4X What's your top 5 4x games of all time?

[Nish]

I love 4x games but this genre is very much bloated now with many games rarely push the genre forward. I want to know what 4x games are still people's fav in 2023

1) Alpha Centauri ( a flawed 4x but a good sci-fi 4x)
2) Master of Orion 2 (Has issues but still very much classic 4x)
3) Distant world (a decent yet innovative space 4x)
4) Shadow Empire (Wargame with a flavour of 4x but AI has issues)
5) Master of Magic (Yet to play a good fantasy 4x without mods but MoM is one of the best fantasy 4x)

 

[Lacrymas]

Not in any particular order - Master of Magic, Old World, Gladius, Age of Wonders up to 3, Endless Legend (I guess).

 

[Max Damage]

1. Civilization 4 BTS
2. Endless Legend
3. Endless Space 2
4. Master of Orion 2
5. Alpha Centauri

 

[Lagi]

caster of magic for windows (dont know how to call it, non graphical remake of MoM?)
+ aggressive AI, spell balance (each is useful), UI, ton of customization options. Instantquick (can turn off animations) Autocombat (90% of combat in all 4x is a trash combat, that you cannot lose). Cool build queue, that you can copy paste to next city.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

- Alpha Centauri
- Civilization IV
- Master of Orion 2
- Space Empires IV
- Civilization II

Yes I know CivII is hopelessly obsolete today (althrough it can be good multiplayer gaming - remember Bronze Age collapse game? Also that stuff with multiple maps is really pushing the envelope), but it was my first 4X and the one which introduced me to the genre.

I am not putting Age of Wonders here because I don't consider it a X4, even if the later AOWs have become closer to 4X.

 

[Alfgart]

Alpha Centauri
Distant Worlds: Universe
Master of Orion 1 (I like it more than 2)
Age of Wonders 1
Civilization IV

 

[Nutmeg]

I have played every game in the Civilization series (including AC) up to 5, and 4 (with expansions, ofc.) is easily the best. I also liked the Civ 4 colonization mod, but everyone says the original is better, so that's something for me to compare some day.

Likewise for the "Master of" series (so MoOs 1-3 and MoM) and MoO1 is easily my favorite here. That said I haven't played Caster of Magic or vanilla MoM with the later community patches applied. I doubt these removed the cheese like flying ships absolutely steamrolling everything, which is the main problem with MoM -- too many broken strats. Both MoO1 and MoO2 are much better than Galactic Civs 2, which I have also played. I haven't played any other space 4x (one notable omission is MoO0 i.e. Star Lords) due to most players who like them also preferring the MoO games (why play second best given how time hungry these games sre and how replayable the best are?).

High up my backlog are the Cryptic Comet games, which were well received here on release, and then forgotten about, (if they count), the Imperialism games and Emperor of the Fading Suns, which only recently became more readily playable on a modern OS. Then lower down are the original Colonization and the Star Trek 4x. Nothing else really caught my eye.

 

[luj1]

Alpha Centauri with Civ 2 as close second.

 

[Vic]

game I put the most hours in was Distant Worlds: Universe

followed by: Age of Wonders 3, Civ 5, Endless Space, Endless Legend

 

[Nutmeg]

Alpha Centauri with Civ 2 as close second.

You don't like the additions to the formula in Civ 4?

 

[Forest Dweller]

Stellaris.

Granted it's the only one I've played.

 

[octavius]

1. Master of Orion
2. Alpha Centauri

 

[Hobo Elf]

MoO2, MoM and Shadow Empire.

 

[Damned Registrations]

No particular order: Alpha Centauri, MoO, MoM, Shadow Empire, Civ 4 with FFH, and probably a bunch of weird edge cases that borderline don't count (Eador, AI Wars, Shadows of Forbidden Gods)

 

[Gilius Thunderhead]

Full disclaimer that I've only played about 10 games of this genre my entire life, these are the only ones I care about:

1. Alpha Centauri
2. Civ II (III and IV have certain advantages, but for some reason I remember having more interesting matches develop with this one, probably because I wasn't looking up strategies online. It also wins on aesthetics, easily).
3. Master of Magic (I believe Caster of Magic surpasses it, but it's not without flaws).
4. Eador Genesis

Can't even think of a 5th. I couldn't get into MoO, but I should give it another chance. Anything else has just made me want to play more MoM.

 

[Nutmeg]

This "Shadow Empire" game sure seems like codex flavor of the month. Wonder if anyone will care about it a few years down the road.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Dominions 5 (I'd argue it's very distilled but still 4X)
Distant worlds
Civ 3
MoM

5th dunno, should try AC/MoO at somepoint I guess.

 

[Lady Error]

Civ 5 (with all bells and whistles)
Civ 3
Civ 4
Civ 1
Civ 2

 

[Galdred]

In no particular order:
Space Empires 4X (it is a board game, but I mostly play it over Vassal and Board game Arena!)
Dominions 5
Master of Orion 1 (I liked the second one too, but there is just too much micromanagement for me)
Master of Magic
Civilization 1 (I know 2 and 4 are better, but it is the first one I played the most)

Honourable mentions: Shadow Empires, Age of Wonders, Alpha Centauri (not higher because I only played it once), Gladius

 

[Igge]

1. Age of Wonders 1
2. Lords of magic
3. Age of Wonders 3
4. Nobunaga Ambition: Sphere of Influence (although, it's closer to Grand Strategy genre)
5. Sins of Solar Empire

 

[rumSaint]

1. Civ IV - absolute greatness
2. SMACX - a bit dated, but tons of great ideas and grim vision of future and human nature
3. AoW 2 - really like this one
4. Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes - really good imo, too bad AI seems to be stupid most of the times
5. Gal Civ 2 - got some fond memories of this one, 3rd was atrocious, 4th eeh

 

[octavius]

Age of Wonders is 4X???

 

[Lacrymas]

Age of Wonders is 4X???

Yes? Why wouldn't it be? The strategy map is basically a simplified fantasy civ.

 

[octavius]

It's too close to a CRPG, and with too detailed tactical combat, for me to consider it 4X.

 

[Igge]

Age of Wonders is 4X???

AoW 1 on the edge, the later installments can surely be described as "Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate". AoW 1 is somewhat in the middle between 4X and a wargame