Space strategy and logistics in an underrated game
Space Empires has a lot of micromanagement and the user interface is clumsy, it's hard to have a clear idea of the overall situation without wasting hours searching in enormous lists of data; space combat is streamlined and graphically ugly. SOTS is a game about big strategy and logistics. Space combat is 3D and you have control over each ship; you can design them from a large pool of sections. No micromanagement, only vital decisions.
Galactic Civilizations is a turn based 4X game; it's famous for the space ship customization. But there the customization is in big degree a matter of look, and I find it very boring. Space combat is isometric. No match for the quick and powerful ship-editing of SOTS and for the big space combats that it offers.
Sins of a solar empire is a good game, but it's RTS in the strategic part too (strategic and tactical sections are merged together). This is unacceptable for a strategy purist as me.
The search tree is a unique feature of SOTS: it is partly random!!! So each game feels really unique. With the expansions you can find it at a bargain price on many digital resellers. It's an underrated game and you should not miss it. In 2011 we will see SOTS II, so don't hesitate, you should prepare yourself playing the first game before!