I'm the kind of person who generally thinks about science fiction in the form of Philip K. Dick and Doctor Who rather than Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. That is to say that I like to keep my sci-fi grounded in something familiar or in the not-too-distant future. When presented with space travel and the like I feel like I'm entering the realm of fantasy, and with the fantastical I want that image and vision to be wholly enveloping. After making it through my first session of Sins of a Solar Empire (and some lengthy tutorials) I found myself looking up into the night sky and pondering the possibility of gunships equipped with hyperspace technology.

While I am still a bit baffled by the meaning behind the name of the game, I do love the title Sins of a Solar Empire. It instills wonder about just what kind of morals a person should hold themselves to with invasion, hostile take over, and planetary conquer, even in a computer game - not a lot, mind you, but just enough. Ironclad Games has done a fantastic job of building just the right atmosphere, depth, and attention to detail that meshes perfectly into a setting that will pull you in and keep you engaged. Graphically, the game shines with its beauty and ease of understanding. Up close everything has a level of detail that you would expect, and from a distance (where you actually spend most of your time) the iconic representation of things keeps them recognizable and manageable.

Besides the environment keeping a player locked-in, the game has a rich depth of both exploration- and combat-based gameplay that will engage and satisfy, not overwhelm. Though this is only a beta, I can't imagine just what is left to add to such wealthy lists of equipment, environment, technology, and social structure.  Equipment, including ships and buildings, range from the most simple - small gunships - to large - starcraft - that are nearly indestructible. Buildings are mostly created for mining and social/military advancement, but they also have a useful alternative function of allowing for direct interaction with both planets and their gravitational fields. The technology tree happens to be the least innovative section of the game, but it is also a fundamentally required structure for advancement. In Sins you'll find far more to accomplish socially and militarily than most of its contemporaries, although it is still in the basic tree format that has been used since the genre's inception.

Once a strong force and society is gained the exploration and hostile takeovers begin. Starting with only a small amount of natural resources between one or two planets, the player is going to need to expand for either more resources or social supremacy. Planets within a solar system can only be reached through specific lines of sight. Zooming out and exploring new areas can be either a constantly stressful danger, or an exciting discovery. The longer you wait, and the worse your alliances are, the more dangerous these areas are going to be; new planets are out there to be mined and new cultures to be assimilated, expect a fight. Opposing nations, races, and even pirates will try to stop you from just gathering all the resources that a solar system has to offer. To win effectively you're going to need to be fast and smart, even on the easier difficulties.