Galactic Civilizations I: Ultimate Edition

About

In Galactic Civilizations I: Ultimate Edition, lead humanity in a race to colonize the galaxy after inventing hyperdrive technology, while balancing political, diplomatic, and military skills. This space-based strategy game features high replayability and an immersive storyline, with the award-winning Galactic Civilizations and Altarian Prophecy expansion pack combined for a memorable adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Galactic Civilizations I: Ultimate Edition screenshot

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 189 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of classic 4X strategy games, with engaging gameplay and a variety of victory conditions.
Players appreciate the depth of the tech tree and the strategic elements, allowing for different playstyles such as diplomacy and trade.
Despite its age, the game has a charm and simplicity that many find enjoyable, making it a fun experience for those who enjoy turn-based strategy.

The lack of a proper tutorial and poor user interface make it difficult for new players to understand the game mechanics, leading to frustration.
Many players report significant technical issues, including crashes during combat and problems running the game on modern operating systems.
The combat and economic systems are often criticized for being unbalanced and unsatisfying, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.

gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
44%
19%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it addictive and engaging, particularly due to the "one more turn" mechanic reminiscent of the Civilization series. However, many reviewers criticize the outdated interface, lack of intuitive tutorials, and complex controls that hinder the overall experience, making it less accessible for newcomers. While the strategic elements offer depth and replayability, the dated mechanics and graphics detract from its appeal in today's gaming landscape.
- “The 'just one more turn' gameplay is right on point and kept me hooked right until my final victory.”
- “A fun, strategic game with unique gameplay and strategy.”
- “The strategic elements create endless gameplay.”
- “The galactic civilizations series is a great series and the first entry was a great game back then, but it has - contrary to Master of Orion 1 + 2 - become unplayable by today's standards due to a very outdated interface and mechanics that don't make much sense anymore.”
- “Very dated, low-brow graphics, and no tutorial rounds to get you involved with the gameplay in an intuitive way.”
- “There's plenty of playable alien races and a couple different classes of ships, but I found the interface and gameplay to be hard to comprehend, and no real tutorial to teach you during play for people that don't want to read the manual.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated and basic, with many players expressing disappointment in their quality, especially when compared to modern standards. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm and find beauty in certain aspects, others struggle with technical issues and the overall low resolution. Overall, the visuals may appeal to classic game enthusiasts but are likely to deter those seeking a contemporary graphical experience.
- “The graphics are dated and basic but still beautiful.”
- “Graphics are okay and it plays well; I did not see any bugs or lag!”
- “I know graphics are not everything, but I seriously couldn't stand this very old graphics.”
- “This is a game from 2003, so graphics and interface are not quite up to modern standards.”
- “Very dated, low-brow graphics, and no tutorial rounds to get you involved with the gameplay in an intuitive way.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The story is generally well-received, with a great storyline that engages players; however, many users find the gameplay and controls challenging to grasp, leading to frustration, particularly in the early missions. Additionally, the lack of diverse content beyond standalone games limits the overall narrative experience.
- “The storyline is great, although the gameplay and controls are very hard to understand.”
- “I have yet to win the first mission, but after knowing how the game works (and maybe being on very very easy), this is a pretty nice game.”
- “I had to restart the first mission in the campaign 10 times (worth of 3-4 hours of gameplay) to pass it.”
- “Besides a handful of scenario missions, there doesn't seem to be much to play besides setting up standalone games.”
- “Something like this needs to have a tutorial mission or something.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes and freezes occurring during gameplay, particularly during ship battles. Users report that the game often becomes unresponsive, requiring a hard reset to recover, and glitches may emerge as the game progresses.
- “Game crashes and freezes when ships battle one another.”
- “It freezes in the worst way, so you can't even use alt-tab or invoke task manager; the only way to unfreeze it is a hard reset.”
- “Comp freezes every time, after anywhere from 6 to a dozen turns.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, leading some to uninstall it due to the excessive length and confusion involved.
- “Tedious and time-consuming.”
- “I uninstalled the game because it was too long and tedious, and I usually play over 100 hours in CRPGs.”
- “I feel like it's just too tedious and confusing.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The music in the game is described as iconic and fitting for its space civilization theme, providing a nice and relaxing atmosphere. Despite the game's older visuals, the soundtrack enhances the overall experience and remains enjoyable for players.
- “The music is iconic!”
- “The music is nice and relaxing too.”
- “It basically is civilization in space, so if you like that kind of games, you can try it :) although it looks a bit old, it's far from being unplayable.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's writing features good humor that effectively elicits a few laughs from players, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The humor in the writing will definitely give you a few laughs.”
- “The game is filled with clever jokes and witty dialogue that keep you entertained.”
- “I love how the humor is woven into the gameplay, making every moment enjoyable.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game suffers from poor optimization and an outdated interface, yet it remains enjoyable and appealing for those seeking a nostalgic experience.
- “It has poor optimization and an outdated interface, but it's quite fun and great for nostalgics.”
- “The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
- “Despite its potential, the optimization is lacking, making it difficult to enjoy the gameplay experience.”