Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor (pc: 2008): Reviews

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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor


7.8

based on 15 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 16 votes
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GAMES:

Official Website

The galaxy is being consumed by the fires of war as we enter the final act of the Dread Lord saga. Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor is the second expansion pack to the award-winning PC strategy game, Galactic Civilizations II. Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor expands the gameplay of Galactic Civilizations in all new ways. New campaign detailing the final chapter in the Dread Lords wars. The Terror Star arrives, capable of destroying any star. Unique technology trees for all 12 civilizations. Unique planetary improvements for each civilization. New 3D engine powered map editor. New Scenario Editor for creating highly detailed custom games. New Campaign Editor for players who want to create their own custom epic campaigns for themselves or to share with others. New Metaverse Tournaments: Specific maps & scenarios recorded to the Metaverse with prizes for top players. [Stardock]

PUBLISHER:	Stardock
DEVELOPER:	Stardock
GENRE(S):	Turn-Based Strategy
PLAYERS:	1
ESRB RATING:	E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)
RELEASE DATE:	April 30, 2008

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

G4 TV

It caps the mini-trilogy with a flourish and makes us very, very eager to see what the next proper release in the franchise will have to offer.

100

1UP

For better or worse, Arnor is an add-on that completes its parent game rather than simply expanding its scope.

100

GameSpy

The technology trees alone make it impossible for someone who's sampled Twilight of the Arnor to ever go back to just playing Dark Avatar. Add to that impressive customization tools, new gameplay dynamics, better AI, graphic upgrades, new ship-builder components and completely re-done flavor text and hundreds and hundreds of smaller tweaks, fixes and changes and what you have is an absolute triumph and a new standard for turn-based-strategy games.

100

GameShark

A marvelous addition to an already stellar turn-based strategy series and if you have even the slightest interest in this type of game, you need to own the entire series. This is the type of game, particularly with this final add-on, that will stay on your hard drive for a long, long time. We simply cannot make it any more plain than that.

100

Gaming Nexus

Galactic Civilizations 2: Twilight of the Arnor is one of the best expansions I have ever experienced in my many years of gaming.

Cheat Code Central

If you're looking for something to do with the rest of your life, you might want to check this game out. If this game had a dedicated multiplayer mode, I would want to live forever.

Computer Games Online RO

Aside from the small bugs and the controversial tech-tree redesign, Twilight of the Arnor delights us with lots and lots of new features, and I believe that even months from now I won’t discover all its secrets.

IGN

There are no two ways about it: if you like space strategy games, you have to play Galactic Civilizations II. And if you play Gal Civ II, you have to play Twilight of the Arnor.

PC Gamer

Old school still rules. [Aug 2008, p.67]

GameZone

This game just became elevated to my personal list of all-time PC favorites.

PC Gameworld

After so many iterations it's impressive that Stardock has maintained their standard of quality in this series.

PC Gamer UK

A dramatic and ingenious rethink. [July 2008, p.78]

GameSpot

Adding this much new life to what should be a very familiar game is an amazing achievement.

PC Format

This particular Twilight makes the GalCiv 2 strategy universe burn brighter than ever. A gme for vets and newcomers. [Aug 2008, p.102]

Play (Poland)

The add-on is huge and packed to the brim with new shiny toys... I mean features. But it turns out that the world destroyers are not the biggest treat. They are hideously expensive and require escort. The best thing are the new technology trees, unique for each race. [July 2008]

The average user rating for this game is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 16 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ed B. gave it a2:
Guess I too am in the minority on this one - i find it boring. And I love a variety of games - inc. all the civilizations. Perhaps thats it - the fleet graphics are cool, but its a bit too confusing and just too long and just not that fun - plus it takes forever to play - shelfware.

Gator B. gave it a9:
I have yet to play the original game or the 1st expansion, but I'm pretty impressed. I'm a huge Civ4 fan, and this plays along the same guidelines. It will suck hours out of a day. Only problem is that they do not have a manual for ToA (only the first two installments). ToA makes many changes, to the learning curve is a little high. Hopefully the guide will be out soon.

MeestYk gave it a6:
10 for wow graphics, -3 for boring turn-based,-1 overrating this game by smucks (mag reviews). Look for true excitement elsewhere. TB games are for grandpas.

Eric C gave it a5:
yes space and stradgie, you'll find your self 5 hours later wondering why.

Richard S. gave it a3:
I first started playing galactic civilization games in 2003, at the time it was fun and it passed time somewhat enjoyably. Stardock has released their second expansion to the title five years later and it's a poor job. For starters, the game isn't even officially released. They have a system where they say that the game is "Generally available" and mask the fact that anyone who examines its development can see that it is still a beta. The races AI isn't fully finished, the ascension victory is a poor addition in it's current state, and there's a gamebreaking issue where the technology costs keep exponentially increasing and renders a fundamental gameplay element unmanageable. This is an idiotic move by Stardock and is a business move because they admit it's not done yet, but they want the money up front. Next off is the additions to the game in terms of what the AI says, they now have even more insulting responses aimed directly at the player. I imagine the developers thought these lines were funny, but the player has to read these belligerent responses over and over and it just doesn't add anything. The general feel of stardock's attitude towards this game at this moment is apathetic. They said they'd only support it after 2.0 (It's official release), if it'd make them any more money which gives the impression they aren't passionate about making this game the best they can make it. The AI has gotten better, the new techs are nice, and there are general improvements to the interface and graphics in the game. It's overall, much more unstable, and I had it crash about five times in a session, with graphic errors on the side. Stardock doesn't deserve any praise for this game. It's a shame it's scoring so highly. Please avoid this game until it's patched, or better yet, don't buy it at all. You can spend your days on better things.

Jeremy E. gave it a9:
I can't claim this is the best game ever produced, so my vote has to be a nine (I don't think I've ever seen a game I'd actually rate a 10), but the fact is Twilight's additions to the already amazing GalCiv2 franchise are nothing short of revolutionary. Maybe I live under a rock, but I have never seen a 4X with so much differentiation between races/factions/civilizations. Separate tech tree per civ, terror stars, ascension victory, better AI (how is that even possible?), tournaments, insanely large maps, awesome modding tools, incredible new graphics overhaul, nicer UI, and more. For "just an expansion," this blows away anything I've ever seen - it's a whole new game if you ask me, and a great one at that.

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