Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion: My name is Robert Perkins, and... I am a Sinner Company: Stardock Actually, the latest installment, Rebellion, was my first introduction to the series, but I can see that I'm hooked; I'm not even going to waste time in the denial phase. Anger:: I was mislead; my editor told me to expect a game similar to EVE Online. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is no more similar to EVE than Star Wars is to Alien. Sure, they both... well, all... take place in the vastness of space, but it's pointless to even draw comparisons beyond that. EVE is a ship-based MMORPG about manning a starship and navigating across the galaxies... in real time. I have actually set a course, turned up my speakers and gone to the kitchen to make a sandwich. Seriously. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is a real-time strategy that places you in command of an entire empire. You won't be watching a single ship as it treks from one planet to another; you could, but you won't have the time. As soon as you've given the order, you've got much more important business elsewhere, whether it be to build up the defenses on your home planet, crush um, liberate a metal-rich planet and take them into your benevolent empire, research new technologies to improve your subjects' ability to fight and pay taxes or to put bounties on your enemies' heads so the $@#! space pirates will leave you alone for once. You can increase or decrease time a bit, but I've consistently found that I simply don't have enough of it. Bargaining:: I am enjoying Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion. Quite a bit, actually. However, there's so much that can be done in the game that it's really not something you can simply pick up, play for a couple of weeks and then have enough of a grip on the game to truly be able to fully rate the game. It would take at least three - perhaps four weeks for such an exhaustive game. Why, this game is almost a Civilzation game set in space. The game might not be as complex as Civ, but then again, who knows - I'm only two weeks in, so far. Besides, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion came out right before E3. The entire industry was busy prepping for that and covering the expo. With so much work, there wasn't time to play Rebellion. Tell you what - I'll write a preview for now. That way, I can share some info about the game with others, but still play the game some more and write a full, in-depth review in a week or two. Tops. Come on - whatch say? I'll tell them about the awesome cinematic-quality musical scores that, while a bit melodramatic at times, lend a blockbuster quality to the action on screen, sounding at times like something from Batman and at others like something from an epic war film - music that changes smoothly to reflect the conflict observed in the game. And, of course, about the beautiful graphics that allow you to zoom in very close to observe a small cluster of ships in combat or even a single ship. Or, for a better overview, you can back out to watch all of the ships in a conflict. You can back out further still, until all of the various planets and suns are grouped in a small cluster before you. I actually use this method quite often to move from one planet to another; simply zooming out and then zooming back in to my desired destination. Depression:: So... Two more weeks. I have two weeks to try to find a way to spank those dreaded pirates once and for all. Even two more weeks won't be enough time to become completely versed with all six vastly different empires. I'll have to choose from the devastating and highly mobile Vasari, the battle-worn Trade Emergency Coalition and the spiritual and psychic Advent. Each of these races has two different factions: Loyalists and Rebels. Each faction has a unique take on their races' native abilities, with unique advantages and disadvantages. I should have time to chose one, perhaps two to truly specialize in, learning how to use their unique strengths and skills to build an empire. I will have to try my hand at a multiplayer game. I can't imagine how this will work; even a small game can last for hours. If leaving the game causes you to lose by default, will multiplayer gameplay be a matter of endurance? I will have to set aside a day to try multiplayer out - a day with a tower of soft drinks and chips to sustain me... After all that, I will have written my review. Once a review is written, it is rare that I get to go back and play a game, no matter how much I want to; there's always new games to be reviewed. Acceptance:: Well, I suppose I will just have to make the best of my two weeks, then. I will work hard to unlock a tech tree completely. I will play a small game, a medium-sized game and a large-size game, where the planets, stars and wormholes stretch out in front of me like glittery jewels to be collected in my fist. I will try my hand at the map creator, deciding the parameters of a universe of my own creation, then try my hand at fighting to command control over it. I shall attempt to build a chain of trading outposts, to amass my fortune as the most powerful merchant empire in the system. As the leader of the TEC Rebellion, I will fight with those @$#! pirates on my side. As the Advent Loyalists, I will assimilate oppressed populaces of planets and they shall rejoice in their good fortune. As emperor of the Vasari Loyalists, I will strip a planet to the core, proffering proof once-and-for-all that you can take it with you. Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. Yeah; something like that. -Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins Related Links: Official Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion Website