Ixion

IXION is an awesome looking game with a great premise that really captures attention, but with some graphical issues, framerate that can't go above 30, and lack of controller support, I would stick to desktop as of now.

Ixion elegantly balances the dynamic play of a colony simulation with a grand, meticulously directed sci-fi narrative. Its perilous journey through a cold and dangerous universe is vivid and engrossing, although its complex routines occasionally obstruct its storytelling ambitions.

One of my favorite board games is the Fantasy Flight take on Battlestar Galactica. Resource management is key, and you watch your little cardboard meters start to fall. You can run out of food of course. And ammo. And you can run out of morale. Ixion captures the brutal bleakness of survival better than any other city building game. In space, no one can hear your workers screaming that they need more grasshoppers to eat.

IXION can be extremely overwhelming and punishes players for not having nearly precognition levels of foresight. Still, once these roadblocks are understood and avoided, the game can become an excellent and welcome challenge. IXION is defiantly for survival fans first, while city planners may find things a bit more aggravating.

Overall, IXION offers nothing new. Players will get through the good ol’ survival and management mechanics that we have all seen around. However, it is still addictive due to the competent combination of those elements as well as interesting execution and catchy aesthetics.

Humanity’s survival prospects look dire in in this colony builder.

Even as a console port, IXION is a miserable experience. Obtuse systems, bad narrative design, an all-too short campaign which grinds the player's face in misanthropic loathing - none of it is worth the price tag.