That being said, every graphical feature and texture in the game is notable for being clean and unobtrusive. When viewed from above, the vastness of space is rendered with a satisfying blend of abstract colors. Planets in particular are well done, and all the more satisfying to nuke because of it.

The statistics and roles of each ship are clearly listed amongst the various menus, but it's a steep curve on the way to understanding when to build which, and where to position them across the void. Unlike an RTS with giant trolls or established ship designs, it can be difficult to immediately grasp the relationship between various craft--a decision made less painful by the option of building two of everything.

Speaking of an RTS, capital ships in Sins feature Warcraft 3-style, unit-specific upgrades. While this might indicate a micromanagement aspect, they can thankfully be set to auto-cast their abilities, leaving you free to handle more pressing orders of retreat.

In fact, there are plenty of smart features that free you up from making smaller choices. For instance, specific ships can be designated as a fleet leader, and will then automatically add any individual ships in the area. Ship-building factories can be set to rally on a fleet leader, entirely automating the generation of fleets. Your armadas are managed by the empire tree, a bar on the left side of the screen that automatically tracks and displays every unit in an expandable list. If you're unsure of what to research, clicking on a unit you can't yet use will highlight the requisite upgrade in the technology tree. It's all a little overwhelming at first, and most of it sails over your head until the fourth or fifth match.

Knowledge Aggregation
On the research side of things, a decent amount of tech upgrades and options are made available for your developing civilization, split into civilian and military divisions. The lists are unique to each race, and offer boosts to weapon power, ship building capability, trade, and other insidious, entertaining advantages. It's a wide range for an RTS game, and a somewhat-limiting one for a 4X game, falling somewhere in the middle. You won't be creating your own ships, but you'll be able to specialize your forces to a high degree.

A minor point, but these upgrades unfortunately follow the fantasy convention of being branded with goofy, unintuitive titles. In lieu of a singleplayer story, a set of race-specific research upgrades isn't doing much to immerse me in the world. After playing for so long, I still had trouble remembering exactly what "Homeworld Prophecy" and "Knowledge Aggregation" did without pausing to read the description. "Superior Wave Cannons" may sound self-descriptive, but as the upgrades aren't ordered by a specific ship class, I still have to read a blurb in order to see which ships actually use wave cannons before deciding on it. Facing a full table of elements, I prefer self-descriptive titles. Just give me "Crystal Mining 3" over "Shockwave Pulverization."

Speaking of crystals, the resource game is a matter of securing stationary mining points scattered around the planet zones, with each increasing the rate at which you gather either ore or crystal. Planet upgrades boost the amount of credits you pull in based on civilian tax. A black market menu offers you the choice of converting each resource into another at a premium, giving you the option of artificially balancing your coffers. Trade routes can be opened. Paid bounties can be placed on the heads of enemies. It's a nice mix of inter-dependent economic systems, allowing for some interesting strategies.

While all of this is going on, the game's musical score provides a decent variety of lilting spacey tunes and snare-based war marches. It's a dynamic, situational soundtrack, and effective enough at providing a wide range of background track for hours of star scrolling. On the battlefield, sound effects vary in quality--from clear, bassy explosions to some oddly low-budget voice recordings.

Multiplayer is handled through IP/LAN or over Ironclad Online, a serviceable matchmaking hub. Like any good strategy game, Sins shines in multiplayer, and with the added feature of being able to save and resume games, there's no worry of having to bust your bladder in order to triumph. Mod support is built into the game, so there should be no want for extra content in the coming months.

Who Cares?
It's a question that subconsciously runs through every gamer's brain at some point. When Sins crashed on me in the middle of a multiplayer match, I had to make a choice. Is the game good enough to warrant loading back up? Does it really matter that combat isn't as exciting as it could be? Do I want to jump back in and nuke the living hell out of some planets anyway? Who cares if it's flawed?

Like all good strategy games, Sins is about options. Hard, or easy? Online, or offline? Invasion, or cultivation? Capital ships, or frigates? Ally, or enemy? Buy, or avoid?

For strategy fans with patience, the answer to that last one is a no-brainer.