Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion - New Frontiers Edition

by Johnathan Irwin
reviewed on PC
Expedition To The Final Frontier
Space, the ever-expanding enigma. A conquest for humanity still so far out of reach, and so far beyond our understanding. Space, the word we use to describe both the night sky and the furthest reaches of not just our galaxy, but our very universe. The unexplained uncertainties that have driven scholars and paupers alike to madness as they try to comprehend are both time, and space.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion-New Frontiers Edition combines the main Rebellion title with the Forbidden Worlds DLC, and an ambitious entry to both the series as well as the real time strategy genre in general. You are not tasked with monitoring one mere battlefield, but your goal is to manage fleets upon fleets of ships throughout space, managing both time and resources as you strive to bring your empire to full glory. Will your people sing chants of your name, as you go down in the annals of history? Or will you fail, and your failures serve as an example to the generals who will rise in your stead?
Basic Training
As this was my first time playing Sins of a Solar Empire, I found it in my best interest to actually pay attention to what tutorials were offered. In most games, tutorials are the most basic of hand holding but in Sins the tutorials are actually quite useful for someone new to the series!
Easing first into the 'Basic Gameplay' tutorial, I was shown the ins and outs of the basics of course. From the capital ship, to the differences between frigates and cruisers as well as how gravity wells and phase lines work into the gameplay they did a very good job of getting the basics down in an easy to understand manner. Even if this were to be your first real time strategy game, they explanations they give are clear cut enough to keep you in-the-know so that you are at the very least prepared to jump into real action if you'd like.
In addition to 'Basic Gameplay' there is another basic tutorial, 'Basic Logistics'. Basic Logistics teaches you everything you need to know about keeping your fleets well funded, and the different means to go about it. From mining asteroids to managing colonies, everything goes hand in hand and one slip up could lead to not only a setback, but possibly failure. As with the first tutorial, this one teaches you everything you need to know about the non-combat side of things in an easy to comprehend manner.
Not enough for you? There are four advanced training modes that cover interface, more logistics, defense setups, and diplomacy. All of which are stellar, though personally in the actual game I found diplomacy to be slightly useless. If you still feel like you need more training, the other four modes are worth going through for once. When it's all said and done, you should have the controls for the game down pretty well so you'll be prepared to take on the game in full.
9.5
fun score
Pros
In depth logistics, fleet, and planet management. Tutorials are actually useful. Beautiful space battles on a large scale
Cons
Forgettable soundtrack