![]() Ground combat, on the other hand, plays like a poor man's X-COM. It often boils down to pointing the fleet in a direction and hoping for the best. In ship combat, players can position units in various spots for a tactical advantage, but when the actual battle begins, the ships prove unwieldy. Unfortunately, the combat lacks excitement and thus I used the auto feature in most situations. The shipyard in which all the construction takes place is visually mundane, but seeing ships out there on the battlefield compensates for the lack of visual flare. Do you want all lasers on one side and all missiles on the other? No problem! Players can ignore the feature and simply build existing ships, but I had a lot more fun creating my own fleet of originals. All ships must meet the minimum requirements, but the construction process touts a surprising amount of freedom. Simply plug parts into the ship on a grid-based canvas and send them out to wreak havoc. StarDrive 2 allows players to build unique ships and customize them in a number of ways. When StarDrive 2 sets its own course it stands out more. Building colonies, exploring space, and negotiating with other races all prove functional, but other games of the genre include the same functionality. ![]() ![]() But it all evokes a “been there, done that” feeling that drags down the overall experience a bit. There's a decent amount of depth behind these systems, and the tutorials do a good job of easing players into the game at a steady pace. As with other games of the genre, players can negotiate to establish treaties, trade agreements, or simply declare war. ![]() Eventually other races come into play, and diplomacy becomes a key aspect of StarDrive 2. Along the way players research numerous technologies and apply those developments to the construction phase. The first order of business is to expand the initial colony and build structures. The structure of the game also highlights its variety when each campaign begins. Both campaigns ended in war… but at least I tried two different approaches. The first time I selected a more peaceful plant race, while the second time I selected the hulking bear race and expanded my fleet in anticipation of combat. The variety in both appearance and functionality encourages repeated campaigns. If you're anything like me, it results in 10+ minutes of staring at the race selection screen as your mind jumps from one selection to the next. Some specialize in intelligence and spy work while others focus on ship combat and aggressive negotiations. StarDrive 2 presents players with nine different races to choose from, all with their own advantages and disadvantages. The game fails to deviate from a familiar path and thus loses its impact, but players who know what to expect will likely find something to enjoy in StarDrive 2. It hits all the necessary notes in unspectacular fashion, though the ship-building aspect stands out as one of the more noteworthy features. StarDrive 2 attempts to capitalize on the combination and comes away marginally successful. Space and the 4X strategy genre go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Explore the wonders of space, but watch out for the wormholes.
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