This may not be game of the year, but it can still be a lot of fun
However, I'm not going to pretend this game is perfect, some of the features could certainly use a patch, but so far they havn't ruined the experience for me. For example is there a feature of assigning attack roles to the ships in your fleets but it is hard to understand how much impact these roles has on the outcome of the battle.
There have been some arguments over the tech tree. What I like about it that the game changes fundamentally according to what techs you choose. Admittedly I have a tendency to put all my science points into only two or three cathegories at once. This way I can explore different strategies and so far I have found at least three or four good ones – and a few bad ones as well (your leaders can help you but dont waste the majority of science there).
The game is a lot about planning and the first few times can be a bit of a learning experience. The thing is that you have to coordinate your techs, ressources and exploration. Dont waste time reseaching bigger ships when you dont need them (or have the weapons to put on them). What I found out is that a fleet of many smaller ship can be quite devasting – especially against those annyong minor races.
Before this review turns into a beginners guide, I will conclude that so far I have been enjoying LE:I, there are some annoying stuff in there, but im still playing it after 50+ hours play time so I guess I'm entertained :)