or build) so its good replay-ability if you have no problem with building stations all the time. Some races can't have federations, others can't declare war. Others can/cannot enslave populations. Lots of (endless) options in terms of building your government and choosing the ideals of your species.

    -Constant events/space anomalies keep you on your toes.

    -The producers have a good imagination. I like space science and astronomy and they make the anomalies and space events so much more interesting and believable. And without any video of events that is. Their writing is so good.

    -The coolest thing I liked was you could uplift a minor civilization that hasn't mastered space flight yet.

    -Has cheats, for the more casual gamer.

    -Yes the soundtracks aregood and you can choose from various tracks. But the best soundtracks in my opinion are from Total War and Crusader kings (being a rock lover)
    -Good customization options-you can choose your galaxy and how many species there will be in it.

    Cons:

    -Its a little repetitive. I mean you are endlessly building outposts, research stations and mining stations. Its the backbone of the game and gets boring after a while. This is why after I won in 2 play-thoughs I gave up while playing on the third.

    -The thing is all strategy games, from shooters like Mass Effect (Andromeda is the name of the galaxy closest to our Milky Way), to similar 4X titles like Endless Space 2 and Galactic Civilizations III give you a single galaxy. Most players may not see this as a problem but I am tired of it. They all feel the same.

    In my view Stellaris isn't always fun but usually is though the least fun part is when you have blanketed the galaxy with your outposts and can't declare war on anyone (Perhaps because of your ethics, so choose the right faction for the play-style that interests you.

    There's a steep learning curve and gameplay differs slightly for each of the civilizations you choose (or make) because they play differently. Whats common to all of them are the buildings though. All of them build mining stations, research stations and outposts in space and all of them have hydroponic farms etc on their planets. It would have been interesting for some variety here. Its still not a completely boring title like Galactic Civilzations 3. With so many different civilizations with different governing/rulership styles and more you can design personally there's a lot to do.

    Ata Alavi,
    Game Writer.    … Expand
  2. WOLFOG
    Feb 3, 2021
    6
    Wtf base game is crap ....need to spend ton of money to actually play game .. classic Paradox gives crapy base version and 101 dlc and in dlcs are all gud things so you need to spend toon of money
  3. HaloFever
    Jul 19, 2022
    5
    Stellaris was already a problematic game on PC? And the PS4 version makes those problems worse. The user interface is obtuse, bloated, and impenetrable for new users. If you played this on PC, you probably saw all of the quality of life mods. Paradox could have implemented some of those ideas for PS4. Instead they created a frustrating interface for controllers. Best I can say is that thisStellaris was already a problematic game on PC? And the PS4 version makes those problems worse. The user interface is obtuse, bloated, and impenetrable for new users. If you played this on PC, you probably saw all of the quality of life mods. Paradox could have implemented some of those ideas for PS4. Instead they created a frustrating interface for controllers. Best I can say is that this game fills a niche that others do not and it played well on PS5.

    The biggest barrier to enjoying Stellaris PS4 are the many, many menus that clutter the screen. More is not always better and Stellaris proves this. Finding relevant info feels like a hidden object game. If I was in charge of fixing this game, I would start by taking away factions, edicts, most of the +5% techs, blockers on planets, much of the diplomacy screen, a few redundant buildings, the ship designer, and about 1/2 of fleet management. Then I would give players the option automate many of the tasks in this game like surveying systems, building housing, and responding to pirates. A lot of players would change a lot about Stellaris, especially on PS4. The DLC adds a lot to the game, but like I said, more is not always better.

    Another longstanding issue in the game is the waiting. This is love real time equivalent of spamming “next turn” in Civilization 6. You cannot just walk away and read your e-max You need to keep watching the game, hoping that something happens so you can click something and at least pretend you are playing a game. I would prefer a turn based Stellaris. I have to keep pausing the game to make decisions anyway.

    Finally, Stellaris has major limitations for strategy and tactics. Long term strategy depends on random opportunities to research new techs and find habitable planets. (If you get lucky and can research terraforming soon enough, you can make every planet habitable.) Tactics are almost non existent. The battles are decided by numbers, and the bigger number wins. The best you do on defense is bait the ent into attacking a system with a space station that can hurt the enemy’s shield and slow them down. There are no hit and run tactics. There are no fighter versus carrier battles. There are no stealth ships with first strike advantages. As a long time fan of games like Dune II and Civilization, the battles are disappointing.

    Almost every game of Stellaris has the same beginning, middle, and end. There is little freedom to go off script. Population growth, a.i. bonuses, and technology research times are all tuned to keep the player from doing anything too interesting. Grow slow, build a a giant fleet, and fight the end game crisis, That’s every game. There is no ideological victory, no super science victory, and no diplomatic victory. The most you can do is decide to micromanage your empire more or less.

    Full disclosure: I downloaded this from my PS+ Essential collection. I also played the PC version with more of the DLC. (My son bought it and I paid him half after I played it.)    … Expand
  4. Ukmacca
    Aug 2, 2019
    5
    Love this game - maybe too much!!!
  5. ClutterBrain
    Jan 28, 2020
    5
    While the game itself may have good depth and strategy, it is sorely lacking in-game instruction and information. You will probably need to spend many hours on Google, YouTube, Reddit, etc before fully grasping this game. In doing so, you will possibly be rewarded with a robust experience seldom found on console. If this sounds like too much of a time and energy investment though, youWhile the game itself may have good depth and strategy, it is sorely lacking in-game instruction and information. You will probably need to spend many hours on Google, YouTube, Reddit, etc before fully grasping this game. In doing so, you will possibly be rewarded with a robust experience seldom found on console. If this sounds like too much of a time and energy investment though, you might want to pass on this title altogether.… Expand
  6. TheCroWolf
    May 1, 2022
    5
    This company is worst like EA ...they sell you bare bones game and then 101 dlc ...this is scam like thous mobile game i dont recommend this unless you want to spend 200$ on this game

Awards & Rankings

86
#86 Best PS4 Game of 2019
49
#49 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. GameOver.gr
    Jun 26, 2020
    85
    Almost five years after its initial release, Paradox's sci-fi epic graces Sony's console and finally brings the fully fledged experience and thrill of managing every aspect of a galactic empire, from sociopolitical decisions to starship designs. Tantalus' port successfully translates the PC controls, enabling players to boldly go where no other Strategy game has gone before on consoles, and it's a journey worth making.
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  2. Worth Playing
    Sep 11, 2019
    85
    Stellaris: Console Edition is a mighty impressive game in and of itself. It also did the impossible: make a fairly complex and grand strategy title enjoyable on a console. That should stand as its own achievement. If you have access to Stellaris on a powerful PC, the console edition isn't for you. Even though it is a great title, the console version still feels somewhat restrained and pared down, but that may change with future updates. Regardless, if you're a fan of the genre and only game on a console at home, this is as close as you can get to a great strategy title running in its full glory on a TV.
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  3. Gamer.nl
    Mar 11, 2019
    75
    If you want to play grand strategy on a console, Stellaris is a deep game you can play over and over again. Be warned though: this amazing game will stalk you with small text and a very slow pace.
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