Overall a good successor to the MOO/GC/HW series - but like all stardock games, lacking in polish and finish.
For such a highly anticipated game, i have to say i was let down by the lack of polish and that extra "oomph" that makes a game great, not just good. Don't get me wrong, this is a solid game...but it's missing polish, from animations, ship textures, and sound effects.
I honestly think the textures and graphical detail in HW I + II is superior to this game, and so Sins should be at least at the same level, but if you've played you'll know what i mean by lack of polish.
The research tree is easy to understand, but doesn't really translate into any appreciable "ah that's what you get" sort of amazement, it's more like number crunching if you do such and such.
Overall, what i'm saying is, this is a good solid game, but considering how there won't be another Sins or HW for a long time, the could have set the bar higher.