14 DAY TRIAL // Ironclad Games is one of the companies that I admire for the dedication that they have put into their games and the way they have managed to launch enough content with a lot of new ideas in order to keep Sins of a Solar Empire relevant for more than six years after it was first launched.
The title was a revelation when it arrived in 2008, with plenty of gamers seeing it as the successor to Homeworld that the fans never received.
The fluency, the quality of the battles, and the impressive multiplayer quickly made it a favorite of real-time strategy gamers.
It seemed like the game would remain as a milestone of what Ironclad Games could develop and that the company would try to introduce innovation to other game genres.
But the company launched a number of mini-expansions and introduced a major series of changes with Rebellion, the biggest of which was the fact that the three original factions were each now split in two, with very different abilities and focuses.
This strategy is different from that used by more competitive titles in the strategy genre, like Starcraft 2 or Company of Heroes 2, or by Multiplayer Online Battle Arena experiences like DOTA 2 or League of Legends.
Those video games tend to demand that players, especially those who want to be competitive against other humans, stay constantly connected to the titles in order to keep their skills sharp and keep up with the changes the developers are adding.
The staggered launches of new mechanics and content for Sins of a Solar Empire mean that its fans tend to leave the game when they get a little bored of it only to return when they are promised something new that can introduce a new challenge or force them to modify their strategies.
I love that I can still play and enjoy the Ironclad Games-made title in 2014, and I am also eagerly waiting to see what kind of experience the studio can deliver in the coming years.
They have already managed to revolutionize the science fiction real-time strategy world once, and it will be interesting to see what their new Sins of a Dark Age can deliver in terms of gameplay and lore.
The new title was first announced in 2012, but almost no details about it have been offered so far, which is worrying for some fans of the company.