Review: Sid Meier's Starships Disappoints

I've had a bit of time to play Sid Meier's Starships now, so I feel justified in doing a quick follow up review to my previous post.

Starships is a turn-based strategy game. I happen to love these as a genre, though some get them more right (Civilization V) than others (Civ: Beyond Earth). Unfortunately, Starships falls into the latter category.

It's just as boring and two-dimensional as Civilization:Beyond Earth, perhaps moreso. Although the game did start to become fun after my initial adjustment period (had to stop thinking of it as a Civ-type game, it's more of a board game on the computer), the fun quickly wore off and I was glad I paid only about $15 for it.

Here's why:

1. You can only have one fleet, and you're supposed to manage your empire with just that one.

2. The diplomacy system is so stilted, it as might as well not be there.

3. The max level of a ship is 8, which comes pretty fast. It makes progress feel too easy.

4. Each turn is like every other turn, so I started to get the "I'm repeating everything too much" feeling.

5. The planetary development system is a little confusing, and when you get it, you get bored of it. There aren't even fancy graphics to keep you entertained.

In summary, it's a boring game that feels incomplete at best. I really hope the next game Sid Meier comes up with gets the attention it deserves, because right now he's not on a winning streak.