Propaganda and "Terrorizer" (Zuul-only) ships have been added to provide more leverage against the morale system introduced in the AMoC. expansion. The Morrigi race now has the option to build their own version of the infamous Colony and Asteroid Belt traps, the Liir can gain access to technology to shield all of their ships in a given battle at once, and races can even construct their own versions of the devastating Asteroid Monitors. There are so many other new things to play with and explore as well that I couldn't possibly spoil them all here, but let's just say that fans that have enjoyed thoroughly exploring all of the new technology from each gradual new expansion up to this point definitely won't be disappointed.

While it's been a few patch revisions since I last gave the game a major workout, I'm noticing that the AI has been drastically improved. AI-controlled races seem inclined to hit Dreadnaught-sized technology levels a lot sooner, are a bit better at managing their colonies, and most importantly, will actually construct some of the larger defense platform and station types to defend their worlds with (unlike previously, where I never really saw this occur). They're also a bit more consistent about managing diplomatic relations with other empires, although I still noticed them cutting out of alliances or treaties for no apparent reason in certain cases. There has also been a bit more sprucing up of the user interface, with new art for newsticker-based events and other areas where some spit and polish has been applied. I'd still like to see an easier way to keep track of the morale of all my worlds (right now it's still a bit of a pain), but it otherwise seems like the developers were quite intent on delivering a drastically improved experience all around.

With all of that in mind, Sword of the Stars: Argos Naval Yard represents the definitive culmination of all of the hard work that Kerberos has put into the series up to this point. If you're still on the fence about getting into the game series after reading this article, then consider this: At the time of this writing, you can buy the Sword of the Stars "Complete Pack" on Steam for $15.99. That's every iteration of the game released to date - including Argos Naval Yard - for a stupidly cheap price. Considering how the only other games in this genre (such as Galactic Civilizations and Sins of a Solar Empire) seem to still be preparing for their next major release at this point, there really isn't any reason to pass over this game.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you .