Sid Meier's Starships Reviews
Get a cardboard box, paint it silver, sit in it and pretend you're Kirk. There, we just saved you some cash.
Sid Meier's Starships produces a few good tactical battles before its AI loses steam and its strategy gets frustrating.
Still, small beans in a game that is otherwise so elegantly put together. Starships isn't Civ, but it is Sid, and that's fine by me.
Those looking for a core strategy experience may be disappointed, but the game is well suited for those that want a fun (if fleeting) tactical game
Sid Meier's Starships stretches a thin premise over barebones gameplay systems.
The way that ships, planets and research all simply accrue numbers in various areas rather than opening up new avenues to understand, explore and exploit makes Starships seem like a game set at the end of humankind's ambition rather than the beginning of a brave new age.
Sid Meier's Starships is a short and sweet companion game to Civilization: Beyond Earth that doesn't overstay its welcome. Without many options for game setup and a multiplayer mode, Starships is limited in scope, but its ship-focused combat and breezy progression has a broad appeal that fits well for both PC and iOS platforms.
Ultimately, the game left me wishing there was more to it.
Fast-paced and accessible are not words commonly used to describe turn-based strategy games, but Sid Meier's latest is a fun, breezy strategic time killer.
Mr. Meier has distilled many of the elements of his more expansive strategy games into an accessible action-packed romp you can play in a single night
Civilisation creator's latest focuses on building starships and conquering the galaxy, and is perfectly tuned for lapsed gamers who loved his earlier work
[T]here is no question Sid Meier's Starships should have been much better.
Sid Meier's Starships provides a simplified, portable gameplay snippet of the series turn-based gameplay that ultimately makes it a difficult recommend for Civilization fans. While the game was clearly designed for a tablet, there is still some entertainment to be found in brief gameplay sessions. Yet, it's impossible not to take into account there are far superior strategy games on PC that make Starships an even less-desiring title to play.
Rather than offering up a bite-sized entry into the somewhat intimidating strategy genre, Sid Meier's Starships serves up a half-baked entry that fails to provide much in the way of strategy.
Sid Meier's Starships does away with all of the research tree and diplomatic hard work that often comes with a 4X title, replacing them with some brilliant turn-based strategy combat and just enough world conquering to keep any evil genius happy.
Sid Meier's Starships may not be exactly what fans were expecting as a follow-up to Beyond Earth, but viewed as a low-cost strategy title which can run on both older machines or iPad devices, it's a well-polished and addictive experience.
Fun, quick and light strategy game, Starships is a great introduction to strategic gameplay or for those who don't have time for a longer experience. On its own, it feels shallow and lacks extensive replay value. Not suited to PC, I think Starships will do best on mobile.
That said, players who opt for a fiscally healthier expenditure will be missing out on a solid Sid Meier experience, since Starships is a space odyssey that's definitely worth your time.
Cranking up the difficulty in Starships and thereby eliminating the margin for error can address shortcomings of the tactical mode, but the strategic mode will always remain simple. Hence the feeling that Starships is more like a mini-game than a fully-fledged title, an observation held up by the game's low asking price of $15.