[Repo Man]

The Best 4X games, IMHO

Reach for the Stars, orignal Version. Huge black hole for time and a decent eco system given the age of the game.

MOO, the original Version. (of course). Had all the elements, but its strongest points were ship design, tactical combat and tech.

MOO II tactical combat and ship design was great, but the eco was rather silly. See the little people commenents below.

Stars!. I found this gem while waiting for MOO II to come out. Its not for everyone, and has its warts, but there is simply so much to do, and once you understand how the whole system works, its tons of fun. For me, it qualifies for the biggest black hole for time award. When fans start using logrithims and calculus to deterime play strategies, that is proof beyond all doubt that people are hooked.

SEIV. Strongest points are the ship design and tech tree. THe eco system is a little blah. Its still worth every penny in my book.