It's a very interesting concept, turning what was once a very cool space sim into a strategy game, but...
The story takes place after part 2 when you try to destory your enemy with a ship, but the explosion cause a blackhole causing you to travel through time and space to a new location of the galaxy. Also, your other allies (Spathi, Syrren, etc.) have also been sent to new locations of the galaxy. Now you have a new enemy that threatens the galaxy.
GRAPHICS
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I will say that the graphics are pretty good, that is, if you like talking to PUPPETS. Seriously, when you find new allies or talk to your own kind, all the creatures you talk to are pretty much just hand puppets made to look like your allies or enemies. I do not like this kind of interaction. I think they were better off making a whole new set of animations or making 3D characters. Plus, some of your allies look totally screwed up. The SYRREN look like they have been drinking one too many times, theyr faced is all squished up and the humans don't look much better. Some of the monsters you meet look just as bad if not worse. Other than that, the combat grahics look pretty good, the galaxy map is very impressive and some of the deisgned for planets and galaxies are very well detailed. THey did put a lot of effort into the game, no arguement here, but I just think they used the wrong approach when making the characters you talk to.
CONTROL
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One cool thing about this game is that everything is user friendly by using the mouse. Very little Keyboard use. So that makes this game very simple to play. Now this is where I am totally confused on. They added a sense of strategy to the game very similar to MASTER OF ORION. You can make buildings and stuff on your planet as well as help other allies make and live on other planets as well. Course, like any strategy game, the more people on your home planet, the faster you can build things. What I don't understand is the strategy element. This is suppose to be more of an adventure game where you find clues and solve puzzles, but that is not the case for this game. Plus, unless you know what you are doing and know where you are going, it takes a while to get to know the galaxy as well as where to go to find your allies. Course, once you do know where things are, the rest of the game is fairly easy. Plus, don't forget you have to find special artifacts to help your allies become more powerful.
OVERALL
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Overall this is not a bad game, I just don't think they thought out what they wanted to do with this game. It starts out as a strategy game, but then you find out that it's more of an adventure game. As far as I am concerned, you would only get this game if you were a fan of Star Control, nothing else. The game itself is not relaly worth playing because of the way it was designed as well as created. To make puppets for each of the allies or enemies you face is not impressive, especially if the puppets were badly made. The Syrren should have been much sexier looking, not tramp or drunk looking.