In the year 2011, there is no game I was more impressed with than Eclipse, and awards-givers around the world agreed. It still stands as probably the richest space empire-building game I have probably ever seen, with deep strategies and multiple paths to victory, a good mix of combat and other economy-building factors. The space battles towards the end of the game are epic and cinematic, with fleets of cruisers and fighters firing swarms of torpedoes into massive shields, with varying fleets attempting to gain the advantage with their initiative and targeting computers while others rely on armor and missiles. Other civilizations rely more upon rapid space expansion while still others are based more upon always researching the latest technology. There is one severe drawback to this game: It takes hours to play even with experienced players, and one player can get knocked out fairly early, and literally have nothing to do for hours as the last 2-3 players battle for galactic glory. But it’s probably better than any other several-hours long, turn-based, high-strategy game you’ve played. If you’ve got the time to sink, it’s a game as grand and epic as they come.