This game is proof that some games remain timeless. Eight long years after Master of Orion II first premiered on store shelves, the game still has a permanent abode on my hard drive. Combining a smooth interface with balanced mechanics, MOO2 remains the gold standard for space 4X games. The game offers you approximately 15 species to choose from, from the standard humans (the ultimate shmoozers in the galaxy) to the militaristic Mrrshans and the enigmatic Darloks. If one race doesn’t suit you, the game offers a robust ability to customize. Areas that can be customized include government, research ability, and other bonus and drawbacks to your home planet. If you’ve always wanted to play as cybernetic silicon-based superspies, you’re in luck! Once your species has been selected, you are thrust into the rule as the ageless dictator of your people, destined to rule them from their first colony ship to their eventual dominance. The interface is a rare achievement: one that enhances, rather than interferes with the gameplay. Nothing is more than a few clicks away. A welcome addition to the series is the entrance of “leaders”. Occasionally, certain individuals will approach and asked to be hired. These people can give bonuses to a ship or a planet that they are assigned to. They are equivalent to the heroes of Master of Magic, and can sway the balance of a battle, enhancing the damage and accuracy of your ship-based weapons. Graphics still hold up reasonably well for a game released during the Clinton Administration. Although the resolution cannot be adjusted, most of the pictures were hand-drawn, so they have a crispness that purely computer-generated graphics lose over time. The ships however look blocky and unimaginative. Even though you can customize the name, size, and configuration of your ships, you are only given a few choices for pictures by ship class. The turn-based ship combat system is relatively strageic. Weapon arcs must be taken into account, or your battleship might be in trouble if another ship can get behind you. The AI is strong, and presents a formidable challenge, going after your most vulnerable ships, can quickly slice you up if you take it too lightly. Other Space 4X games such as Galactic Civilizations borrow heavily from this game, and one may wonder if the game is in danger of becoming obsolete. No game (including Master of Orion 3) has managed to lodge it from its alcove on my hard drive, and I don’t think one will for a long while.
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