Master of Orion 2: Battle At Antares (Jewel Case) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This game is wonderful.Those of you who played the original MOO will find gameplay similar but with expanded options, while folks new to the series will likely enjoy the politicking and pestering that goes on in the average game.A few general comments and then some specifics:
MOO:2 is a galatic strategic adventure game.You pick from one of nearly a dozen races, each with its own benefits or drawbacks (The klackons, industrious space-ants, excel at production but are as dumb as bricks; ethereal Psilons float about learning with amazing rapidity but struggling to produce the ships necessary to defend themselves, while charming and wily Humans play folks against one another).A new feature allows you to customize your own race from the scores of options characterizing the pre-packaged ones.Want enormous planets?Make your race Aquatic and Subterranean.Insanely productive?Cybernetic, Tolerant (ignores pollution effects), +2 Production.The possibilities are staggering, and by buying a lot of negatives, one can afford an equal number of wonderful positives.
Each star system, unlike MOO:1, has a number of planets, most of which you can land on initially.Unlike MOO:1, you will not need to learn different _types_ of colonization for different planets (radiated, barren, toxic, etc.).However, you still need to research how to make them more fruitful.Along the way you receive the option to hire both planetary governors and ship leaders, effectively Heroes for your forces.Placing a good planetary leader in a system with a half-dozen habitable planets can double your empire's food, research, and/or industry production.
Other additional features such as multiple 'special' worlds guarded by nasty beasts, in addition to Orion itself, as well as the ability to purchase (eventually) robotic workers allows for great customization, and lets races rebound from setbacks.MOO:2 even allows you the option to let the computer calculate all the fleet battles nearly instantly, so you don't have to sit through a 2 hour fight involving stasis fields and boarding parties.However, you may only choose this option _before_ starting a given game, and cannot turn it off afterwards.Long fights may get annoying, but I find it far more useful to know _why_ you lost, not just that you did.
All in all, MOO:2 is a very engrossing strategy game, particularly for sci-fi buffs.Note however that while it has aged well, you may need to turn down the graphics accelerator on your computer to keep it from freezing up if you have a new one.Details on how should be included in the help files that come with the game.

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Product Description:
Forge an empire to span a universe. Colonize unknown planets and trade with other races for their knowledge. Conquer alien star systems by war or diplomacy to secure their resources. Only then can you guarantee your galactic supremacy. Multiple game settings let you select such factors as your adversaries' intelligence, the size and age of the galaxy, and the level of civilization. There are multiplayer options for up to eight players. You can play using modems, a network, a hot seat, or TCP/IP. The game also includes 13 predesigned races, each with its own abilities, and the means to create your own.

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