14 DAY TRIAL // What we know: Galactic Civilizations III is a turn-based strategy title from Stardock which is set to be launched exclusively on the PC at a yet undisclosed time during the coming year, designed to appeal to those who appreciated the first two titles in the series.
The biggest change in the experience is the shift to six-sided game tiles, which the team believes make the movement of fleets more realistic and add to the strategic options.
The 4X core features will remain unchanged, which means that gamers need to colonize new planets, develop their economy and industry, design and construct ships, create solid defensive areas in space and, finally, deal with other races using both diplomacy and force.
Stardock has not said whether it plans to introduce all new races to Galactic Civilizations III or whether it will use some of those that players are already familiar with.
A new engine will be used to increase the visual fidelity and deliver more information via the user interface.
Regardless of the choice, Galactic Civilization III will offer complex strategies, a deep research tree and plenty of replayability.
The strategy title will also have a full multiplayer mode for the first time in its history.
Why it matters: Turn-based strategy has been sustained during both 2012 and 2013 by XCOM and Firaxis, with the launch of Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within.
It’s unlikely that the company will launch a new expansion this year and that means Galactic Civilization III is the best hope the genre has of making an impact on the gaming world in 2014.
The big question is how the move to hex-shaped tiles will influence the core gameplay, but the change has already been pioneered by the Civilization series with goods results.
The full list of Incoming 2014 Games articles can be read on Softpedia.