Space Empires V review

Space Empires V is the latest in a venerable series that has a strong fan-base drawn to the open-ended possibilities it offers. Space Empires IV was six years ago, though, so this is a franchise that has been in drydock for a while. Space Empires V does everything it can to not be a generic conquer the galaxy game, often to its own detriment.

Case in point: it not only enables you to customize your ships, it insists on it. There are no default models, so you have to rely on trial and error to get the right fit. You can fine tune your starting empire down to what kind of gas it breathes.