Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor Review

May 12, 2008 - As the name suggests, Twilight or the Arnor tells the final chapter in the Dread Lords story. Picking up after the galaxy-shattering events of the previous game the new campaign sees the Terrans making one last effort to snatch power from the Dread Lords, this time by gathering a number of crystals that...you know what? Let's just skip that part. The campaign story may be a little predictable but the overall impact of the scripted missions is impressive. While the sandbox mode is still to be preferred over the campaigns, the unique setups here are well worth exploring and we particularly like the challenge of having to achieve specific objectives against enemies that are already far ahead of us in terms of advancement.
Like most Gal Civ players, the open-ended game is still what draws up back again and again. This new expansion includes even more replayability with completely unique tech trees, an even more ridiculously large map, tougher AI, better graphics and sound, a more convenient interface and a whole host of minor tweaks and add-ons that are sure to please fans of the game.

To begin with, the new Immense galaxy size is just insane. Our recommendation is that you don't undertake it unless you have a few months to spare. Just hearing that it takes the fastest ships several turns just to get from one side of the galaxy to the other is enough to intimidate even the most die-hard strategy fan. Still, if you want to play in a galaxy that's 24 sectors on each side, you're welcome to it. We have a similar feeling about the improved AI. While it's far beyond our ability to tell whether the hardest difficultly level is even tougher this time around, we can still say that that challenges and behaviors of the enemies in our games are still as satisfying as ever.
And that's particularly good because, even with this expansion, Gal Civ II still doesn't have any proper multiplayer. While it was easier to forgive before the release of Civilization IV, it's tough these days to accept the Metaverse as anything more than a poor substitute for real head-to-head play. With that said, the AI in Twilight of the Arnor and the wide range of experiences available are more than enough to keep up happy until Stardock finds a way to make multiplayer a reality.
The tech trees are unique in a number of ways. First, the techs are just organized differently. The Yor, for instance, have to unlock their diplomacy technologies before they can even consider researching trade technologies but the Terrans only have to research gravity control before they can start developing their trading technologies. The warlike Korath have a single technology available right at the start that unlocks a wide range of military tech lines that other races can only reach much later in the game. Some other races, like the Yor, don't even have access to some of the techs that the Korath can get. Where the Terran gravity control tech line leads to a number of intrastructure improvements, the same technology gives the Korath access to a number of interesting technologies that help them use slave labor to improve their empire. These are just a few general examples of how this works, so keep in mind that each of the game's twelve races have their own unique trees that offer very different play styles.

These technologies also lead to unique planetary improvements. While many of them have the same basic effect (increasing research, production, etc.) there are some interesting penalties and bonuses that are specific to each race's version of the more general buildings. And even better, the overall flavor of the improvements suits the race they're assigned to and that adds a lot of personality to the game. Just look at the different types of buildings each race uses to boost morale and you'll learn a lot about the philosophical differences between each race.

Twilight of the Arnor adds a new victory condition via the control of Precursor crystals scattered throughout the galaxy. If you can construct a starbase around these crystals you'll start earning points towards an Ascension victory. The trouble is that there are only five of these crystals on a map and the other races will definitely keep an eye on your progress. Since the starbases around the crystals can't be upgraded to defend themselves, you'll have to protect them with your fleets and the spread of your influence. While we like the new victory condition and the focused fighting that occurs around the crystals, the whole thing seems a little arbitrary. Earning 1000 Ascension points certainly isn't easy, but there's no real sense of meaningful progress or purpose beyond just racking up points. When you try to win through conquest or research or diplomacy there's a greater sense of competition and momentum than you get from the Ascension victory. Maybe we're just prejudiced against a victory condition that transcends the conflicts with other players. I mean, how can it be called a victory if no one loses?
If you thought the Death Star was cool, you'll be particularly intrigued by the game's new Terror Stars. These massive ships require months of intensive research, several constructors and a few additional weeks of warming up before they become operational. Once they're ready, you'll be able to destroy nearby stars and, consequently, any planets, starbases or ships within a substantial radius. Once the damage is done, all that will be left is the Terror Star itself and a lot of asteroids. Truly, no Galactic Overlord should be without one.

But like the toys of most Galactic Overlords, this one serves vanity more than convenience. One of the main problems is that the technologies required for the Terror Star don't have any other benefits, so you wind up spending several dozens of turns with your research focused exclusively on this one weapon. And then, when it's built, it moves slower than anything else in the game and has absolutely no defenses, which means you have to tie up your fleets with escort duty when they could just as easily be blockading planets while your troop ships move in. It's definitely true that its star-killing power is a tool you'll want in your arsenal, but from a cost-effectiveness standpoint, we wonder whether or not the time and energy it takes to build them would be better spent elsewhere.
When we consider graphics for an expansion, we usually have to limit our comments to the new additions. In the case of Twilight of the Arnor, however, Stardock has substantially increased the texture detail on the all the ships, which really brings the core game up to date. The new ship textures show all sorts of complex shading, cool panel lines, glowing lights and all the other stuff you'd expect to see on a futuristic spaceship. Better still, Stardock has managed to reduce the memory requirements for these textures so you're getting a game that not only looks better but also runs better. Animated ship parts have also been included, so you can add a little bit of life to your custom ship designs. It's not a huge deal, but it's a nice touch. The planetary invasion screen has also been revamped a bit to show a little more life, but even so, it still boils down to watching the number of soldiers tick down to zero. While it's probably not appropriate to have anything too distracting here, it's nice to see the developers at least tried to spice things up a bit.
As expected there are tons of smaller improvements that you probably won't notice unless you're a die-hard Gal Civ II player. The interface has been streamlined a bit, so you'll have a little more access to certain types of information this time around. The computer can also design ships for you automatically if you'd rather not mess with the shipyard. If you like building your own ships (and you totally should) there's much smarter sorting of all the various parts this time around. It would be nearly impossible to call out all the changes that the team has made to the game but there's enough packed in here that Twilight of the Arnor feels less like an expansion than a full-blown sequel.



Closing CommentsThere are no two ways about it: if you like space strategy games, you have to play Galactic Civilizations II. And if you play Gal Civ II, you have to play Twilight of the Arnor. Just based on the improved graphics and the unique technology trees, it's well worth picking up. Sure, the terror stars are too costly for their limited applicability, and yes, the Ascension victory seems to sidestep the point of actually playing the game, but when you balance that against the numerous other improvements that Stardock has made, there's no way we can't recommend this to anyone looking for a deep, rewarding, utterly captivating turn-based strategy experience.
IGN Ratings for Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor (PC)




9.0
PresentationStardock went even further than it needed to in terms of the quantity of additions. There's enough here to almost qualify as a sequel in itself.
8.5
GraphicsMuch better textures overall and they use less memory so the game runs quite a bit better. The new invasion screen is a step in the right direction.
8.0
SoundBetter music overall this time around. The sound effects are better than expected for the genre.
9.5
GameplayIt was great before. More options and more variety only add to the appeal here.
9.5
Lasting AppealThe new tech trees vastly enlarge the range of strategies and experiences you can find here. You really won't even miss the multiplayer.
9.1Outstanding
OVERALL(out of 10 / not an average)