Endless Space 2

It's hard not to bring up Stellaris when discussing Endless space 2. That is clearly the biggest competitor to Endless space, however the games feel much different to me when playing and I think both have their strengths and weaknesses. Endless space is a much more "on rails experience" as opposed to a creative sandbox. Where Stellaris gives you an infinite amount of possibilities when creating your species and civilization, Endless Space swings heavily in the opposite direction, giving you preset Civs each with their own detailed story, unique units and quirks. This makes it feel more like you became the leader of a nation rather than the creator of one. This is not a bad thing at all, there are many times I just want to play through a detailed story in a civilization-esque game and Endless Space scratches that itch for me. There are other times I want to build something from the ground up, create some monstrosity of a species and just "see what happens" and Stellaris usually scratches the itch in that regard. The pacing of the two games is much different as well, Endless Space has less pressure when playing because it is turn based so you don't feel rushed in your decision making.
Now to review Endless Space 2 as a stand alone game. The sound design in the game is incredible, the music is bold and astounding, you feel the vastness of space just listening to the bold brass instruments in the soundtrack. The graphics are also beautiful and the UI is clear and concise, if you are a CIV veteran you will have no problem figuring out what is going on in the game. The game runs excellent on even low end hardware, however, there have been occasional crashes for me, so I'd recommend saving often. I have discussed how the gameplay prioritizes your Civs overarching story to give meaning throughout your playthrough and this is definitely Endless Spaces best quality. If you spend time in your decision making and read every popup, you will find yourself not only enjoying a high quality strategy game but following some beautiful writing as well.
My only gripe with Endless Space 2 is it can lose its feeling of vast-ness. Let me explain, other space games tend to have a side of exploration that has a lot of dangerous elements, making you wonder what could be "lurking" around every corner. Endless Space only has Space Pirates as a threat and they get boring after awhile because its really the only threat besides the other Civs. So exploration can feel more like a chore after a couple of play throughs. Unfortunately I feel like this is a big part of these space strategy games, space is notorious for being the "final frontier" and if exploration feels cumbersome then it ruins a big part of the game for me. Fortunately, Endless Space's writing and quests will popup to carry you through the boring parts of exploration. But I always feel like I'm left wanting more, like I need a feeling that my nation is in this cold vast space, rather than flying from planet to planet with not much variance and not much excitement.
Ultimately, Endless Space 2 is a solid strategy experience with a lot of detail put into the game and plenty of replayability to keep you going for many hours, I give it a solid 8.5/10. I think future iterations should focus on adding more elements to exploration to keep things interesting, particularly on the threatening side of things. I should expect to have a little bit of fear flying out into this cold hard space, but I never have this feeling in Endless Space 2 as opposed to other titles in this genre.

I write this review clocking in over 500 hours.
TL:DR – I like this game. Game is great. Not perfect. But I play this more than Civ 4 and Civ 5 combined which is my benchmark for 4X games.
Good points: Excellent game play, gorgeous graphics, good music and sound, interesting storyline and lore. For me, a key point is that each faction play very differently. The Empire is the standard (though not boring) human faction which techs up then goes ROFLing stomping. Horatio are vainglorious clones who DNAify captured prisoners / happy migrants into yourself. Vodyani are religious zealots who abduct species and liquify them into ‘faith’. Hisho are spaceship worshiping alien samurai who gain strength through honour. Cravers are nom nom noming their way through the galaxy. With the lore tying into how the faction plays, replaying with a different faction is more than playing with a different colour, some unique units and techs and special abilities giving +1 to attack. I found this gives high replay value and requires significant different strats for each faction.
Since released, some good DLCs and nice freebies along the way... extra heroes, quests etc. which are appreciated.
Bad points: The espionage mechanic doesn't feel fun nor effective. Some bugs remain which can be frustrating that I can’t complete a quest or game requires a re-load to 5 saves ago. 'Awakening' DLC was a miss at the beginning with some near game breaking issues. Later patches made it better. Your mileage may vary as to whether it is now in a good place.

in playing this game, i realized that starting wars to manipulate the stock market is actually quite fun - i can finally sympathize with the US govt.

Chill space 4x.
4 line review:
Asynchronous design - great.
Many Unique races - great.
Performance is Good and pretty bug free for me.
Lots of little narrative stories - great.
Recommended.
One good thing that stood out:
Great Audio/visuals with the UI and game itself.
One bad thing that stood out:
First look at the technology tree descriptions, could do with a better one line summary explainer.

I love this game.
It's rare that a Sci-Fi game manages to build its own successful and deep lore, with races, planets, etc... (Mass Effect is the only other exception I have in mind). The mood, the graphics, the music! It'll give you a unique space vibe for sure.
And here it comes with a very great 4X gameplay, as fun to play solo than in multi (players playing at the same it works well).
Such a pleasure to come back to it time to time.
Detailed review on some gameplay elements in bulk:
eXterminate: Space battles (maybe the weakest part?)
-- Not very clear why you win or lose.
-- Battle strategy cards are paper rock scissor: they don't bring any value
- From one patch to an other, changes a lot how it works.
-/+ Nice to watch, it's beautiful. But most of the time you'll just skip them
+ You can attack on land, adds depth
- Blocuss aren't decisive enough
eXpand/eXploit:
+++ End game has many tools and UI tips to make it manageable and entertaining
++ Diversity of gameplay based on races
++ You can actually play as a pascifist
-- Tech Tree: You'll always end up search and develop all branches of the tree more or less in parallel
+ Diplomacy is fine, sometimes the AI is a bit annoying and stuborn
+ Politics and population management is cool
- Laws don't have a big impact
++ Resources management with luxuary goods is complex but good
+ Upgrade and terraformation of systems is a real pleasure
- Over expension system makes sense but too annoying end game
Heroes
+ Can be assigned to systems or fleets, represent party in senate
+ Easy to assign
- xp gain not clear, annoying to manage end game when a bunch get levels at each turn end game
-- Specialization is definitive, and you'll either have an administrator or a fleet leader

After 9 years, I’m finally writing the review this game should’ve gotten long ago.
Endless Space 2 remains one of the standout sci‑fi 4X strategy games out there — a title you really should experience at least once. Without any DLC, it’s a relaxed, easy‑to‑understand game that’s perfect for unwinding while still offering enough depth to stay engaging.
The DLCs add fresh ideas and introduce great new factions that expand the universe and enrich the lore. Unfortunately, the most recent DLC marks a noticeable drop in quality. From that point on, the AI starts cheating far too aggressively, making the late game feel more frustrating than challenging.
The game shines in many areas: the soundtrack is phenomenal, the art direction is gorgeous, and the faction design is some of the best in the genre. However, the mid‑to‑late game can drag, diplomacy looks stylish but lacks depth, and combat — while visually impressive — is mostly cinematic rather than tactical. Long campaigns can also suffer from occasional bugs or stability issues, especially with multiple DLCs installed. Thankfully, the modding community is active and helps smooth out many of these rough edges.
Despite its flaws, the core experience is absolutely worth your time. Endless Space 2 delivers a unique atmosphere, memorable factions, and a universe that’s genuinely fun to explore.
Verdict: A must‑play for 4X fans — just be selective with the DLC and enjoy the ride.

I have been absolutely captivated by this game for the past 6 months. At this point I played it so much I've experienced every possible piece of content there is to see. And I still crave more. If you are still unconvinced about trying this game or not, I will outline my thoughts about it in the following sections.
Positives
Let's start with the visuals, absolutely stellar, pun intended. Jokes aside, this game has really good art, and every faction is visually different AND interesting in design. This also ties in to one of the greatest strengths this game has, faction variety and asymmetrical design. Every faction is not just visually different, but also plays different, some outliers being harder to understand at first. Take for example the Vodyani, unlike most factions they don't colonise planets, they live aboard their ships they can 'dock' into a system, and they can move as they please. Another example being the Cravers, with whom you will notice at the start of the game, have a depletion counter on their home planet. Their whole gameplay is about stripping systems clear of resources and moving on, also makes sense why the concept of 'peace' does not resonate with them. These two are only a glimpse to what kind of gameplay you're in for, and it's really fun.
Sound design is also amazing. Besides the sounds of space you may hear ambiently and the sound cues when you explore and probe planets, you will also hear some of the best tracks I've ever heard accompanying the action. Tracks feel different, appropriate to the setting, and some are simply beautiful. From the intimidating metallic sounds of the craver theme, to the soviet chorus of the United Empire, or even the jazzy Lumeris who you can just picture rubbing their hands together as they make you a deal you can't refuse. The Endless series always had amazing soundtracks and this game is no different. I highly recommend you at least give the soundtrack a try if the game is not your cup of tea.
As for the gameplay itself, yield porn son, so much yield porn. 4X games at their core are games about numbers going up, and in this game the numbers can get very HIGH. Which feels amazing to play, and gives you so much satisfaction seeing the fruit of your labours. Other elements like fleet combat might seem too hands off at first, but they have their intricacies if you look deeper. For example, in fleet combat you can arrange each and every ship in each flotilla, maximising damage output and sometimes getting a win in an otherwise bad situation. It's an aspect of the game many people complain about and get put off by, in my opinion, the system has decent depth if you take your time learning it. There are many other systems that make the experience fun, trading, the stock market, yes there is a working stock market, influence conversion, land battles and so much more.
For me gameplay has always been first in any game, and I'm proud to announce the gameplay in ES2 is good.
There are also story elements unlike other strategy games. The universe and each race has their lore, and you get missions during gameplay, which also contain choices that can fine tune your empire to your own playstyle. A minor spoiler, but as the United Empire you have to make a certain choice that shapes the future of your nation, do you support the militaristic Sheredyn? or look to the future with the Mezari? or should the empire stay its course and become an economic powerhouse? These choices change the visual appearance of your ruler and add so much flavour and replay value. Besides that, you also have a LARGE selection of quests you can stumble upon during gameplay, they add more rewards you can get and give more goals to a playthrough than straight up going for the win. Highly recommend that you at least watch the faction intros on youtube, they are pretty good even as standalone watches.
Mixed
This game has a LOT of DLC, I advise you to wait for a sale if you want to grab them. I'd say they are absolutely necessary if you want to have a complete experience with this game. But still, even on its own, the game is a solid experience. Much of the drama surrounding the DLC is related to older versions of the game. Some of them really broke balance or introduced bugs which made the game worse. But thanks to the work put into the game over the years, every DLC works perfectly well and the game is very polished now. Some content may take you on the amplitude website in order to get it, most of it is very optional and their website still works as intended, but I still feel like all the content should be in the game itself and not on third party apps.
Negatives
Let me start by saying the new player experience is a complete mess, at least when I started playing the game. If you can get the game to even launch in the first place. I had to do some weird shenanigans with Intel stuff and ♥♥♥♥ to get the game to run, thankfully the information is easy enough to find and you can reasonably easily find a fix for your game if it doesn't work. Main point is this, if you sell the game then make sure it runs, it's a very bad look for a company to buy a new game and wade through forums and steam discussions in order to find out why their product which YOU PAID FOR doesn't work. Besides that, you can also occasionally encounter minor bugs during gameplay, but most of them are now fixed or don't detract much from the main experience.
Technical difficulties aside, I don't have much else to say here, the game has a learning curve, but I'm the kind of guy who enjoys figuring things out on his own.
Conclusion
This game is absolutely worth buying and a really fun experience you shouldn't deprive yourself of. Grab all the DLCs on sale and go ham, there is a LOT of content waiting for you. Only thing I can hope for is that you have as much fun as I have with this game. Overall solid experience and a big thumbs up from me.