Star Control: Origins

Star Control 2 was of my favorite games back in the 386 era. Despite the controversy at this games release. It is a worthy Star Control title, I enjoyed it, and I wish there was more. It's hard for me to judge this game alone without the rear view nostalgia of the original games so take this as a biased review. It's clear Stardock respected the original game and had something to add.

I am old enough to have played the original Star Control and Star Control II, which I loved. Star Control: Origins did not disappoint. It is a brilliant update on the original while keeping everything that makes me so nostalgic for it. Having the entire game voice acted is brilliant. The writing is great, very funny at times. The aliens each have their own unique character and personalities. The story is excellent with a cool swerve that I won't spoil. I would definitely recommend anyone try out the game.

I do have two criticisms of the game however, but maybe these are just because I have only played the campaign and not the other modes. First, there is little in the campaign to motivate you to use any of the alien ships rather than your own flagship. After a few modifications, your flagship is better than anything else available to you. Plus, these ships don't seem to have quite the unique abilities and tactics that made SC and SC II melee so addictive. And second, the resource gathering portion of the game can become boring and repetitive. However, its pretty much the same resource gathering system as the original games, so its not a criticism unique to this installment.

I very much to see additional campaigns for this game or a sequel soon. A very worthy successor to the Star Control legacy.

It's a clear love letter to Star Control II, with heavy inspirations from the original story line. Star Control II is still one the best games ever made, so the fact that this is a modern version of it, makes it worth the play by default.
The alien encounters are polished and are equally funny and entertaining as the original. Fighting alien space ships still gives the thrill and excitement, especially since your vessel is slowly upgraded during your quests, allowing more effective weapons, etc. The only part which is less compared to the original, is the resource gathering on planets. The 2d planet map has been replaced with a 3d planet and it just doesn't feel the same. In the original, you'd see all resources at once, which made you plan a path to collect all minerals as fast as possible, which was fun and exciting. The new 3d visualization lacks this overview, resulting in just randomly going around trying to find the minerals.
Nevertheless, still highly recommended for people who loved the original and those who enjoy space exploration in a large universe with whacky aliens and humorous encounters.

I really, really wanted to like this game. I bought it because one of my favorite writers (Chris Bucholz) was the chief writer on this game. Unfortunately, it's just not really any fun. A lot of mismatched gameplay features, many of which just aren't any fun, pile onto the wonderful script.
EDIT: I gave this another go, after playing the original Star Control games (the second one is available free on Steam under the Ur-Quan Masters). It took a while to "click" - once I realized it's a fairly faithful remake of the original, and it should be played through the lens of a 20+ year old classic, it made a lot more sense. You don't need to strip mine the galaxy, and the addition of the quest guide was huge. I'm moving this to a recommend - it's got its flaws, but the writing and humor are great, and the game itself is only like 12 hours to beat.

Never heard about the series and couldn't even remember when I got the game. But what a pleasant surprise it was!
Gameplay-wise it is very simple. Sometimes I even get a feeling that not everybody knew exactly what they were doing, but they surely had a great fun working on the game.
For example, there is little variety in exploration. You fly for a bit, then you land your hovercraft, go to some point and activate it. Or collect some resource. That's it.
Combat is much more varied. There are lots of ships, each with it's own quirk and weapon types. This part is not exactly my cup of tea however, although it didn't prevent me from enjoying the same since you can make AI fight for you.
The writing and presentation though... is simply stellar.
The visual style is great. Aliens, planets, ship design - everything is distinct and very fitting. Worlds lit by some weirdly colored star are a pleasure to look at.
Story and writing are excellent. This is a comedy game and a good one at that. Voice acting nails the delivery perfectly as well. This part alone is worth the price.
Overall, this is a great game and well worth the recommendation.

A real delight, great if you like story line, space exploration, meet lots of interesting aliens.

It's essentially a remake of Star Control 2 with modern usability.

IMHO, the story is less compelling than Star Control 2, but the usability is a definite improvement. It's also funnier.