CVG Review Sins of a Solar Empire, score 8.4

That is the first even halfway objective review of the game I've read. I swear that most of the people writing reviews for Sins never played beyond one game before writing their reviews.

Once the "wow" factor of Sins wears off, you are left with a very mediocre game, in my opinion. I frankly have yet to read a review that justifies the inordinately high scores this game has been getting.

Okay fanbois, tell me why I'm wrong, since dissenting opinions aren't exactly encouraged around here (which I understand, this forum is meant as a marketing tool).

Lazy review with no real valid criticism. Gametrailers was the best.



Sure.

And I suppose you're applying for the job of resident troll, efexye. Keep it up, you might succeed.

Yes, I am a troll because I don't agree that Sins is the greatest game ever.

*eyeroll*

No, you're troll cause you seek trouble, insult individuals and look for reasons to disparage the game. Nope, seems like you're seeking gainful employment to me. I here trolls are in high demand these days.

I seek trouble because I disagree with the high reviews that the game has been getting and agree that an 8.4 is an accurate score? I insulted someone personally?

It's okay, I should have known that answers like yours would be forthcoming. It's why I said what I said in the first post. The kneejerk reaction of any fanboi is to call someone with a different opinion a troll.

How was that review any more objective than the others? There have been some really good reviews of this game, but this was NOT one of them. The thing was barely 600 words and barely scratched the surface of this game.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/31207.html

Yeah, whatever, I'm not one who bumped this topic to fault reviews for giving the game high scores, called fans of the game, who don't agree with my opinion, "fanbois" (WOOO!!!) or came here to complain about how boring the game is....I guess you have nothing else to do. It's ok.

Well, I'm at work, and don't have a lot else to do, surfing forums is how I kill free time. By the way, "fanboi" is not meant as an insult, but if you choose to take it that way, maybe it's time for some introspection? I am a fanboi of a lot of things, just not of Sins.

I tried to bring up this topic before (that the Sins review scores seem unusually high and that the text of the reviews accompanying those scores doesn't justify them) and was run off the boards in a similar fashion. I do apologize for trying to have a discussion about the game, I forgot that this forum is just for abject worship of Sins and the Frasers.

Carry on.

I see.



Funny, considering that most forums reprimand users who use the term, and I doubt you meant it in an endearing fashion...Do you seriously believe this is my first swim in the ocean? I didn't call you a troll to be insulting, it's just a label I give those who don't like games. I'm troll too at times!! Don't be offended by my terminology..... (COUGH!!)





Hmmm...So you returned in order to convert the same people, who you claim ran you off the board, to your cause once more? Hmmm.... I also find it interesting that you reference to reviews a "month old", and fault them for not mentioning how boring the game gets....



Which brings me back to my original point: Why are you here then?

If you look around, there's plenty of constructive criticism on this board. You're not being singled out for disliking the game. You're being singled out for pretending to discuss but offering nothing to talk about. There's really not much to say in response to comments like 'it's a mediocre game' with no specific gripes behind it.

And yes, there are plenty of sycophants around who will trash you regardless of what you say but that's no different from any other official forum.

Do you have any proof?

If Sins is such a "mediocre" game, then why are you here?

Define unusually high. How can a niche space-strategy game be the product of overhype?



Do you have any proof? Or are you just generalizing again? Plenty of people have submitted NEGATIVE FEEDBACK on this forum.

Please, show us some more of your superior intellect.

Okay, I'll bite, in the name of not being called a troll. Here's some specific criticism:

The screenshots accompanying the reviews that I've seen sure are pretty, but the fact is that you will play the game zoomed out to maximum 98% of the time, so the graphics essentially do not matter. It's the same gripe I had with Supreme Commander, another game I felt scored inordinately high based solely on the pedigree of Chris Taylor.

Anyone want to address that?

Supreme Commander had big hype, Sins did not. Care you answer my questions?

I'm LAUGHING at the superior intellect.

.........................................

Jon, you are clearly just trying to provoke me, so no, I do not care to answer your questions, and at no time did I claim any superior intellect.

Posters such as yourself are quite frankly why it is impossible to have a rational discussion about the reviews of this game (not the game itself, which is not even what I'm attempting to debate).

Laugh away, if strangers on the Internet are able to provoke such a strong reaction. I won't be baited, and will only discuss the game and its reviews.

ROFL!! I believe he was insulting you.

Uh...I asked some pretty rational questions.

We like the reviews. They're just fine.

Gametrailers Review
GameSpot Review
IGN Review

All 3 of these are much more detailed, coherent and articulate than the one you support. Perhaps you should read/watch them. They're more complete than some 600 word review on CVG...

Just making sure I understand this right !?

What's to misunderstand? The pictures show beautifully rendered screenshots of a close-up view of a battle which, if you are a decent player, you will almost never zoom in to see. Using the graphics as a selling point for this game is misleading.

To compare, look at any review of Supreme Commander or a preview of Chris Taylor's other upcoming game (sorry Chris, don't mean to single you out but I have noticed a trend in reviews of your games) that I can't remember the name of (Demigod?). They all show intricately detailed ground-level screenshots of huge battes- that you will rarely, if ever, see during the actual playing of the game. Same thing with Sins.

Again; I say, misleading.

I'm curious, are you suggesting there was some conspiracy, or cabal to give Sins of a Solar Empire higher reviews than you think it deserved? Based on what? Stardock doesn't advertise at most of these sites. Indie games typically get much lower reviews than the "big name games". 

Couldn't it just be that different people have different tastes from you?

Of course people have different tastes. I'm just used to analyzing every piece of media I come in contact with, and through that analysis I have come to the conclusion that the content of the reviews of Sins doesn't back up the scores or the metacritic average, which I usually find to be pretty spot-on.

I don't think there is a conspiracy, either, I'm not quite that far gone yet. I suspect that the reviews are inflated by 10% or so because Sins is something of a new genre of game, if it had competition, I'd guess the reviews would not be as high. I went back and looked at the IGN review again, for example, and the number of specific positive references the reviewer makes is equal to the number of specific negative references. I don't get how that equates to essentially a B+/A- review.

I think that part of what is going on is that it is early in the year, in a year which looks to be a pretty crappy year for PC gaming (at least compared to last year) and so games that come out early and are decent get inflated scores, sort of like an ice skating competition.

Thank you for asking for a real opinion in a non-smarmy way. I wanted Sins to be my new favorite game and it just...isn't. I grew bored of it quickly. It happens. Like you said, it is solely a matter of taste.

Also, I enjoyed the brief interview you and your brother did for Games for Windows, I like your outlook on things. I'll be getting GalCiv2 later this month as well, so don't think that all my criticism doesn't mean I'm not buying Stardock games. After all, isn't the bottom line the only criticism that truly matters anyway?

Don't waste your time. He's here to discuss old reviews about a game he doesn't like, with users who are too fanatical, and states his reason for not liking the game revolves around the inability to be zoomed in during combat, yet he is looking forward to purchasing Gal Civ 2. He also gets offended when people react negatively to being called "fanbois", and proceeds to whine about biased reviews and people not agreeing with him. Then he states (a month and a half after its release) that the game is boring, and the reviews should have noticed. "Bob! THis game has gotten boring over the month, return to that review and take off 20 points!!"

After reading through this, you'd find more logic in contracting an STD.....

Why is this game good?

Well first of all, it's not, if you don't like space the conquest strategy genre......... I mean if you don't, then that's pretty much that.

If you *DO*, then Sins presents you with the unique opportunity to satiate your interstellar meglomania on as big a scale as you want, without being ruined by a clumsy UI, poor tech trees, popcorn-stamina ships, or low fleet caps (I'm looking at you, Hegemonia). For those of us who sat on the edge of our seats for months and months on end waiting for Masters of Orion III to come out, only to be utterly disappointed by the game's poor execution, Sins of a Solar Empire is a thing of beauty.

It's not perfect of course. The scaling shield thing seems counter-intuitive and unnecessarily complex of a mechanic. Ship spam is an issue in some cases, and multiplayer still has some significant issues with it (drops don't count as a loss, no ranking, etc). These are relatively minor to me though, and can easily be corrected with a patch or two. The core of the game, the part that really matters, is of extremely solid craftsmanship, and THAT is what pushes the game's score up so high in my book.

Crappily produced games are a dime a dozen. It's nice to finally find one that I don't have to spend all of my playtime bitching about about its flaws.

Oh and yes. Yes, there is a conspiracy. Sins of a Solar Empire was created by aliens who compel you to play, to single out those individuals best able to fight their wars for them. The magazines have already been compromised by these tentacled horrors.

DOOOOOOMMM!!!!!!!!