Vital components of (rather ugly) combat failed to work at all. Rival empires send regular streams of erratic and self-contradictory messages, until you learn they can be completely ignored as they seldom actually do anything. The interface is an overwrought clickfest - and locked at a resolution of 800圆00, which was already quite backwards by 2003 and a genuine obstacle when standard maps feature hundreds of star systems.
The highly anticipated sequel to the two most beloved space 4X games ever is a maddening exercise in battling your own empire's broken AI for hours, only to discover that you've already overcome your only real opposition. Infogrames released Master of Orion 3 in early 2003, following a long and troubled development period by Quicksilver Software. Master of Orion 3 is one of the most important 4X games ever made. Cast it away into the pit of 1 star reviews, the lair of the Thumbdown, to be spoken of only with frothing hatred and contempt. Oh, sure, there are divisive games, but once the consensus has been reached that a game is bad, that's it. Games are either good or the worst thing to ever happen.
