Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords Review (no fat)

by Stardock Platform: PC Genre: TBS	ESRB Rating: Pending Release: 2006-2-27	Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords Features: Guide your military and achieve total galactic domination Create ships from scratch using your own design Set up colonies in many planets and decide what each planet will be used for Establish trade routes between your planets and allies, regulate the economy, set up military bases and research new technologies
	Egamer's Rating: 9 / 10. Reviewed on: 2006-04-07

Game Description

The story of Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords is almost the same as the original GC but this game is far superior to its predecessor in many ways. This is a strategy-based masterpiece that is without doubt one of the best installments in the 4x genre. Here, your mind is your greatest weapon against any type of threat, even though you can’t win the game without battling. Dread Lords offers some extremely brisk gameplay and packs plenty of customization options.

The game takes place in the 23rd century when the human technology evolves and they start to reach out to space. The human race comes in contact with the other races of the galaxy and they all strive for domination. This time you get a choice on which race to play as.

Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords Gameplay

The gameplay is intriguing and like its predecessor all the emphasis lies here. At first you have to decide what game speed you prefer. You have a choice of around 6 sizes of galaxies, ranging from small to enormous. The speed of your gameplay depends greatly on the size of your galaxy because in a small galaxy the different races are likely to cross each other’s paths very often.

Unlike earlier editions, you have a choice of 10 races (including humans), each blessed with its own characteristics. Some races may be good and others, evil. Apart from the alignment of your race, each race has its strengths and weaknesses, will be trade oriented or militaristic and so on. You can also create your own race in this game, give them customized characteristics and chose their alignments.

The game has a non-linear approach with different paths to victory like in the original GC. You can either use brute force and launch violent attacks on your rivals using your military or attract the residents of another colony by making restaurants and other such attractions eventually leading them to dump their leader and join you. You will be faced with moral choices, at times, like using the native civilizations of your colony to increase your productivity or to protect them and establish a settlement peacefully. These choices affect your social stats and determine whether you are good or evil.

Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords AI

4x games are all about AI, the AI here is terrific. Unlike other games, it will not cheat at any point but it is so intelligent that the lower difficulty settings will be a challenge for you, and you will be treated like you were another AI race…which is a breath of fresh air. When you are strengthening the many aspects of your empire, you will leave a few weak spots in the process and unlike other games the AI will pick them up and find the best possible way to exploit them. Like a trust strategist, the AI will definitely adapt and adjust to your playing pattern and will be looking for any possible weakness in your playing style. If by any chance, you concentrate on one aspect and leave the other ones out you are far more likely to pay for your slip.

Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords Ship Customization

There is also the ship customization feature that will allow you to create your own ship from scratch. You can create any type of ship and, eventually, build a whole fleet (even though that might cause confusion at times). You will spend hours trying to make the perfect spaceship for yourself. Although there are a few model ships provided in the game, riding around in those will not feel half as satisfying as riding around in your own fully customized ship. It is very easy to create a ship as you can be done in short time (who said it has to be perfect?) or you can spend hours of mindless tweaking to build your masterpiece. This new feature adds a lot of replay value to the gameplay.

Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords Graphics

There has been a great change in the graphics from the original GC. This time around you can see the planets on the map. The planets look great as they have very realistic features such as clouds, gasses, continents and even rings for some. Since you customize your own ship, you know exactly where every single feature is supposed to be and the game holds up nicely. Overall, the graphics are great and decently support the gameplay.

Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords Sound

The sound is not so great as even though they do support the gameplay well enough. There are only the ambient noises and the sound of the spaceship. Even though that’s not much it’s better than nothing. You do have an alternative option though; you can put your own MP3 play list on as the background music. Although there could have been many improvements, the sound is acceptable and can be overlooked as a minor flaw in a game boasting some great features.

Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords – Verdict

Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords is a must have for anyone who is into strategy games. If you so wish, you can finish it in an afternoon or spend a whole week on it. The gameplay has a lot of depth and is extremely satisfying. The AI is actually very intelligent, and it puts up a good challenge. You will be able to do exactly what 4x stands for; eXplore, expand, eXploit and eXterminate. Even though the sound is a weak factor, the package is definitely a worthwhile buy.

Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords – Cost

Galactic Civilization retails at $39.99