News by Matt S.
2K games and Firaxis have announced a new game – Sid Meier’s Starships. It’s apparently a turn-based adventure strategy game set in the same universe as Civilization: Beyond Earth, and is coming to PC, Mac, and iPad.
In the game, you will apparently command a fleet of starships and setting out to explore the galaxy, defend planets and their civilizations, while building a federation to usher in peace. It sounds more than a little like Battlestar Galactica, and that’s a good thing in my book.
Additionally players apparently create a federation through exploration, research futuristic tech, and engage in turn-based tactical space battles complete with customisable spacecrafts.
Notice I keep saying “apparently”? That’s because the trailer is absolutely hopeless in giving away any sense of how the game plays. It’s one of those atmospheric cinematic trailers that are visually spectacular but don’t show a second of gameplay. I’m all for cinematic trailers but I really wish they would include even a few seconds of gameplay to show the title that will back up the cinematics. Anyhow, that gripe aside (you can see the trailer at the bottom if you’re interested) thankfully the few screenshots that have been released give us a little better idea of what to expect.
The game’s battles are split up into hexagons and take place on a 2D plane, and seems a little reminscient of the excellent Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol games. The strategy screen, meanwhile, looks like a streamlined take on Civilization: Beyond Earth, where players will get to manage resources and territories and the like.
It’s an exciting game prospect to be sure, either way, and I love that it’s coming to the iPad, the natural home for strategy gaming, if we’re being honest with ourselves.
– Matt S.
Editor-in-Chief
Find me on Twitter: @digitallydownld
