Galactic Civilizations III
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Galactic Civilizations III
Galactic Civilizations 3 doesn't re-invent the wheel, but it delivers a top-notch, highly customizable 4X experience.
More of a refresh than expected, but still hands down the best modern way to conquer unknown space.
Other minor issues aside, such as a need to develop the game's rather basic fleet management UI and a somewhat crippling arbitrary penalty that makes large-scale empire administration more of a chore than it should be, the game is well deserving of the GalCiv name and offers enough in the way of traditional features and modern scalability to secure the series' place at the very top of the 4X tech tree - if not for the five years that Stardock intend to adapt and add to the game, then at least until the next 4X game comes along in a few days time.
Different races, ship customization, and disparate methods of victory and progression make your choices meaningful, leading to an essential experience for strategy-game enthusiasts
The Galactic Civilizations series has returned with more ships, bigger maps, and new ways to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate.
Galactic Civilizations III is better than Beyond Earth (especially at release), but in this ever improving genre you have to come up with your best shot at launch and, if you want to sell DLC, build on top of that in engaging ways. This genre is one of high replayability and hundred hour games so your product has to challenge last year's fully DLCed 4x games in a substantive way to merit the kind of investment in time, intellectual energy and money that these games require.
Given how complex GalCiv3's overlapping systems are, getting good at the game can become quite a daunting task, but it's worth it. Few games offer the same sense of flexibility and depth that this game has.
Only a minor improvement on the last game, but still a hugely accomplished space strategy game – with an almost infinite range of customisation options.
