
Rebellion’s additions feel about the size of those two combined, and make the total package a vast game that takes weeks of exploration and experimentation to understand, much less master. The two micro-expansions since (both included in this release) added a lot more, with huge customizable starbases and richer diplomatic interactions.

Sins was a deep, complex game when it initially released. Grand space battles pitting entire empires against each other are both awesome and inevitable. The purpose of this entire enterprise, though, is war. You colonize new planets, build sprawling trade networks, spread your culture through the stars, and construct massive fleets full of varied ship types and sizes. Sins of a Solar Empire’s stately pace allows the game to feel halfway to Civilization or Master of Orion while remaining real-time. The elements it adds – enormous Titan-class ships, tiny corvettes, and minor differences between six sub-factions – are squarely aimed at experienced players, but the whole package is so good that there are very few PC gamers I wouldn’t recommend this to.


This expansion to the real-time strategy game from 2008 that fuses galactic empire-building with impressive tactical spaceship battles is a fantastic reason to revisit one of the better recent franchises in PC gaming.
