That was surprising! Great list Rob! I should probably add that Sins 2 isn't just a graphical update, the game mechanics have been updated in a big way, loads of new features and reworked stuff, and the UI is far, far better now too.
The only thing that keeps me from being hype about "ARA: History untold" is the fact that i feel the game will ask for a RTX 4080 as a system requirement
millenia - i'm affraid paradox is doing the same as with cities skylines 2 release - too early just to boost numbers for investors :/ ara feels too artifical, cant decide between being cartoon and realistic still, i think indie studios, easier access for tools/ game engines and access to market contributed to another 4x golden age :)
I'm less worried about Millennia in the gameplay issues and short timeline aspect. Demos require a good bit of work to make. So studios often just take a stable enough build, make the demo tweaks and make sure it works. This means we typically get an older build than is current for the demo. They definitely have more than a month of tweaking from the demo to release but how much can vary widely depending on how far in advance they prepped the demo.
Solid list, Rob! Both ZEPHON and AotSS are high up on my own wishlist, and Revival has long had my attention as well. I'm generally not much into historical 4x, but Ara has actually caught my eye a little. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it (once you're no longer bounded by NDA).
Nice! Millennia is the one that has already caught my attention, but I didn't even know that most of these existed. Ah, so _many_ good games to play. Very different than when I started, decades ago.
@@explorminate It has Fog of War now so what X is it missing? We eXplore to find the Thrones and Magic Sites. We eXpand our dominion and territories in massive battles, we eXploit the gold, resources, population and gems from the land, and we eXterminate not only the goverment of the nation, but the very worship and essence of their god itself. What list will you place it in, then? Wargame?
I definitely believe 2024 is another great year for 4X games not only with games but an abundance of quality DLC as if everyone is following in the footsteps of the PARADOX model. For all the griping about PARADOX and their DLC sales i actually think this is the way to go and have always loved that this is part of their business model as it reminded me of my days of tabletop gaming and going into the city to the COMPLEATE STRATEGIST to check out the latest expansion or miniature for games like BATTLETECH and CAR WARS. DLCs like mods keep games alive for many years to come and its always sad when i see a game company not take advantage of this business model like PARADOX and few others have. Great to see REVIVAL RECOLONIZATION is still being worked on considering the long period of silence as the games sits on my pc waiting for a update. ZEPHON is my most looked forward game. Real happy to see they have adapted the GLADIUS formula to ZEPHON similar to how STEVE JACKSON made the GURPS system for use in many tabletop games. The TOO MANY VOICES Mod for WARHAMMER 40,000 GLADIUS: RELICS OF WAR has just started releasing unit voices for the Adeptus Mechanicus faction in a piece a meal faction which actually is getting the incredible voiced dialogue out faster than waiting for the entire faction to be done and released in one faction. SINS OF A SOLAR EMPIRE II is a big surprise. Wow did not even know it was being developed. Awesome it is coming out some time this year. Thanks for the excellent inspiring list. Truly another amazing year of 4X sweetness has been unleashed with DLC already out for MASTER OF MAGIC and WARHAMMER 40,000 BATTLESECTOR just this month alone not to mention the release of the brutal TERMINATOR DARK FATE RESISTANCE. Thank goodness for its tactical pause to keep track of everything and give commands while everything is paused. Thanks again and happy gaming! ☕
I like the idea of the marriage between 4X and RPG. Like something towards a CK maybe. I think that's what 4X could use, to draw in the player with more immersion.
I liked Wtar Dynasties so Sacred Suns better be as good as you claim. You absolutely missed Dominions 6 though, which is a bad move. At least deserves number 5. It's so good.
@@explorminate Then I must ask what it is, what X does it fail to contain? In which list would you include it? War game? Turn based battle tactics? Looks like a 4X with eXplore (fog of war, thrones, magic sites), eXpand (battling independents for provinces, pushing dominion), eXploit (gold, resources, recruitment points, magic sites, blood), eXterminate (crush nations militarily, or crush their dominion to win). Looks 4X to me, but if you want to define a different genre I'd be happy to read your argument
@@gabrote42 a large portion of a 4X is its procederual map. It's why eXplore is a big part of the genre. There's more, too, but Dom 6 isn't really a 4X game. It fits into the grand strategy genre much better. We explained more of what makes a 4X game: explorminate.org/crossing-the-rubicon-defining-the-4x-like-genre/
@@explorminate I shall read that article, hoping the broken images aren't needed. The map IS random most of the time, but maybe the article clears it up. I don't see it as a GSG due to the minutia of unit creation and calculation, shallow domain development systems, etc, but maybe your article clears that up. And hey, as long as it's on a good placement on a GSG game list you make, that should not be an issue. Oh wait, do you even make some of those? EDIT: Thus far the only criteria that it seems to miss is 1b, due to the ability to pregenerate maps (but quite a few 4x have that option, and it still has fog of war), 3a (unless you count Thugs, only magic is improved and researched), and 4a (only civil management is Scales), but does meet 3b (master smiths, Earth Blood Deep Well, sightsearching, maybe even citadels). Not seeing the issue here. Edit 2: Read it. Making comment now...
@@explorminate In fact, within that article you classify Dominions 5 as a War-Centric 4X and make no mention of not meeting Criteria 1, and claim that they do not meet criteria 6 (while we have Dominion elimination, military elimination, Thrones and Cataclysm). Grand Strategy Game is different from that and Doms 5 is not an example for that in the article. Therefore Doms 6 should be at least a War-Centric 4X and thus should be on this list, especially with the FoW changes and more robust planar procedural map
Hey guys! Great video! QUick question, whats a good cooperative 4X with fun combat? Currently im looking at Gladius and Planetfall but maybe im missing out on others. Thanks!
There's a test going on for Ara? I'm in the Insider program, was told that I would be contacted, but nothing since :( Well, it's the one I'm most excited too!
Me watching this list: "Okay, what do I have to add to my wishlist" Me unable to add anything: Nothing but repeats... and Zephon which I'm not interested in at all.
@@explorminate Zephon might be great, the setting is what I'm not a fan of. And as for the other part of my comment.... it's not a negative, I just find it funny that the rest of the top 5 are games I WLed from this channel over the last 3 years
all i want is aurora 4x in good looking. so for me this just looks like another sad year for the list: with sins i wait for it, but then also for the stargate mod millenia: could look better. will be refunded if it doesnt have a empire creator (flag, name ,etc) . i am tired of this history bs premade faction crap Alliance of the Sacred Suns: on my wishlist since 2019, i dont know but worth a try rest: meh.
@@explorminate i will check it out and see and i dont think so. the settings dont look very interesting to me so i dont think that i would miss out on something i couldnt care less. i am very choosy now with a heavy focus on customization. i would like to see a space 4x mix of stellaris/sinsofasolarempire for gameplay, avorion/galciv for shipstyle, starmade/fromthedephts for weapons and rest i dont even say because i should already be there as minimum. wich leads me to where i started- aurora4x in goodlooking
I thought Age of Wonders 4 was terrible. It seemed cool at first - I mean I like Civ, but after a while it started to feel like nothing but the product of a focus group. All the current popular trends were mashed together jarringly, in an inferior version of Civ. None of the ideas they copied, and they were all copied, were done well. Nothing but a cynical cash grab, in my book.
