Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares
On Christmas Day 1996, I opened two packages that would change my gaming life forever: my very own PC and a copy of Master of Orion 2. Gone were the days of watching my older brother spoil every X-Wing mission ending and Command and Conquer cutscene while I desperately wanted to play through those games myself. I had my very own machine, in my very own room. After powering up the brand new machine (complete with 512mb of space to do whatever I wanted with, an insane amount for the time!), the very first thing I did was insert the MoO2 disc and install the game.
My recollection of the next 10 months is somewhat hazy. What I do remember is passing the 9th grade, getting my drivers' license, and smashing the Bulrathi armada amassing at Leviathan that was threatening my outer rim colonies.
There are several reasons why Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares is far and away my favorite game of all time.
1. Game within a game.
A turn in MoO2 plays much like most turn based strategy games in space. You send your ships around the galaxy, discovering new systems, colonizing planets, and encountering new life forms. Players can choose what to build on which planets, or leave it to an NPC governor to guide the construction que. Where the fun begins is when two enemy fleets attempt to occupy the same system. Fleet battles turn into their very own turn based mini-game. Technological superiority does not always guarantee success. Strategy and ship design also plays a crucial role in the outcome of a battle. I had space battles last three or four times longer than any turn taken in the game.
Space battles also helped establish a connection with the game. I used to mourn the loss of certain battleships as they were torn apart by orbital defenses or disabled by enemy boarding parties. I can remember clear as day this one gigantic fleet fight that consisted of over 100 ships on both sides. Outnumbered and outgunned and with reinforcements only 1 turn away, I triumphantly began pumping my fist in the air as the enemy fleet ultimately succumbed to my shieldless and badly damaged space station, saving my biggest industrial planet from invasion.
2. Ship Design
One of the deepest aspects of MoO2 is in designing your ships. Each hull had a certain amount of space it could hold and the more modules you put on a ship, the longer it took to build. As a supreme galactic overlord, it was your job to balance cost with effectiveness, as well as know what weapons and defenses would work best against whoever your current enemy may be. What I loved was that your ship of the line could become obsolete 10 turns later forcing you to design newer model in order to adapt to your enemies' fleets.
I am a sucker for customization. I think what draws me to MMOs so much is that there is always a certain level of uniqueness to each character. I can choose a name, a look, a class, and as the game progresses, my gear. In MoO2, instead of just researching a new type of ship to build, you had to research the hull, weapons, and defenses separately, then somehow figure out what best combination works best. They were YOUR ships, so when they went kaboom or did the kabooming, the pain or elation would be felt equally.
3. Replayability
I must have played over 1,000 games of MoO2. I would try and play through with every race on the maximum number of opponents and start systems. Games usually ranged somewhere in the 3-6 hour range. Some took longer, of course, if the random events or planet layout didn't go my way.
What made MoO2 so great was that every single game played out a different way. Planets, events, and races were all randomized. Some games I would be the dominant force in my sector only to run into a much larger empire mid-game and other games I would have to fight for each and every planet from the get go. Let's not forget that numerous ways one could win a game. My favorite was forming an enormous fleet and taking the fight all the way to Antares. When a game did finally end, I could simply go to the main menu and start another, once again blind to what exists out in the endless voids of space.
