Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars

This my carpal tunnel friendly 4X strategy game. No sound required, tv in the background friendly. Play single player against AI whenever other games in the rotation don't sound appealing at the moment. Kinda like playing chess, it takes some time to finish a game, but not paradox deep micromanagement.
Space 4X - Galaxy eXploration fun, Planet eXpansion fun, enemy eXploitation okay, eXtermination (war) fun. Colony development, Fleet/ship design and Logistics all fun. Much better than Civ to me, I've played all the Civs and this since MoO2, this is a good version.
After experience with vanilla, these mods take the game to the next level:
It's not the latest and greatest FPS, RPG, RTS, Open World Hack n Slash.. but it is classic strategy fun and it won't aggravate your wrist.
Use mirv missiles early-mid game and don't have the weakest military.

Finally, the sequel MOO2 deserved! I played an untold number of hours of Master of Orion 2, and this 2016 reboot finally earns its place as a true sequel to that classic masterpiece. While I didn't think MOO3 was a terrible game, it just changed too much and lost the magic. This version, however, brings back all the memories and joy I felt playing MOO2. It captures the spirit of the original while looking and feeling modern. If you enjoy 4X games, you really don't want to miss this one.

I have fond memories of playing Master of Orion 2 in the late nineties, experiencing my first ever turn-around-and-realise-the-sun-is-rising experience as I got sucked into a one-more-turn all-nighter. I pre-ordered Master of Orion 3, and on release day picked it up at the game store and loaded it onto my PC with high hopes. Sadly, I did not find it as engaging so I dropped it relatively quickly (especially because Morrowind had only recently released at the time). So the reboot of MOO in 2016 (MOO:CTS) was an exciting development, though I was put off by mixed reviews so waited until 2021 to try it. I regret that I waited so long, because what I found was a space 4X with high production value which faithfully reimplemented much of what I'd liked from MOO2.
There are common gripes you'll hear: star lanes, 3D combat... but these are often from MOO purists or min-maxers rather than those who take MOO:CTS on its merits. More positive reviews are found from those who play games to experience something cool first and foremost, rather than those who aim to "solve" every game loop. As for me, I wanted a cinematic, flavourful, immersive environment and on that front MOO:CTS delivers. The UCP and 5X mods improve and switch up the game in a great way, especially the tech tree, making for a fresh and well-balanced experience. Diverse Specials and Massive Planets also makes exploring systems and optimising your colonies much more puzzly and satisfying.
My issues tend to be those which afflict space 4X more broadly, such as micromanagement in the mid-late game, where you have to build the same thing on every planet and lose track of what is where - the old cookie-cutter problem. Yes, there is automation, but I feel this is not a good enough solution - I prefer the approach taken by Interstellar Space: Genesis where you get a set number of slots on a planet which creates tension around how you will develop each colony. There is also a lack of in-game events like those in Endless Space which can make the late game feel a bit empty. There will be long stretches where you're just hitting End Turn again and again, waiting for something to happen. But, the game compensates by allowing you to change its parameters to give you a more exciting experience - a smaller galaxy, more AI competitors, higher habitable planet density, etc. Mods also help with this. And you can always start over to experience the exploration phase again, which in my view is the highlight of every game.
Overall, MOO:CTS is a great game if judged on its merits and out of the shadow of MOO2. The genre has some standout examples in the MOO vein, namely Interstellar Space: Genesis and Stars in Shadow, but production value varies and the cinematic cool factor is barely there. MOO:CTS has great voice acting (though I have to turn off the Psilon advisor's grating voice), lovely cutscenes, an ability to watch your battles unfold like a Battlestar episode, beautiful graphics and a lineage from one of the finest games ever made. Endless Space 2 does the cinematic 4X better overall, but it doesn't have the MOO charm (though you'll either love or hate GNN). So, if you're new to space 4X, I would highly recommend MOO:CTS to get you into this exceptional genre. If you're experienced, know that it might not be the crunchiest game compared to its rivals, but if you want to feel like you're running an empire and watching things play out from your throne, give it a try (and then do it with mods enabled).

Had the urge to play master of orion for the nostalgia. this is a nice upgrade with the same mechanics and better graphics

I play tons of 4x. There isn't a major 4x I haven't played. TBH; I think most of them aren't very good but I always try to love them... (because the good ones are great).
This game got panned on release. I assume that's because MoO 2 was so beloved. The reality is, this is a great 4x. It's a little simple compared to Stellaris, but it's far nicer to play. It's kind of a shame they never made a sequel because you could have gone somewhere with this.

Let me start off by saying MOO2 was my favorite game growing up. This just doesn't quite do it for me. Im not sure why, but it feels flat. Maybe Im use to more complex games like Stellaris now? I will say after playing this game I went back and played MOO2 and, while super dated MOO2 still just hits.
I'm going to give it a positive review, not because I think its awesome, but because I can't pinpoint why its bad.

I really like Master of Orion Games (Apart from 3, that was rubbish. ) and I have played this game (Moo4) a lot. This game reminds me more of Moo2. I really enjoy it.
One problem, the Antarans turn up and wreck my homeworld every 50 turns which is really no fun, so I have to turn them off. Please fix this in Moo5.