Stardock has released Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor v1.96.  This is a pretty major update despite the version numbering.  Our goal with this update was to address as much of the player feedback we could in the time available.

Our next stop is to work on Galactic Civilizations II v2.0. v2.0 will be an update for both Twilight and Dark Avatar players which signicantaly enhances espionage, updates the computer AI based on player feedback, and incorporates a lot of new content that we've been working on for awhile.

v2.0 will also include the updated user manual that fleshes out the Twilight of the Arnor universe and talk about the Legacy of the Telenanth.  There will be some updates for Dread Lords users as well. v2.0 will be a free update of course.

It's available for download on either Impulse or Stardock Central.

Check out the link below to get an idea of what was changed.

 

 Click here to view link.

The latest review of Gal Civ II: Twilight of the Arnor comes from GameZone.com.  Anise Hollingshead gives ToA a great review and really focuses on some of the new improvements, specifically the tech tree. 


Twilight gets a 9 out of 10, and even gets the Editors Choice award from GameZone.  Be sure to check out the full review here.

 Click here to view link.

With the Impulse launch this week along with The Political Machine 2008 release, it's been a busy week. But for our next magical trick, we're also releasing the first significant update to Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor.  You can get a preview of some of the changes here.

You will need to use Impulse to get it. Go here to get Impulse.

Today's the day Impulse launches to the public with much fanfare and celebration.  In anticipation of the release, Brad Wardell walked through what will be available in Impulse on release, and a few sneak peeks at what will be added in the comming weeks and months.

It's required reading before you get the final version later today.  It will answer a lot of questions and hopefully clear up a lot of confusion of what Impulse is, what it isn't, and what it can and can not do.  We're pretty excited about the launch coming up today and want to make sure everyone's as educated about the platform as possible.

The article comments area is also the best place to ask any lingering questions you might have!

 Click here to view link.

For the past 2 years, Stardock has been working on a brand new digital distribution platform.  The idea was to create something that was compelling on its own, allowed users to purchase, download, and update any type of software, and provide developers and users a way to add new functionality to their programs.

This week, the fruits of this effort will be released: Impulse. 

View: Preview

Screenshots: Latest internal screenshots

 

 Click here to view link.

Twilight of the Arnor continues to draw critical praise from the gaming media. The latest review to come in is from GameSpot who gave Twilight a 9 out of 10 and an Editors Choice award.

Brett Todd took the final Galactic Civilizations II expansion for a spin and found a lot to like; New graphics, unique tech trees, new campaign, Ascension victory and of course, Terror Stars!  In general, GameSpot labels Twilight a must-buy for any Galactic Civilizations II fan.

Be sure to check out the full review, filled with screenshots, here.

 Click here to view link.

Rory Manion of 1Up.com gives Twilight of the Arnor a glowing grade, rating it an A on its review scale. 

Torn between the desire to have a peaceful, altruistic empire and the need to wage a four-front war, this review covers the wide range of new possibilities present in Twilight of the Arnor quite well.  Rory's regime was at times kind and giving, and at others brutal and unrelenting, often destroying entire stars, and enacting terrible genocide programs.   Overall, he sums his thoughts up on the expansion with this:

"For better or worse, Arnor is an add-on that completes its parent game rather than simply expanding its scope. Some of the minor adjustments, primarily those made to the interface, seem better suited to a patch than an expansion; others are so immediately and obviously integral to enjoying the game that -- and I hate to abuse this expansion pack cliché -- I honestly can't imagine reverting to a previous version."

Read the full review here.

 Click here to view link.

James Allen of Out of Eight PC Game Reviews took a crack at Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor and posted his review of it last Friday, giving it a perfect 8/8 score, placing it on a short list of 18 games that he feels are must-buy titles.  Two of the other titles on the list you might recognize: Sins of a Solar Empire and Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords.

While spending time on improvements such as the custom tech trees and ascension victory condition, James talks about probably one of the most interesting improvements that hasn't gotten much press is the improved ship designer...

"The ship designer is a big part of Galactic Civilizations II, as you need to incorporate newly-researched items into your designs to make your fleet as effective as possible. But wouldn’t it be nice if the computer did it for you automatically? Twilight of the Arnor does! Computer-designed ships are automatically created using the best weapons available, and they do a pretty good job incorporated the latest developments, even using incremental upgrades along the way."

All-in-all, James thinks that if you are a GC2 player, that Twilight is a must-buy (and heck, even if you aren't).   Check out the full review for all the glowing praise.

 Click here to view link.

G4TV's X-Play recently reviewed Twilight of the Arnor, giving it an incredible 5 out of 5!  Like just about everyone else who's reviewed the game, they loved the tech trees, the increased galaxy size, improved visuals & performance and even the new content creation tools.

Since it's X-Play, there's also a video review...

Click the story link to read their full review.

 Click here to view link.

Yesterday, Steve Butts of PC.IGN posted his review of Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor.  The result?  A respectable 9.1/10 review.  The two-page review covers everything from the unique racial tech trees and planetary improvements, to the new Ascension victory condition and the return of the Terror Star.

Steve closes out his review of the final Galactic Civilizations II review with this:

There are no two ways about it: if you like space strategy games, you have to play Galactic Civilizations II. And if you play Gal Civ II, you have to play Twilight of the Arnor. Just based on the improved graphics and the unique technology trees, it's well worth picking up. Sure, the terror stars are too costly for their limited applicability, and yes, the Ascension victory seems to sidestep the point of actually playing the game, but when you balance that against the numerous other improvements that Stardock has made, there's no way we can't recommend this to anyone looking for a deep, rewarding, utterly captivating turn-based strategy experience.

Be sure to check out the full review and all of the screenshots here.

 Click here to view link.