Windows

Sword of the Stars

Though I'm sure the job is fraught with many more dangers, when it finally comes time for me to live out my space-faring fantasies, I'd far rather experience it from the deck of a warship bristling with laser cannons than from the rostrum of an alien senate or the sterile laboratory of a xenobiologist. Thankfully, Sword of the Stars is here to tide me over in the meantime. The new space empire game from Kerberos Productions puts the emphasis squarely on building massive space fleets and sending them to attack the ships and worlds of your enemy.

Ondanks een matige afwerking heeft Sword of the Stars enkele originele elementen te bieden aan ruimtestrategen.

When the developers of the acclaimed Homeworld series make a new IP (intellectual property) the gaming world takes notice. This has been the case with their newest game that goes by the title of Sword of the Stars. After previewing a demo of it several months ago I came back impressed with what I saw, but I wondered how the game would shake up once it was fully finished. Well that day has finally come and I have had the chance to immerse myself into this game. Read on to find out more!

Despite some flaws with the combat, Sword of the Stars distills the complex space strategy formula to a slick, streamlined, and enjoyable package.

Auf der einen Seite bin ich überrascht von der simplen Bedienung von Sword of the Stars. Auf der anderen Seite frage ich mich, wieso der Kampf derart abgespeckt daherkommt. Trotzdem macht es zwischendurch durchaus Laune, das Weltraum-Reich wieder ein wenig zu erweitern.

Seit Jahren totgesagt, tauchen sie aber immer wieder aus den Tiefen des Entwickler-Universums auf: unheimliche Weltraumspiele der rundenbasierten Art. Gut so! Angesichts der Echtzeit-Übermacht bin ich froh, wenn ich wieder mal rundenweise durchs All ziehen darf. Das kampfbetonte Sword of the Stars bietet zwar nichts gravierend Neues, spielt sich aber unkompliziert. Schön: Ich kann selber bestimmen, ob ich einen langen Abend oder Wochen an einer Partie sitzen mag.

For those who are looking for a traditional space game and don’t mind the slow pace, Sword of the Stars is the right game. The others won’t like it.

Sword of the Stars is a turn-based strategy game in the classic explore, expand, exploit, exterminate format -- 4X to its many fans -- as used most famously by Civilization. It's low on budget but high on slick presentation, although that can make navigating the interface a chore on occasion. Its stripped-down, combat-heavy approach makes it a good bet for those turned off by other 4X games, but longtime fans of the genre won't be so keen.

Sword of the Stars is a decent foray into the sci-fi strategy genre. However, the combat system and lack of diplomacy really holds back this offering from being truly great, and the depth of other titles in the genre also dims its lights. If you've already played the greats of the genre and need some filler, pick up this game.

I feel it's far too basic and simplified for the hardcore turn-based strategy fan, especially when compared to the recent Galactic Civilizations 2. There's simply not enough to do when you're not fighting. If you're not normally a fan of the genre, it's difficult to see if this is enough to draw you in. If you're going to take the plunge into 4X strategy, you might as well go the whole way and be prepared to look over a few stat sheets. Just as Leonardo Da Vinci had something to say on simplicity, so too did Einstein, who claimed; everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. If Sword of the Stars had stream-lined its exterior and retained some more depth under the hood for those who were prepared to look, we might have a great game. As such, Sword of the Stars is merely a solid example of the genre.

En solo, Sword of the Stars souffre de la comparaison avec Galactic Civilizations 2. Moins riche sur le plan du contenu et du gameplay, il peine à convaincre. Oui mais voilà, il a l'avantage d'avoir un mode multijoueur et c'est ce qui le sauve. Néanmoins, on aurait vraiment aimé que le jeu soit moins superficiel dans ses phases de combat et plus complet dans les possibilités offertes en matière de gestion. En l'état, c'est tout de même un peu trop limité pour être intéressant sur le long terme.

Die einzig gute Idee in Sword of the Stars ist der variable Technikbaum, und selbst der kommt Spielern von Master of Orion 2 bekannt vor. Alles andere haben andere Weltraum-Strategiespiele längst besser gelöst. Die aufgesetzten 3D-Kämpfe lasse ich automatisch berechnen, weil die Kamerasteuerung eine Zumutung ist - so geht Sword of the Stars die gesamte taktische Ebene flöten. Da Diplomatie praktisch fehlt, beschränkt sich die Völker-Interaktion auf Krieg. Was bleibt, ist ein dürres Stategie-Gerüst für duldsame Freunde des Genres.

The result is Sword of the Stars, a stripped-down strategy title that drops most of the economic micromanagement and spreadsheet juggling in favor of a game focused on building massive fleets and blowing the bejeeburs out of any alien scum that looks at you funny. Unfortunately, while the game's new take on the genre is worthy of praise, an annoying interface, a badly designed galactic map and uninformative displays make it unlikely most gamers will want to take the time to actually get into it.

Thanks to their previous work on Homeworld: Cataclysm, we had high hopes for British Columbia based developer Kerberos' Sword of the Stars. But alas, high hopes have a way of dashing themselves along the shores of reality.

Mêlant jeu de gestion d'empire galactique au tour par tour et combats spatiaux en temps réel, Sword Of The Stars jouait la carte de l'innovation et pouvait légitimement se montrer ambitieux...

Oh, my -- what happened here? The creators of the -- at the time and even still -- sublime Homeworld: Cataclysm have gone and made a turn-based space strategy game. After Homeworld, Barking Dog went on to make a cute little pirate-ships-in-space RTS based on the Disney bomb Treasure Planet. They're now operating under the name of Kerberos, which is technically still a barking dog, albeit a three-headed one.