Stars! (1996)
Genres:Strategy
Themes:4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate)
Story:Stars! is a turn-based strategy, science fiction 4X game.
Vote to bring this game to GOG and help preserve it.114
Easy to learn, hard to master, big and open enough that 100s of different strategies, tactics, and play styles have been created over the years. Xplore, Xpand, Xploit, Xterminate!
Trailblazing Tutorial mode, extensive tech tree, ample freedom for race and ship design, smart enough AI players to make solo play a challenge.
But multiplayer sets apart the toughest strategists from mere dictators in scenarios where less than 500 worlds to master is considered "small". Diplomacy, management, trade, stealth, dirty tricks, tons of shiny ships turned to smithereens. You could lose 100+ big battles, turnaround and win 200+ more before defeating the last enemy.
Shout "Packet!" in a room full of gamers, and Stars! veterans cannot help but shiver. P-}
Played back in the 90's, never found anything else that comes close to the depth and breadth of detail available in this game. As far as I'm concerned this is THE 4X game, all others just don't make the cut. It was possible to automate many aspects of play or micromanage aspects beyond the wildest dreams of the most insane control freak. And yes "Packet!" does still make me shiver.
For me, this game defined "grand strategy." I never actually finished a playthrough! I kept one universe going for about 18 months and then other games took my attention. I recall there being an option to print-out the game map for strategizing purposes--on dot matrix, of course! The map of one game must have totaled something like 80 or so pages and--when taped together--covered the dining room table. I remember using a compass to draw "spheres" of control around my hub planets and then drawing ruler-straight lines to trace the resource packet lines. It was so much fun creating warships to battle specific races and how your tactics had to (HAD TO) adapt to what the AI was constantly throwing at you. I have never found its like for satisfying the college-age gaming obsession I had for this game! This is truly the gold-standard against which I have compared EVERY SINGLE 4X game I have played in the last three-and-a-half decades. They just don't make games designed to played for months and months like this anymore.
Oh my gosh I spent soooo many hours of my childhood playing this game. A true masterpiece in the 4X genre. This game had it all. Virtually infinite replayability. There was a sequel in the works that never got released :-(. Having the original on GOG would be so clutch.
I loved the flexibility and customization options for the startup settings - you could make anything possible, gas giant floaters immune to gravity and radiation conditions and a very lopsided range for temperature, and then swallow up a lot of uncontested planets keeping your head down. Or go the super breeder way, spending most of the rest of the game balancing out the immense growth from your home and early found superbreeder planets. If any game could capture the feel of Iain Banks space opera, this is it. Also, loved the alien merchant speeding through.
When you suddenly realize that the enemy AI has mass-driver technology and you don't. When the consequences of that fact are that you cannot capture mass-driver packets. And when the AI starts sending those packets as ballistic weapons instead of their fleets (which you can easily decimate). And when you start having a dedicated hyper-fast, hyper-large transport fleet just to capture rogue mass packets sent from enemy plantes spotted by the advance scouts...
That is when you know you're playing a true 4X game.
I had an old copy of this game and I absolute loved to play this. A game could take weeks to finish playing several hours a day. What differ this game to other 4x games these days it that there is no story, no music and I can't remember any tutorial. Just a sandbox, of the size you choose. You set up your species or spend some points to make your own, then you are just thrown in. Micromanagement to the core AND IT'S HEAVEN. I still remember one of my first game where four of my largest planets was bombed to smithereens by an enormous enemy fleet and I was thrown away to one of my backwater planets where I rebuilt me forces and took out me revenge on the aggressor and the rest of the universe. A brilliant game that was.
I remember games that lasted several months in which my greatest strength was diplomacy (conducted outside of the game), because unfortunately, despite my love of strategy games, I've never been good at them - I've always struggled to micromanage perfectly. :) Stars! I'll remember for the rest of my life, I hope it drops on GOG also in macOS version.... :)
Played this with my dad and brother...it's a delightfully complex game, while being quite easy to get started in. Great strategy game, fun to design your own ships. A bit like Master of Orion, but better.
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 is a Japanese tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, and the fifth installment in the Fire Emblem series. It is also the third and final Fire Emblem series title to be released on the Super Famicom.
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 takes place between Chapters 5 and 6 of the previous game, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu. Several characters from Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu appear, such as Leaf, Fin, and Nanna. It takes place in the Thracian peninsula in southeastern Jugdral.Fantasy
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the RosesYu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses is a video game developed by Konami based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and anime series. Its main characters, Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba, play opposing teams known as the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. Each team is playable, battling various characters throughout the plot to prevent a ritual summoning by using sorcerous rose cards.Fantasy Historical
The Lord of the Rings: The Third AgeThe Lord of the Rings:The Third Age introduces entirely new characters which aren't mentioned in the books or movies. The game does relate to the movies by including scenes from all three movies, with new background speech by Ian McKellen (Gandalf).
There are seven playable characters in the game which have been created specifically for it, as well a small appearances by characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Eowyn, Faramir, and Gothmog.
The game covers events in all three movies/books, mostly with references to major events shown through cut scenes, or the scenes from the movies with Ian McKellan's narration.
A classic RPG game, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age has gameplay elements similar to Final Fantasy, where you have a party of characters, each with a different set of skills and attributes, who gain levels, making them stronger as the game progresses. Battles are turn-based, and let the gamer make different decisions on what they want to do to change the outcome of the battle. The game travels through many areas throughout Tolkien's Middle Earth, including The Pelennor Fields and Moria.Action Fantasy
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth"Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth – The fifth main installment of the long-running Etrian Odyssey series is finally arriving!
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth chronicles the quest of a new adventurer (hey, that’s you!) as he or she attempts to reach the top of the towering Yggdrasil Tree. For it is said that whoever braves the dangers of the dreaded Yggdrasil Labyrinth and reaches the summit will have their greatest wish fulfilled…"
"With four unique races, 10 distinct classes, more customization options than any previous game in the franchise, and a streamlined skill tree/class advancement, you can shape a party to whatever your heart desires."Action Fantasy
Valkyria Chronicles 3: Extra EditionSenjou no Valkyria 3: Unrecorded Chronicles, usually referred to as Valkyria Chronicles III, is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third game in the Valkyria Chronicles series and was released on January 27, 2011 exclusively in Japan. An expanded version of the game, subtitled Extra Edition was released in Japan on November 23, 2011. The game features an opening song もしも君が願うのなら (Moshimo Kimi ga Negauno Nara?) sung by Japanese singer May'n.
Occurring in the same time frame as the first game, Valkyria Chronicles III is a side story that follows the exploits of an unwanted and castigated Gallian Army squad during the Imperial invasion of 1935.[3] Contrasting the previous games' bright outlook and recognition for their protagonists, Valkyria Chronicles III explores the themes of being outcast and the search for redemption. As described by its catchphrase, the game tells "The tale of nameless soldiers who, on the verge of despair, changed history."
The game was the first in the series to not officially be translated into English by Sega. However, an unofficial fan translation for the Extra Edition was eventually released in December 2013.Action Historical Warfare Drama
L.A. NoireL.A. Noire is a neo-noir detective action-adventure video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. It was initially released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms on 17 May 2011; a Microsoft Windows port was later released on 8 November 2011.
L.A. Noire is set in Los Angeles in 1947 and challenges the player, controlling a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer, to solve a range of cases across five divisions. Players must investigate crime scenes for clues, follow up leads, and interrogate suspects, and the player's success at these activities will impact how much of each case's story is revealed.
The game draws heavily from both the plot and aesthetic elements of film noir—stylistic films made popular in the 1940s and 1950s that share similar visual styles and themes, including crime and moral ambiguity—along with drawing inspiration from real-life crimes for its in-game cases, based upon what was reported by the Los Angeles media in 1947.
The game uses a distinctive colour palette, but in homage to film noir it includes the option to play the game in black and white. Various plot elements reference the major themes of detective and mobster stories such as The Naked City, Chinatown, The Untouchables, The Black Dahlia, and L.A. Confidential.Open world Action Historical Thriller Sandbox Mystery
Suikoden IIIFifteen years after the events of Suikoden II, the stories of Hugo (the son of a village chief), Chris (the virtuous Knight of Zexen), and Geddoe (the rebellious unit commander) intertwine as they gather the 108 Stars of Destiny. Suikoden III features three different battle systems and three styles of combat in a 3D world. Customize each of your three character's skills, and then pair them together to unleash devastating combo attacks.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingDragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is the eighth installment in the Dragon Quest series, developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was also later released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2015.
It is a traditional Japanese-style role-playing game with random enemy encounters, simple turn-based combat mechanics, and management of a party consisting of four characters, each belonging to a clearly defined class. Unlike its predecessors in the series and most Japanese RPGs in general, the game features a continuous world with fairly vast landscapes and integrated towns and dungeons, as opposed to world map traveling and locations represented by icons. The game features full camera rotation and optional first-person view.
Like in the previous Dragon Quest games, many objects can be interacted with; for example, barrels can be physically lifted, carried, and broken, to reveal items hidden within.Action Fantasy
Arc the LadArc the Lad is a tactical role-playing video game developed by G-Craft for the PlayStation and is the first game in the Arc the Lad series. It was released in 1995 in Japan, and released in North America on April 18, 2002, as part of Arc the Lad Collection. The Japanese released was published by SCEI, while the North American release was published by Working Designs. It was the best-selling Japanese PlayStation game of 1995 with over a million copies sold. Arc the Lad was followed by two direct sequels and many games that make up the series.
The story begins as the young girl Kukuru goes to put out the Flame Cion. At the same time, the hero Arc begins his quest to search for his estranged father, who left him and his mother 10 years ago. The two meet after Kukuru has put out the flame and is attacked by monsters.Action Fantasy
Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. RevolutionA turn-based online RPG for the Nintendo GameCube. Set in the Phantasy Star Online universe, join the Hero or Dark side using cards featuring weapons or creatures from Phantasy Star Online Episodes I and II.Fantasy Science fiction Sandbox