X4 sounds bad but even X3 and all its expansions doesn't do it for me either. The UI is horrendous, and the gameplay is really lacking. Travelling around is slow and boring, combat is too shallow and repetitive, pew pew pew. You can't really build an empire in a fun way either. I would rather just play Space Rangers, what it lacks in 3d-ness it more than makes up for in gameplay. I want a space game that has tactical real time combat, like Starpoint Warlords. But that game only scratched the surface of what needs doing.