Spacebase Startopia

spacebase-startopia-does-this-one-weird-trick-that-all-base-building-games-should-copy Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Spacebase Startopia does this one weird trick that all base building games should copy

Alright, so it’s not that weird, when you sit down and listen to me explain it to you. But it’s also something that I’ve never seen before. Maybe I’m a fool of the highest order, and loads of games have been doing it for years. If so, please cite those games in the comments. In Spacebase Startopia (a spirtual sequel to 2001’s Startopia) you become the administrator of a big donut-shaped space station. A large part of your job (in fact, the largest part) is building rooms that provide different services, and thus fill the different needs of your alien…

spacebase-startopia-does-exactly-what-it-needs-to Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Spacebase Startopia does exactly what it needs to

Nostalgia is a dangerous beast, as I’m sure you all know already. Like a lot of people, I have almost pathologically fond memories of the original Startopia, a management sim about running a donut-shaped space station (so in this case, the nostalgia beast is some kind of tentacled monster that lives in a space bin and eats robots). Any reboot, sequel or remake of Startopia has a lot of built-in good will, but also a lot of rose-tinted expectations to meet. Spacebase Startopia is not technically a sequel to – or indeed a remaster or remake of – the Startopia…

evil-genius-2-and-spacebase-startopia-devs-on-the-daunting-task-of-reviving-classic-management-sims Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Evil Genius 2 and Spacebase Startopia devs on the daunting task of reviving classic management sims

Over the next few days, both Spacebase Startopia and Evil Genius 2: World Domination arrive. The first is a spiritual successor to Startopia, the 2001 management sim about looking after space stations for alien travellers. The second is a sequel to 2004’s Evil Genius, another management sim where you get to play a Bond-esque villain taking over the world. It’s a brilliant coincidence these games have bagged themselves release dates within a week of each other, and speaks to the resurgence of management games over the last couple of years. To find out a little more about this trend, I…

the-daunting-task-of-reviving-classic-management-sims Rock,Paper,Shotgun

The daunting task of reviving classic management sims

Over the next few days, both Spacebase Startopia and Evil Genius 2: World Domination arrive. The first is a spiritual successor to Startopia, the 2001 management sim about looking after space stations for alien travellers. The second is a sequel to 2004’s Evil Genius, another management sim where you get to play a Bond-esque villain taking over the world. It’s a brilliant coincidence these games have bagged themselves release dates within a week of each other, and speaks to the resurgence of management games over the last couple of years. To find out a little more about this trend, I…