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Sins of a Solar Empire engages digital distribution systems June 12

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 07:00:00 EST

Intercepted communiques reveal Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion will be strategically deployed on June 12 for PC on Steam and Impulse. Those who pre-order will gain access to the second beta, which is currently active and all set to teach galactic generals across the galaxy how to control vast space armadas.

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Sins of a Solar Empire engages digital distribution systems June 12 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion transmits intro cinematic

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:30:00 EST

Standalone expansion Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is quite the odd space duck. As this clip reveals, there is a backstory explaining why the factions in the universe are dealing with insurrection, but none of this actually plays out in the game (which has no campaign). It does deliver a hefty amount of space battles, though!

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Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion transmits intro cinematic originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Dark Age announced, new team-based RTS from Sins of a Solar Empire dev

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Ironclad announced Sins of a Dark Age today, its follow-up to the epic space armada strategy game, Sins of a Solar Empire. The new game will be a free-to-play project, blending classic real-time strategy with the MOBA genre (League of Legends, DOTA 2).

Players work in teams, which consist of one commander and up to four heroes, who can face off against other players or AI. The commander is responsible for building the base, directing units and positioning defenses. The commander can also call upon "Realm Powers" to turn the tide of battle. Heroes have their own set of powers, but are tasked with assisting the commander's units and capturing resources.

More details should shake out at the Game Developers Conference in two weeks. The game will begin its beta this summer.

Gallery: Sins of a Dark Age

Sins of a Dark Age announced, new team-based RTS from Sins of a Solar Empire dev originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion warps in first screens

Alexander Sliwinski — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:00:00 EST

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, expected to launch sometime this run around the sun, splits the existing factions of the epic real-time strategy series into loyalist and rebel groups. Today, publisher Stardock released the first screens of the intergalactic game's standalone expansion.

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Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion warps in first screens originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire Trinity is $21 this weekend

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:00:00 EST

The full Sins of a Solar Empire experience, known as Trinity, is on sale this weekend through Impulse. The game is 33% off, bringing the total asking price to around $21 in United States, Earth credits. Trinity includes the original Sins of a Solar Empire, along with micro-expansion packs Entrenchment and Diplomacy.

It should be noted that Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, which is described as a "full-fledged expansion" to the series, will be available later this year. Brian Clair, director of publishing for Stardock, told us in early March that Rebellion will build upon the gameplay introduced in the original Sins and its micro-expansions. You'll have to make the strategic decision whether to grab Trinity now or save the credits to go toward a fuller cargo bay (at, likely, a higher cost) later.

Gallery: Sins of a Solar Empire

Sins of a Solar Empire Trinity is $21 this weekend originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire for $4; Mass Effect and Dragon Age bundles part of Impulse sale

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:00:00 EST

Impulse's Memorial Day sale this weekend has Sins of a Solar Empire at the heavenly price of $4. Go buy it now -- full stop. Whatever nit-picky issues the 4X strategy title may have can be thrown out an airlock at that price point. It may lack a single-player campaign to teach the ropes of glorious galactic armada warfare, but setting up a medium-sized map using normal AI is a good place to start. Which reminds us: Gratuitous Space Battles is also on sale.

Impulse also has a more mainstream space opera experience on sale with the first two chapters in the Mass Effect saga bundled for $42. Want something not involving spaceships? There's a Dragon Age: Origins bundle, which includes the original game and Awakening, for $48 -- that'll definitely keep you busy all weekend. Check out the rest of the Impulse weekend sales after the break.

Gallery: Sins of a Solar Empire

Continue reading Sins of a Solar Empire for $4; Mass Effect and Dragon Age bundles part of Impulse sale

Sins of a Solar Empire for $4; Mass Effect and Dragon Age bundles part of Impulse sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 May 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VC in Brief: Ironclad (Neo Geo)

David Hinkle — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:15:00 EST

This week's Virtual Console release should please fans of intense shmups, because that's exactly what Ironclad is! It's quite the example of how to make a really fun and intense shoot-em-up -- yet, many may be a bit apprehensive due to its hefty price tag. Well, that's what VC in Brief is for! Sample the game for yourself in our video above and decide if it's worth your double sawbuck.

Ironclad (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points)

Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer VC in Brief as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.

VC in Brief: Ironclad (Neo Geo) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NintendoWare Weekly: Mr. Driller, Game and Watch, Fishie Fishie

JC Fletcher — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the DSiWare service launch, and Nintendo is observing the occasion by putting interesting content on the service! Every week should be some kind of milestone. And speaking of annual observances, there's a Neo Geo game on Virtual Console.

Gallery: Mr. Driller: Drill Till You Drop (DSiWare)

Continue reading NintendoWare Weekly: Mr. Driller, Game and Watch, Fishie Fishie

NintendoWare Weekly: Mr. Driller, Game and Watch, Fishie Fishie originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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European Nintendo downloads: Ironclad, Nectaris

JC Fletcher — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:45:00 EST

Okay, so it isn't Rondo of Blood this week in Europe. Nintendo instead chose to inaugurate the latest Hanabi Festival with the pre-rendered Neo Geo shooter Ironclad and Lode Runner for NES. It's pretty novel in and of itself to have two Virtual Console games in a single week, not to mention a Neo Geo game! They're joined on Wii by the WiiWare version of Military Madness.

Lode Runner (NES, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Ironclad (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
Nectaris: Military Madness (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
Elemental Masters (DSiWare, 1-2 players, 800 DSi Points)
Pop Island (DSiWare, 1-8 players, 500 DSi Points)
Simply Sudoku (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Simply Mahjong (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
4 Travellers Play Spanish (DSiWare, 1-4 players, 800 DSi Points)

European Nintendo downloads: Ironclad, Nectaris originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hanabi Festival returns to Europe with Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

JC Fletcher — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST

Nintendo of Europe is bringing back the Hanabi Festival, its occasional celebration of import games, starting March 12 -- and it's bringing what might be the most anticipated import Virtual Console game ever (by us). Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is among the small lineup of games to be released in Europe as part of the Festival, along with Milon's Secret Castle and Lode Runner, both for NES, and Ironclad for Neo Geo.

We aren't entirely certain from the wording, but the announcement mentions Castlevania, and then says that the other games will "continue in the following weeks." So it's pretty likely you're going to be able to buy Rondo of Blood tomorrow. Happy Hanabi Festival!

Hanabi Festival returns to Europe with Castlevania: Rondo of Blood originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire 'Diplomacy' beta begins fall, releases winter 2010

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:03:00 EST

The second micro-expansion for PC sleeper hit Sins of a Solar Empire will release in winter 2010. The Diplomacy add-on will increase the number of ambassadorial options to players in their conquest of the galaxy. You know, sometimes it helps to talk through the issues. Ironclad and Stardock plan to have a beta for the expansion this fall in order to work out any Vasarian bugs.

Entrenchment and Diplomacy have both suffered delays while jumping into the digital distribution galaxy. A third micro-expansion for Sins was previously announced, so the full 4X RTS space opera experience should be completed sometime next year -- unless there are more delays, of course.

Gallery: Sins of a Solar Empire

Sins of a Solar Empire 'Diplomacy' beta begins fall, releases winter 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trailer of 'Entrenchment' for Sins of a Solar Empire shoots lasers, flies around

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST

We already told you about developer Stardock's upcoming expansion "Entrenchment" when it was announced last August. We told you about the delay that hit the expansion and pushed back its release window and then when it finally got dated (we were so proud!), only to get pushed back to February 25th (what a downer!).

Well today, we've got no bad news for you. The brand new trailer you see above and the less than brand new screenshots you see below in the gallery are all we've got for you on the Impulse digital download service-exclusive expansion coming in a few weeks. We apologize for the squished format of the video but we get what we get and we don't get upset.

Trailer of 'Entrenchment' for Sins of a Solar Empire shoots lasers, flies around originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire's Entrenchment DLC delayed until Feb. 25

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:00:00 EST

We're "Vasari" to report that Sins of a Solar Empire's first "micro-expansion," Entrenchment, has fallen out of warp and suffered a delay until Feb. 25. Only available through Stardock's Impulse digital distribution service, the $10 add-on was recently given a Feb. 11 release date.

Stardock's Brad Wardell stated the extra time will be used to incorporate more feedback from the open beta. The expansion was originally expected to release sometime late last year. Hopefully production of the next micro-expansion, featuring diplomacy upgrades, will go a lot smoother than Entrenchment's development.

Gallery: Sins Of A Solar Empire: Entrenchment

Sins of a Solar Empire's Entrenchment DLC delayed until Feb. 25 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment digs in Feb. 11

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:30:00 EST

Filed under: PC

Sins of a Solar Empire's first "micro-expansion," Entrenchment, received an official release date today of February 11. The $10 add-on, which will add several powerful defensive structures to the grand 4X RTS, will only be available through Stardock's Impulse digital delivery service.

Entrenchment is the first of three mini expansions expected to enhance tactics this year. The next addition will add diplomacy features and the last is still under wraps. With this much tactical choice, we fear having to put a week aside to actually finish a basic mid-sized match.

[Via Big Download]

Gallery: Sins Of A Solar Empire: Entrenchment

Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment digs in Feb. 11 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1 available; features AI, graphic, trade upgrades

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Strategy

Stardock and Ironclad have put a capital (ship) amount of work into the free Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1 patch. The crisp Advent laundry list of fixes and upgrades is incredibly long, but many players will be happy with the simple fact that the buy/sell and pirate window is now on the main screen.

Stardock also reiterated that those who pre-order the recently delayed $10 Entrenchment expansion will be included in the upcoming beta, which will have its details "announced soon." Now, in all seriousness, could Sins pretty please get a campaign mode to flesh out the lore?

Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1 available; features AI, graphic, trade upgrades originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire sells 500,000 copies

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Strategy, Business

Stardock has revealed that its sleeper PC hit Sins of a Solar Empire has sold over half a million copies. The company's CEO Brad Wardell tells Gamasutra that 400,000 units were sold at retail, while 100,000 in sales came from digital downloads. Not bad for a full-bodied PC strategy game that cost less than a million dollars to make.

Wardell is certainly becoming an interesting character in the narrative of this industry, with relatively small publisher Stardock really stepping up. He explains part of Sins' success is that it was designed to run on a "four-year-old video card" and still look good. He says there might be a "piddly super-mega effect" that gets missed, but the result is more sales for the game, a strategy which sounds similar to Blizzard's take on being a PC developer. Sins' first mini-expansion, Entrenchment, will be available for $10 later this year.

[Via Big Download]

Sins of a Solar Empire sells 500,000 copies originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins publisher Stardock keeps piracy 'in perspective'

Jason Dobson — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, PC, Strategy, Business

Piracy. It's an dark cloud that prompts many companies to employ draconian measures like DRM or electric shocks (coming soon to a game near you!). One notable exception is Michigan-headquartered Stardock, which refuses to include copy protection in its games, a policy that interestingly hasn't kept its most recent release, Sins of a Solar Empire, from putting up respectable numbers both online and at retail.

As Stardock CEO Brad Wardell explains it, piracy is an issue that "has to be kept in perspective," and in a recent Big Download interview he further played the common sense card, stating that "the people who actually buy games don't want to be inconvenienced or treated like a criminal." Wardell adds that while Sins "definitely" would have sold more had piracy not been an issue, "everyone who buys games knows they could easily have gone out and stolen it if they wanted to." It's a perspective often trumpeted by the gamer community, but it's even more refreshing to have it come from within the industry itself, and gives us one more reason to keep Sins of a Solar Empire sitting on our desktops.

Sins publisher Stardock keeps piracy 'in perspective' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire releases today in UK

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:00:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Strategy

Although we're sure plenty of Europeans have already pirated Sins of a Solar Empire -- and really, we can't blame you -- the game officially launches in the UK today. The surprise PC hit will cost £30 in the UK and, although the press release speaks about the "European retail box," we can't seem to currently find a release date or price for the rest of the continent.

Sins of a Solar Empire has no disc copy-protection, but supports those who purchased a copy with patches, which have greatly improved the game since launch. UK gamers who got the game through nefarious means, please feel free to support this excellent strategy game with a retail purchase. You want a Sins of a Solar Empire 2, don't you?

[Via Big Download]

Gallery: Sins of a Solar Empire

Sins of a Solar Empire releases today in UK originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sins of a Solar Empire finally gets demo treatment

Jason Dobson — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Strategy

Sins of a Solar Empire might just be the best game you've never played. Then again, maybe you have, considering how well the PC game has been selling since its early February debut. Still, if there's one thing that's been missing from the experience, its how to court those players still on the fence, with a demo for the 4X strategy hybrid being noticeably absent. Until now that is, as Iron Clad and publisher Stardock have finally pushed out a demo, which is currently available for download from Gamespot.

The news is great, really, but the question as to why the demo took so long to produce had to be asked. So we did. We broached to topic with Stardock president and CEO Brad Wardell, who told us that "when Sins of a Solar Empire was released, Stardock and developer Iron Clad felt that our first priority had to be to existing customers...once we released v1.03, we were able to spend the necessary time to put together a quality demo." Quality is a word people throw around too easily, so those of you who pick up the demo, drop us a line below and let us know if Wardell's comments are justified.

Sins of a Solar Empire finally gets demo treatment originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ironclad's Sins sells more than 100,000 in less than a month

Jason Dobson — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: PC, Strategy, Business

4X strategy games are usually doing good just to get noticed. The titles are by their very nature an acquired taste usually appreciated only by a select few, reason enough why we imagine that the devs at Ironclad Games are breaking out the good glasses this evening, patting themselves on the back for a job well done while finally uncorking that bottle of 1995 Chateau Margaux that's been gathering dust in the cellar.

The reason for the celebration? It turns out that the studio's debut 4X game, Sins of a Solar Empire, has sold more than 100,000 units since its release on February 4, making it the top selling PC game in North America for the week based on sales data compiled by Gamasutra. It's anyone's guess how long PC gamers' love affair with Ironclad's space epic will last, but for now at least it appears that in the kingdom of the keyboard and mouse number crunching and micromanagement are king.

[Via press release]

Ironclad's Sins sells more than 100,000 in less than a month originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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