Windows

Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares

Wenn Sie sich für epische, lange motivierende Spiele begeistern, gibt es eigentlich nur eine Möglichkeit: Sofort den Raumanzug anziehen, zum nächsten Softwarehändler schweben und nach diesem Spiel verlangen. Master of Orion 2 ist das Beste, was es in unserer Milchstraße im Bereich Weltraumstrategie gibt.

Even though the traces of the Orions and Antarans seem lost in space and time, the legends about these two civilizations never ceased to go around. What is certain, however, is that the two races had achieved an extraordinary level of knowledge, which the current known races are apparently far from reaching. But despite this remarkable level of civilization, the two races were unable to avoid war. The magnitude of the conflict is hard to conceive, each race had deployed all its energy to combat the other, and the power of the weapons used in the war is simply beyond all imagination. It is said that the Orions were victorious, but instead of eliminating their adversaries, they had them banished into another dimension. Then why did the Orions disappear, leaving a Guardian on their home world is still a part of the mystery that surrounds this race. As for the Antarans themselves, another question remains unanswered, could they return from the inter-dimensional barrier that imprisons them?

When the original Master of Orion first shipped in 1993, the response was mixed. Falling somewhere between the eye-bleeding complexity of games like Pax Imperia and the simplicity of Spaceward Ho!, Master of Orion was loved for the its fast-paced exploration, but beaten up by critics for its simplistic economic model, its repetitive and basic combat system, and its lack of multiplayer options. Now, four years later, SimTex has returned, like the protagonist in a Charles Atlas ad, pumped up with the gameplay equivalent of steroids, to deliver a title that no one would dare call simple.

Master of Orion II er på trods af sine små fejl en underholdende og udfordrende oplevelse, som helt sikkert vil ødelægge mangen en nattesøvn. For alle fans af forgængeren er Master of Orion II ganske enkelt et must (for nu at bruge et godt, gammelt dansk udtryk!). Og mellem os: Mange af snydekoderne fra forgængeren virker stadig...

Is Master of Orion II worth the wait? I have mixed feelings. I played four bouts and feel drained of all patience, waiting for the game to load graphics from my CD ROM. I doubt I'll play another as a result. If you have a slow CD ROM, as I do, avoid Master of Orion II. The game is fun, but unless you have copious patience, the long CD ROM waits will suck the fun right out of this game for you.