Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor [PC]

As the name suggests, Twilight or the Arnor tells the final chapter in the Dread Lords story. Picking up after the galaxy-shattering events of the previous game the new campaign sees the Terrans making one last effort to snatch power from the Dread Lords, this time by gathering a number of crystals that...you know what? Let's just skip that part. The campaign story may be a little predictable but the overall impact of the scripted missions is impressive. While the sandbox mode is still to be preferred over the campaigns, the unique setups here are well worth exploring and we particularly like the challenge of having to achieve specific objectives against enemies that are already far ahead of us in terms of advancement.

Like most Gal Civ players, the open-ended game is still what draws up back again and again. This new expansion includes even more replayability with completely unique tech trees, an even more ridiculously large map, tougher AI, better graphics and sound, a more convenient interface and a whole host of minor tweaks and add-ons that are sure to please fans of the game.

To begin with, the new Immense galaxy size is just insane. Our recommendation is that you don't undertake it unless you have a few months to spare. Just hearing that it takes the fastest ships several turns just to get from one side of the galaxy to the other is enough to intimidate even the most die-hard strategy fan. Still, if you want to play in a galaxy that's 24 sectors on each side, you're welcome to it. We have a similar feeling about the improved AI. While it's far beyond our ability to tell whether the hardest difficultly level is even tougher this time around, we can still say that that challenges and behaviors of the enemies in our games are still as satisfying as ever.

And that's particularly good because, even with this expansion, Gal Civ II still doesn't have any proper multiplayer. While it was easier to forgive before the release of Civilization IV, it's tough these days to accept the Metaverse as anything more than a poor substitute for real head-to-head play. With that said, the AI in Twilight of the Arnor and the wide range of experiences available are more than enough to keep up happy until Stardock finds a way to make multiplayer a reality.

The tech trees are unique in a number of ways. First, the techs are just organized differently. The Yor, for instance, have to unlock their diplomacy technologies before they can even consider researching trade technologies but the Terrans only have to research gravity control before they can start developing their trading technologies. The warlike Korath have a single technology available right at the start that unlocks a wide range of military tech lines that other races can only reach much later in the game. Some other races, like the Yor, don't even have access to some of the techs that the Korath can get. Where the Terran gravity control tech line leads to a number of intrastructure improvements, the same technology gives the Korath access to a number of interesting technologies that help them use slave labor to improve their empire. These are just a few general examples of how this works, so keep in mind that each of the game's twelve races have their own unique trees that offer very different play styles.

These technologies also lead to unique planetary improvements. While many of them have the same basic effect (increasing research, production, etc.) there are some interesting penalties and bonuses that are specific to each race's version of the more general buildings. And even better, the overall flavor of the improvements suits the race they're assigned to and that adds a lot of personality to the game. Just look at the different types of buildings each race uses to boost morale and you'll learn a lot about the philosophical differences between each race.