Game Review 1 (written by Braver) Added on: 10/17/2006
Master of Orion is the first of three games in its series, and the only of the three to currently be free for download. It was one of first strategy games of its time, and many of its features were arguably superior to those of its successors.
Master of Orion allows the user to play as one of several alien races, each with its own special abilities and, in some cases, drawbacks. Examples include the cybernetic Meklar, the super-intelligent Psilon, and lithic Sillicoids. The races are all fairly balanced in the lower difficulty levels, but as the games become more difficult, certain ones will stand out while others fall behind. This is due mostly to the computer's habit of drastically increasing its own production, research, and population growth far beyond what a player's race is capable of.
The game itself features a balance of economic, technological, military, and diplomatic paths that a player can pursue. A player can seek to win the game through military conquest, or by receiving 2/3s of the votes in a galactic council that convenes every 25 game years. With votes based on population and dire consequences in the event of a loss, a player must be sure to ensure their survival through alliances, diplomatic trickery, or by maintaining more than 1/3 of the vote in their own empire.
By simplifying planetary management to as series of sliding bars that can be adjusted for each planet, the game frees up time for its players to actually enjoy playing the game, rather than mindlessly building the same buildings over and over again on hundreds of planets, a task that no galactic emperor would ever micromanage, as many other strategy games have now resorted to. Even Master of Orion's successor games fell into this trap, hurting their replay value.
By combining simple features, a wide array of technology, countless combinations of planets and races, and endless strategies to victory, master of Orion, despite its outdated graphics and the fact that it can only be run on an emulator such as DosBox, still remains one of the greatest strategy games of all time. I myself have been playing it on and off for more than 12 years, and still greatly enjoy it.
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Game Review 2 (written by Robofin) Added on: 10/15/2006
Master of Orion was one of my first strategy game experiences. After playing it a few times I fell in love with it. This is an excellent example of a game not needing flashy graphics. It is still one of the finer strategy games I have played. With the exception of a few minor flaws this is one of the best and most memorable PC games I have ever played.
At the start of the game you select a race and then begin colonizing planets on your way to becoming the master. You have to deal with gathering resources, diplomacy, and of course war.
The sound in this game is not very good, almost annoying, but you can just turn it off and listen to a CD or something. The graphics aren’t that great, but come on, it’s an old game.
The game play is really the meat and potatoes of the game. This is what makes the game really stand out over other similar games. It is complex enough to satisfy strategy nuts, but it still remains accessible.
This game also has a great amount of replay because the game changes every time you play. The planets are not only in different places, but so are the other species. You can have totally different alliances and enemies each time you play. Also your research team can develop totally different technologies each time you play. All of the races you can select have different specialties too. While one race is good at ground combat, another race is good at space combat. The humans are great diplomats, and one of the other races is good at spying. All the races are pretty balanced although there are definitely better ones.
I guess the one major gripe I have with this game is that it is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. After playing it a couple of times I started always winning the game. Also by the end of the game you have so many ships going every which way it is hard to keep track of them. These are minor gripes though when you consider how much fun you can have with this game. I would recommend Masters of Orion to anyone who is interested in one of the best old strategy games. Even though the learning curve is a bit high, I think even kids could play this game. If you have not played Masters of Orion yet do yourself a favor and give it a try.
Comments
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Keithpac27 (06/15/2009)
This game was so addictive. First game I can remember playing and losing when I was younger (which sounds bad but I considered it a good thing). This game was awesome it would be consuming.Titoh2000 (06/12/2009)
This game is amazing! I loved playing when I was 10, can't wait to play it at 25. It's so fun!Canalesfamily (05/15/2009)
I love this game, and I can't wait to play it every day. The kids look forward to playing it too. I haven't been able to play this game in years. I was unable to find it, and am so glad to find it available here.Bigdumy62 (05/06/2009)
Easily one of my all time favorite games, I have spent countless hour playing this amazing strategy game.David wells (11/24/2008)
This game has saved me a fortune. After playing this game I have bought about half a dozen games that were meant to be similar and/or better which failed miserably to even come close to being as fun as this one. Eventually I gave up on buying other games and I have just played this one for decades now. Adding up the cost of all the PS2/3, Xbox, and other console games that I would have bought if this game had never existed, I've saved a fortune! I would however pay a large price to get this game to play on my Blackberry! Dosbox guys are you listening?Capilkin (11/22/2008)
Probably my favorite game of all time. I've spent more hours on this game than any other that I have played.Riggz (10/25/2008)
A truly classic game that introduced so many to turn based strat gaming. I never get bored of playing it.Craig (07/06/2008)
I played this game since I was 5. I know it inside and out because I beat it on impossible 5 times.Igorrr76 (06/13/2008)
I loved this game from the first time I played it. The Tech Tree is beyond compare and the weapons and battles and ship upgrades are done in a very simple manner. Nowadays, there is too much emphasis on graphics and less on the content of information provided in the tactical displays of ship battles. The only downfall of this game is that there is no way to influence the ground battles, and no separate games for Spies that have been infiltrated behind the enemy lines. All in all This game takes the cake and eats it too. It is highly recommended because after you play it, it will make all the games you are playing at the moment of similar genre seem very, very boring (in a sense, it will save you a lot of money! :) ).Nzdnapalm (05/29/2008)
One of the main advantages moo1 had was that once you had built up your factories you could build many small ships in a day, and groups of many ships were awesome in battle. It has to be one of the best games. 2 and 3 were also good games.Johnasansone (05/19/2008)
I loved playing this game.Jenewby (04/24/2008)
I thought I would have to buy the best space strategy game ever. I always play silicoids and try to create a huge space battle on a large map.Evildemon (03/22/2008)
This is an awesome gameMax (03/09/2008)
Great game!Pdgamember (02/11/2008)
This is one of my favorite games of all time and I love it. It has a great story with many different gaming options. I'm sure everyone that plays this game will love it.Hotguyseph (02/08/2008)
I actually still have this game on CD from back in the day and play it all the time.Sbprowler (02/03/2008)
Still an excellent strategy game by today's standards, even if the graphics are dated.Hammondan (02/02/2008)
Ahh Master of Orion, this is the game probably responsible for me becoming addicted to strategy games and still extremely playable.Phone911 (01/17/2008)
This is a great game which I still play today. Orions 2 & 3 were disappointing successors. The game controls are amazing, simple and easy to use yet allows for numerous strategy styles in playing. Cons: game will sometimes "cheat" like crazy and there is a mysterious hang that seems to occur sometimes when you start winning (yeah I probably paranoid).Finagin (01/02/2008)
This is the best game ever made so if you get a chance to play it I would definitely recommend itTomfaitak (12/29/2007)
This was one of the best DOS games. Only improvement would be to give direct control over the battle for planets. I recommend it to everyone!Andy (11/09/2007)
Excellent game.Pwhump3847 (11/04/2007)
This is a classic strategy game for all ages! It’s worth downloading!B_coxus (11/03/2007)
I remember playing this game when younger. It was great and really immersed me in virtual space.Cyonjones (10/17/2007)
I really enjoyed it.Leo_b (09/21/2007)
I remembered playing this game in 90's.it was an awesome game, full of things a strategy game should have, such as government type, research, alliances, etc. You need to plan your strategy well to win this game.Shadow7160 (09/11/2007)
It’s a great game that keeps me occupied. I love my classic games and this is definitely a great gameAndreas0305 (08/21/2007)
One of the best early space games. I'm sure that everybody who tries it will be satisfied with this game.Dekyos (06/14/2007)
I remember playing MOO way back when Windows 3.1 was a mere newborn. I spent hours and hours playing as the Darlok and sabotaging enemies and allies alike. None of its sequels have ever lived up to the original, 3 being only marginally close to hitting the broad scope that this classic possessed.Hunglow (11/30/2006)
Starflight and starflight2 came out years before this, and both were much better.
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