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4X strategy

4X strategy

Endless Legend trailer kicks off faction round-up with Vaulters reveal

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Phil Savage at

Previously, "Endless Legend" was a term I used to describe the interminably long lore dumps associated with fantasy RPGs. Now it's also an upcoming 4X strategy game, created by Endless Space developer Amplitude Studios. Fittingly, they've created their own series of lore trailers, each introducing the game's roster of factions. Far from endless, though, they're relatively short. This first video, introducing The Vaulters, is just over a minute of phrases like "unknown relics," "hidden past," and "coming soon to Steam Early Access."


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Warlock 2: The Exiled screenshots tease fantasy civilization

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Phil Savage at

The danger for 4X strategies is that, inevitably, they'll be compared to Civilization. Although, to be fair, many games are openly inviting that comparison. Galactic Civilizations, which yesterday released its own set of screenshots, contains the word "Civilization" in its title, for instance. Then there's the fantasy 4X, Warlock 2: The Exiled, which has successfully differentiated itself by name, if not entirely by look. Judge for yourself, by browsing the game's first selection of screenshots.


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Galactic Civilizations 3 screenshots demand your attention

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Phil Savage at

Last week, I put out a universal distress call, pleading for some PC news with which to battle the approaching armada of console minutia. This morning, I get in to find that somebody has left a howdytron on our galactic garbleblab. Translating the message, I find... an advertisement for squirdleprong enlargement pills. Stupid space spam. Oh well, that was a waste of time. In which case, we'll have to make do with these first Galactic Civilizations 3 screenshots.


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Pandora: First Contact released, claims to be the hex-based successor to Alpha Centauri

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Phil Savage at

It's an odd quirk that many of the games that went on to be major sources of inspiration have had relatively short names. That means we've had Doom Clones, and Roguelikes, and DotA-likes, and other, snappy touchstones. Pandora: First Contact is perhaps best described as a Sid Meier's Alpha Centauralike, which is longer, but effectively conveys the game's aim to be seen as a "spiritual successor" of sci-fi 4X strategy Alpha Centauri.


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Endless Space's fifth free add-on now available for Disharmony owners

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Phil Savage at

Here's a more sedate representation of space than that offered by some of today's other interstellar stories. Endless Space may not be as infinite as its title suggests, but thanks to Amplitude's commitment to free add-ons, it is constantly expanding. The fifth of these add-ons, called The Search for Auriga, is now available for owners of the game's Disharmony DLC.


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Endless Space: Disharmony to get first free add-on next month

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Phil Savage at

Amplitude Studios have been generous in their post-release support for sci-fi 4X strategy Endless Space. Four free add-on packs followed the game's launch, adding new factions, heroes and technologies, and boasting excellent sci-fi names like Lights of Polaris and Rise of the Automatons. Now they're set to continue that generosity with a free major update to the game's Disharmony expansion. As before, it will bring expanded content and a strong name: The Search for Auriga.


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Endless Space: Disharmony released, launch trailer promises to eradicate the Dust

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Phil Savage at

If you're not up to speed with the story behind 4X strategy Endless Space, this launch trailer for the Disharmony expansion doesn't quite hit the tone that developer Amplitude were presumably aiming for. An ancient, powerful, crystalline race rises from the depths of time. Their mission: to destroy... Dust?

You're telling me the oldest race in the universe are dustbusters?


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Endless Space: Disharmony screenshots show mostly menus, release date set for next week

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Phil Savage at

For most games, you wouldn't get away with releasing a series of screenshots depicting menus. But for 4X strategy buffs, a nice menu is appreciated like an FPS fan appreciates a perfectly recreated gun. Or like an RTS fan appreciates some topographical terrain. Or even like a Saints Row fan appreciates a weaponised dildo. As these screenshots show, Endless Space's Disharmony expansion has some particularly nice menus. The space explosions are really just a bonus.

Also a bonus: the expansion's release date has been set for the 28th of June.


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Endless Space announces Disharmony, the turn-based strategy's first full expansion

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Phil Savage at

Endless Space is already a disharmonious place, with multiple factions locked in turn-based 4X fighting. The game's developers, Amplitude Studios, have been busy stoking the fires of this conflict, having previously released four free add-ons, introducing new units and factions to the game. Now they're set to unleash the biggest galactic overhaul yet, with Disharmony, Endless Space's first paid-for expansion.

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Skyward Collapse released, turn-based god game diplomacy arrives on Steam

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Phil Savage at

The thing about humans is, you try and do something nice for them, and then they throw it back in your face by raising an army and going to war. Even innocent things, like building a bakery so they don't starve, will result in more soldiers prowling the floating island you watch over. Well, at least they can defend themselves from bandits... No, wait, they're charging head-first into a big Greek mythological monstrosity. The other thing about humans is they're kind of dumb.

That's what you'll have to deal with in Skyward Collapse, the turn-based 4X god game from AI War developer Arcen Games. You play as The Creator, who is attempting to help two warring civilizations thrive, without letting either get advanced enough to wipe out their rival. It's an interesting twist on the god 'em up genre, and it's out now through Steam and the developer's website.


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Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes standalone expansion released

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Patrick Carlson at

Sometimes a sequel wants to say more than the original ever could. Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, a new standalone expansion to the Stardock strategy game, puts you at the helm of a fantasy empire in a hostile world filled with flaming corpse monsters and wailing undead banshees.


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Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes releasing May 22nd

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Phil Savage at

You get the impression that Stardock are trying to bury the memory of much maligned 4X strategy Elemental: War of Magic - possibly while whistling a nonchalant tune, hoping we'll not notice the fresh patch of disturbed earth and the shovel in their hand. First there was Elemental: Fallen Enchantress - the standalone expansion that went a long way to fixing the ill will caused by its predecessor. Now we have the second expandalone, Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, conveniently dropping that troubled prefix altogether for its May 22nd release.


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Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes review

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PC Gamer at

This is the latest effort by Stardock to properly execute their vision of Elemental: War of Magic , the 4X strategy game we gave 70% back in PCG 219.

It’s a solid turn-based strategy game. You begin with a single hero, found your civilisation and employ strategies both aggressive and diplomatic to further your aspirations for world domination. Through expansion, subjugation and the wielding of grand magics, you move armies across the battlefield to kill wandering creatures, gather lost treasures, carry out quests and capture towns. These are familiar game mechanics, and though highly competent, Enchantress never really feels like it’s pushing the boundaries.


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AI War developer announces Skyward Collapse, a turn-based 4X god game

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Phil Savage at

Arcen Games, creators of AI War and A Valley Without Wind, have announced their next game, Skyward Collapse. It's a strategy collision, incorporating elements of turn-based 4X, god games and simulation. Rather than a vengeful deity of elemental destruction, you play a hovering peacekeeper, attempting to persuade the inhabitants of the floating island you watch over to stop smacking each other with sticks.


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Endless Space celebrates selling 300,000 copies with fourth free content update

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Phil Savage at

Endless Space has received its fourth free add-on pack, Virtual Awakening. The update, launched in celebration of selling 300,000 copies of the 4X turn-based strategy, adds a bunch of new features unlocked during last year's free weekend. The more people who participated in that event, the more new items would be unlocked. And given the size of the changelist, it's safe to say the galaxies were swarming with would-be colonisers.

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Endless Space free update adds Christmas wonder, optional pirates, new hero

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Tom Senior at

Slick 4X strategy game Endless Space received a free update yesterday adding a mysterious Christmas wonder called The Polaris Factory. Wonders were added in an earlier free update, they're hidden facilities and phenomenon that can grant great boons to an expanding empire. This one is an ancient machine couched in the deep arctic ices of a frozen planet, but what does it do?


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Endless Space update adds Automaton faction and other player-chosen features

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Tom Senior at

The super-slick 4X space strategy, Endless Space, gained a new faction overnight. The Automaton were designed by Endless Space player and community contest winner, Panzer. His idea was voted on by fellow players using Amplitude's Game2Gether system. That lets players sign in to vote to decide on what the devs should work on adding next. The last vote offered a choice between random events, faction homeworlds and the ability to destroy entire star systems. Guess which one won (hint: the one with all the bombs).


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Endless Space review

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Rich Stanton at

This is a 4X strategy game – which sounds a bit like a punch-up fuelled by crappy beer. In fact, the four ‘X’s stand for the classic principles that underpin this particular offshoot of the genre: explore, exploit, expand, and everyone’s favourite – exterminate!

Endless Space focuses on macro-management rather than down-and-dirty detail-fiddling. It makes galactic control streamlined, helped enormously by the slickest interface this type of game has ever seen, a beautifully designed UI that keeps things only one or two clicks away.


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Endless Space launches. Giant space war may now begin

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Tom Hatfield at

Snazzy space set 4X game Endless Space has finally launched, and brought with it a bombastic new trailer. It might start slow, with still images of humans exploring alien planets, but don't worry, you get your space war by the end.

Chris and Tom S have been quite taken with Endless Space so far. It's a traditional turn based galactic conquering game, but with a smart battle system where you set up your fleet orders and then let them play out in glorious explodo-vision. It also has an impressively slick and accessible interface, letting you rapidly understand and control your empire, something a lot of other 4X games have struggled with in the past.


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Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion beta open to pre-order players

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Tom Senior at

If you pre-ordered Sins of a Solar Empire's upcoming standalone Rebellion expansion, you'll be able to play the beta right now through Steam. Rebellion gives Sin's starships a visual spit and polish and adds even bigger ones to build. The new Titan class battlecruisers will be able to take on enemy fleets with hardly any backup, letting you terrorise the universe with even bigger lasers.

The beta will let players jump into singleplayer and multiplayer as TEC Loyalists or Rebels. There's lots more information over on the Sins of a Solar Empire forums, including system requirements and a full list of beta features. The developer diary above shows off some of those graphical upgrades, but if you're after more stationary, majestic shots of those new spaceships, check out these five new screenshots.


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