looking to get a space strategy game but I cant decide!

[rbstewart7263]

Sooooo Im thinking of getting a space strategy game with a winning aesthetic(no boring ass ships) and a winning story(No boring ass story) but I cnat figure as to what to get. Sins of a solar empire seems intriguing but then so does starcraft 2(Not space but its the only scifi strategy game that intrigues me) So escapists what do you think? Any recommendations?

 

[shrekfan246]

Well, if you want a story then Starcraft II is pretty much your only option. Most other sci-fi/space themed strategy games in the past few years have been 4X games, and the only 4X game I can think of which has a worthwhile story that isn't created by the player themselves as you play is Age of Wonders III.

 

[rbstewart7263]

Im ok with it not being terribly story focused. I dont mind using my imagination like I did in shogun 2. Id use that to color my actions and whatnot.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well Sins is skirmish only, it's an immensely good RTS but they never did a campaign.
If you want space combat and story you go for the Homeworld series, those games really take you on an epic journey with immensely cool ships.

Otherwise if you want sci-fi ground combat I suggest the Dawn of War series, being based on the Warhammer 40k universe does give it quite the character. They also break that old sprite RTS mold, here you get squads, degrees of cover, engaging on the move, locking into melee, messy combat(units get thrown around), directional armor,...

 

[rbstewart7263]

Well Sins is skirmish only, it's an immensely good RTS but they never did a campaign.
If you want space combat and story you go for the Homeworld series, those games really take you on an epic journey with immensely cool ships.

Otherwise if you want sci-fi ground combat I suggest the Dawn of War series, being based on the Warhammer 40k universe does give it quite the character. They also break that old sprite RTS mold, here you get squads, degrees of cover, engaging on the move, locking into melee, messy combat(units get thrown around), directional armor,...

Its strange why don't more rts games take more inspiration from homeworld? its beloved for a reason!

 

[Xeorm]

Its strange why don't more rts games take more inspiration from homeworld? its beloved for a reason!

It didn't exactly do that well in sales IIRC. It was fun, but games with innovative control schemes usually don't do so well.

Another option you may want to look at is sword of the stars (and possible the sequel, though I'd recommend the first to start). Good strategy game, fun battles, and lots of backstory to the universe.

 

[Pink Gregory]

Endless Space for 4x strategy.

But that doesn't seem like your thing.

 

[The Madman]

If you don't mind 4x strategy games then there's tons of options out there but they tend to largely be light on the story and often mediocre in the visuals department. Space 4x strategy games are big though, lots of options there both new and old.

If you're looking for something more modern looking with sparkly visuals and a high emphasis on story, then there's Starcraft 2 and Dawn of War and... well... that's about it really. There's a couple other space rts out there but those are the only ones that really seems to match your criteria for a strategy game. And in Dawn of War's case that's really only Dawn of War 2 which is heavily story focused.

Both great games though, totally worth looking into. I happen to quite like both Starcraft 2 and Dawn of War 2 even if there are legit complaints that can be made towards both games and their franchise.

Sins meanwhile is a fantastic little game but keep in mind it has pretty much no story, and while Homeworld is brilliant it's also getting a bit on in years so you wont see much in the way of winning aesthetics there.

 

[GeneralChaos]

Sword of the Stars is a 4X game with an interesting backstory. While there is a sort of "campaign" scenario chain, it's mostly a backdrop to the game itself rather than a central role.
Each race in the game plays very differently, even having completely different methods of traveling the stars (one race is standard warp drive, another is really fast along pre-determined nodes but slow otherwise, another can't break lightspeed but can set up teleport gates etc). You can design custom ships by assembling modules and weapons that you have researched, so you don't have to worry about boring ships. It's also got an actually 3-d starmap. Yes, space is three dimensional and you have to keep that in mind when planning your strategy. Easily the best true space game I've played.

If you are willing to go back a ways, Alpha Centauri is a scifi 4x game in the vein of old Civilization games. It's got a solid baseline of mechanics, customizable units and more memorable quotes than Oscar Wilde. Alpha Centauri is the best Civilization game ever released, and you can get it super cheap

 

[BoogieManFL]

I also endorse Alpha Centauri. It's old school, but one of the best IMO. The tech advance speeches are pretty awesome. What I wouldn't give for a modern sequel or even just a remake. The new Civ game coming out.. Beyond Earth, that might be good. Looking forward to that. It might be something of a spiritual successor to Alpha Centauri.

If you like 4x games, you must play Alpha Centauri.

Other than those two, I also enjoyed the first Sword of the Stars game quite a bit. Diplomacy needed more work but it gets the job done for the most part. Combat and ship customization and weighted-random tech tree are the top highlights of that game. Combat especially.

 

[renegade7]

Can't go wrong with Sins of a Solar Empire for space strategy, especially if you're not extremely interested in 4X kind of games. It's much more like a traditional RTS, but in space with spaceships, with a lot of complexity, empire-building, economics, etc.

Also, I just picked up the Humble Bundle that has this new one, The Last Federation, and I'm really liking it.

Homeworld is pretty good too.

 

[Racecarlock]

If you're willing to compromise on the story part of the deal and the 4x part, battleships forever is a combat centric game with a ship editor. And it's free. Not free to play with microtransactions, the whole game is entirely free. No prices for anything.

The ship editor is pretty advanced, too. All parts seen in the game are in the editor. Also the game is easily moddable. Again, the game really doesn't have a story mode, but if you're willing to compromise on that, the rest of the game is pretty awesome. And it's free.

 

[Lilikins]

One game you could maybe check up on, would be...I believe its space engineers? (if my bloody steam would open I could say the exact name but I think thats it...)

I have a friend whos playing that who seems totally ecstatic about it, it seems to be some kind of space sim. From what Ive 'seen' it seems to be sorta like Minecraft...in space. Donno if thats your cup of tea, its not mine personally but as said, this friend of mine is quite ecstatic about it.

 

[Randoman01]

Homeworld I and II are also exellent

 

[dasqoot]

I personally did not play much of Sins of a Solar Empire, but it's a very beautiful game with a very slick UI and controls.

Although I bought both Homeworld games new, I've never played much (mostly skirmishes). A bit hardcore for me, but they are considered classics for many reasons.

SC2 has a pretty neat single player campaign. It's a great story, especially if you familiarize yourself with the backstory in SC1. It's also got a ton of unlockables, two completely different customization trees (per expansion) , which each have tons of awesome units, and lots of lore, clickables, dialogue and other fun stuff in between missions to engross you. I wont lie, I found the actual campaign gameplay very simple, and I've never really been a fan of playing the multiplayer, although I love watching it played.

Everything else I can think of, that I really liked, didn't have much story unless you made it yourself. To be honest, I think Sins almost wins by default for new strategy players. It has the best interface and visuals I've seen, it just came at a time when there were a bunch of super complicated grognard or roguelike 4x games on the market and I didn't have time for it.

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

Star Wars: Empire at War and Forces of Corruption are my recommendation.

There are a total of three campaigns. One Imperial (alt history), one Rebel (Star Wars movie canon), and one independent (independent of, but reliant upon, the movies).

There's land and space battle. The balance isn't too great, but the variety of units and the creativity the factions endorse make up for it. There's Skirmish (up to 8 players, I believe), Space Skirmish, and Galactic Conquest. I heartily endorse Galactic Conquest's metamap/metatime functions.

It also has a remarkably active modding community.

 

[Jandau]

Galactic Civilizations 2. End of story. Best space strategy game ever made.