galciv
Latest
Galactic Civilization II: Twilight of the Arnor invading digitally April 30
Forget what you might have heard, Galactic Civilization II's final expansion, Twilight of the Arnor, releases digitally April 30. There are no plans to release the title at retail and discount bundles are available of the whole Gal Civ II saga on the game's website.The expansion adds unique tech trees for the 12 major civilizations, various new ships and weapons, a new victory condition called "Ascension" and various game tweaks. So, prepare to "finish the fight" April 30 ... wait, that might already be trademarked.%Gallery-20102%
GalCiv II expansion Twilight of the Arnor coming April 23
Galactic Civilizations II remains one of PC gaming's best kept secrets, something that has more to do with the game's single player focus than its ability to lurk in shadows. Now the game is set to get its second and last expansion, dubbed Twilight of the Arnor, an addition that publisher/developer Stardock has confirmed to us will be released as a digital download on April 23. The expansion details the final chapter of the game's Dread Lord wars, and builds upon last year's acclaimed expansion, Dark Avatar. Like that game, Twilight will introduce numerous improvements and tweaks to GalCiv II, from new technology trees to map and campaign editors. Could this finally be the game to pry us from Ironclad's Sins of a Solar Empire? Ask us on April 24. Until then, check out a partial list of additions promised by the expansion after the break.%Gallery-20102%
Joystiq interview: Ironclad talks 4X strategy with Sins of a Solar Empire
PC strategy games come in a variety of flavors, from casual to hardcore, though it's those dubbed 4X that are the most exhausting, and arguably the most fun of the lot. The term 4X has some interesting roots, having first been coined in a magazine review for Microprose's classic Masters of Orion, the label is now used to call out an entire sub-genre of strategy games that exhibit four underlying goals: eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate. Traditionally, though not always, these games are played in turns rather than in real-time, though it's extremely rare to see a title subscribe to both schools of gameplay, something that Ironclad Games' upcoming 4X release Sins of a Solar Empire takes to heart. With the game set to be released on February 4 by GalCiv publisher Stardock, we decided to sit down and speak with Ironclad's producer and lead designer Blair Fraser to get some added insight into what appears to offer an unique take on this particular class of PC strategy.%Gallery-15134%
PC Gamer takes on weeks-long GalCiv battle
People on the internet generally don't enjoy reading long articles. We understand. You've got places to go, people to see, episodes of Heroes to watch. Who has time to actually scroll through several screens worth of writing when there's so much to do?That being said, we heartily recommend that you set aside a few minutes and read through PC Gamer's epic account of what is likely the longest game of Galactic Civilizations 2 ever played.How long exactly? The "Gigantic" sized match has been going on for 16 days now and is just beginning to show signs of an imminent ending. Besides being routinely laugh-out-loud funny, Tom Francis' running account captures the intricacies of interstellar diplomacy, taxation, genocide, despotism, popularity rankings, and extremely foolhardy military planning in a form that even people unfamiliar with the game will find interesting. Go ahead and read it. That status report will still be there in fifteen minutes.[Via Kieron Gillen]
