Stardock just got into the illegal drug trade
Gameplay: 9/10
Addictive. It makes you not care about the sun, or food, or sleep, or even other people with a pulse. If you've played any of the aforementioned games you know exactly what you are getting into. The gameplay is simplified so it plays most like Master of Orion 1.
Graphics: 6/10
I loved this game. Unfortunately it has a face only a mother would love. The graphics are blah, and compare well to those of Master of Orion 2 (which is 6 years older). Games of this ilk don't need nice graphics to be great, but it'd be nice.
Sound: 7/10
Meh. Nothing special. Nothing terrible. The score is basically ambient music.
Value: 10/10
This is what value is all about. Unlimited replayability (I've beaten it multiple times in multiple ways) with dowloadable AI from stardock.
Tilt: 9/10
This game is almost a 4X classic in its own right. Hopefully Galactic Civ 2 shores up the flaws and the GC series finally finds its own pedastool.
I loved long-term strategy games. When I first booted up civilization 1 (back in 1995) I ended up playing that game until 3 in the morning... and when I looked at the clock I was shocked. Galactic civilization is like that, I would play for hours, finally take a breather after a critical juncture, and realize that I hadn't eaten. The gameplay is a simplified 4X game and has alot more in common with Master of Orion 1 (Moo) than Moo2 or Moo3 (the latter of which was so complicated it was terrible). The planet building is unified so that you build 1 lab on a planet, when you research the new type of lab you then build 1 of the new type of lab. Where the meat of the gameplay comes from is the unique feature, primarily culture and politics. First the game uses a culture system, a more populous (and stronger) civilization will have a higher culture rating meaning that it's culture will spread farther. If a neighboring planet has a significantly lower rating it can defect, meaning that you can win the game without ever having to fire a shot or be elected to any position. Wow. Trade routes and Starbases help culture, and it's fun to watch top-level civilizations fight it out with culture (and starebase building rights). Politics has also been dramatically revamped by the people stardock. The computer A.I. functions increadibly human-like which among other things makes diplomacy an actual option. More interestingly you have to worry about your own civilizations politics. In the beginning of the game you start with a certain government type that has specific benefits. As you advance in the game your people begins to vote on the efficacy of your party's governance. Screw up too much or piss off too many colonists and your party will actually lose the election giving you a government penalty as opposed to a bonus. Not only are you watching the other civs rating closely, but if you start to lose favor with your people you will cringe over the changing political balance. In the end this game is great, ignore the throw-away graphics and bland sound and you will be rewarded with a treasure full of gameplay. If you love the 4x style of gameplay you owe it to yourself to buy this game. If you have never played a game like this but would like to try with something simple this is also the game for you... it's like a gateway drug.