Looking ahead to the future & the final verdict

Given Stardock’s superb track record of providing updates for their games, I fully expect Dark Avatar to be an even better game several months from now. The original GalCiv2 proved that these updates do indeed deliver – I liked GalCiv2 v1.0 on a conceptual level, but numerous balance, AI and interface issues ultimately left me with a feeling of disappointment, and I put the game away for a while. It wasn’t a game that I would have wanted an expansion for. The updates absolutely changed that, and GalCiv2 v1.4 was worth getting an expansion for.

Even without taking future Dark Avatar updates into account, it’s an extremely solid expansion. It’s not an add-on, it’s a real expansion in every sense of the word – and I am having a hard time imagining how this expansion might have disappointed. Now, if only they can get the epic story generator in shape for a future update…

In the end, I give Dark Avatar a score of 9.2 out of 10 for delivering much more than most expansion packs do. Dark Avatar’s positives truly more than make up for the negatives, and it’s a must-have for everyone who played GalCiv2 and at least somewhat enjoyed it.