When i saw that game first, i liked it, but not much. I got it when it was on a sale. But now i think it's a great game. You can build any of the ships you reverse-engineered, and choose to control any of your selected ships. And you can equip them in any way you want(of course you need to collect the blueprints first). It has a lot of depth in story, in gameplay, in sound, in music. Well, I'm afraid not the graphics I guess but at least graphics are good enough too.

I'm giving it 4 of 5 stars because you can easily run out uf resources, especially if you don't know much about it. And the limit on resources just makes this easier. Well, you can ease past this if you can learn how to play, but if you're not careful, you can end up running out of rez to build something better than a small bus ship. Fortunately i didn't find myself in such situation(difficulty was easy enough) but i think it suck if it happens. Other than that, great game.

Way to go champs!!!

Pretty good space simulation rpg with a little twist. Sometimes the game feels like a grind because resources are scarce. The game also does not activate on steam.

Quite entertaining albeit quickly repetitive games.

A simple story mode invites you to discover a cluster of stars, with a size that can be calibrated in the option menu.

The game is 95% oriented space fighting pitting your forces (1 to 5 ships, hulls ranging from small to Titanesque) to four other "races". Lots of technology to be research, meanging several combination for every ship.

The game is nearing completition and the gameplay is quite good, although you will most probably get bored after 20 hours of playing time. Replayability in my opinion is quite low once you have unlocked all ships and techs.

Let me start off by saying that this game is a lot of fun. The ship-to-ship combat is great, the open-world layout works very well, and the ship designs are super cool. If you're looking for a fun little space-sandbox to play around in, this is a great one.

But it has problems. The progression system is deeply flawed. Your general power is given by a "Tech Level" which increases as you destroy ships and complete tasks. When it increases, you are given 3 points (*always* 3) which are spent to improve the systems on your ships. However, it takes more points to improve a system the better it is, so your progress slows down over time. Also, each star you visit is given a tech rating, but the levels of the systems on their ships are much higher than yours would be at the same tech level, and this gets worse as the game goes on; for example, a level 42 star has essentially the same tech as you do at level 62. Also, the introduction of the titular Zombies part-way through the game causes a huge spike in difficulty, and larger gaps between the levels of neighboring stars, so you'll probably spend a while farming resources before moving on.

I don't know how to categorize this game, it is sort of its own genre. It reminds me somewhat of something like the old Star Control games as far as flying around and combat. You jump to solar system to solar system, "map to map" and do missions. There is a plethora of missions. There is a plethora of very similar missions and no motivation to go to any other solar system until you complete all of the missions.

One nagging problem is it seems to take forever to level up your weapons/armor/gear, etc. for your ships. For some dumb reason, the developers deigned that you only have 3 ships max at any time that you build/deploy from our mothership. You control one. The other 2 follow. The AI for the other ships is good and you can toggle between ships to control at will.

There is some annoying quest/plot line, I don't like the interface or way it is told/unfolds. It is very easy and clear what needs to be done but also very unclear and obtuse as to what may be done. For example, one quest pretty much only says "we need a big laser cannon" or something to that effect. It wasn't clear to me what exactly I needed to do to go get that or materials to make it, etc. Where do I go? Great. Just Great. Maybe the quest giver was just thinking out loud?

While the game has almost no sense of direction, you can opt to go anywhere provided you are certain levels. Then again, there is no motivation to compel the player to go here or there. The floating bases with stores usually only have 1 or 2 things available. There is a lot of time WASTED in the game balancing the number of people, metal, ore? I really don't know, it was really confusing about these three resources and the developers seemed "too much" into the whole setup of how the resources worked. It was really annoying. It bogs down the action BIG TIME to the point if you run out the only thing left to do is retreat and float around in space twiddling your thumbs muttering to yourself.

The sad fact is it seemed the developers also realized they overworked this aspect of the game to where there is a Cheat menu that is easy to access to just give yourself more resources, so the game can CONTINUE, so the action/fun remains alive, and the game overall can progress without this bullcrap.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind "resource gathering", but it's wacked in this game. For example, for "people" you can blow up an enemy ship and pick up the life pod to collect people. It also isn't clear as to what resource best comes from what. Or what will come from what. See, this is too complex already to write about, and I just want to scratch the surface. This is the best I can describe it without having to really go into major details and would take loads of pages. The other problem is that you need a lot for not much. For example, I recall Dune 2 / Dune 2000 game. You build maybe 1 or 2 structures, but you need to build an energy producing building to support them. It was ridiculous to the point you had to build like 15 of them to support 10 buildings because the more you build, the power output actually DIMINISHES. SPAZ is like this where you have to obtain a buttload of resources by destroying things but your ships get damanged/blow'd up in the process and require a lot of resources to rebuild. The cost/return is arse-backwards and it would be better to go find a planet to colonize and abandon all technology.

You can convert one resource to another. In fact, most of the game's star bases are devoted to this. This is BULLcrap. The bases should be devoted to other things, like giving quests, missions, stores for upgrade/economy activities. Like in the Space Rangers games. Unfortunately, you don't get any of that and instead have a giant galaxy with nothing to do. Another annoying thing is there are maybe 2 or 3 factions in the whole game. That's it? Really? Yes. The vast majority of the missions/quests involve doing something that pisses one or the other off. Why do that? You are basically forced to piss them off at some point and then waste resources to re-obtain favor with them. Real annoying.

The whole thing about the zombies is useless. It is a useless aspect of the game. Given the game's flawed mechanics, it makes no difference if the threat is zombies, aliens, or the ants on the sidewalk outside your home.

Technically, the game looks great, good job with that and the bells and whistles. As for gameplay structure itself: huge pile of boredom. The developers said they set out to make a game they wanted to play and made a boring game.

In short called SPAZ combines classic topdown arcade shooter with RPG elements, a basic economic simulation and adds adventure elements to it.

A one hour tutorial prolog introduces the player into the mechanics of the game, but it can also be skipped. The game generates a random galaxy which consists of starsystems in which the UTA (United Terran Alliance) and independent civilians are fighting for dominance. Tough there is a faction system included in the game,it is without consequences for the player because every starsystem is independent. Meaning if you are hated in one starsystem by the UTA, in the next you might be a friend again. The Bountyhunters which were added after the last patch are an exception. Their relation is global and they will attack you randomly if hated.

In every starsystem are quests to be done for resources (needed for upgrades, shipbuilding etc.) Goons (crews) and data (exp). The quests also influence your relation to the factions, meaning to help the UTA might end up in a better relation to them but will worsen your relation towards the civilians.

To make things short. In my opinion this game is a great casual game which doesnt have too much atmosphere and gameplay weight so its always easy to stop playing it for a few days and get into it without any hindrance (by story, detailed RPG elements, sophisticated quest system etc.). For those who are looking for a challenging shooter with a wide array of individualization possibilities you will make no mistake by choosing SPAZ. For those who are looking for a real space RPG with diversified quests and an atmospheric storyline you might get disappointed after 2 or 3 hours of play.

The game is best compared to the freeplay game transcendence.

Space Pirates and Zombies (SPAZ in short) is a well polished space sandbox game. The graphics and sounds are very well done, with an easy to grasp gameplay. Especially with the free upgrade that provides a new faction (Bounty Hunters) it is well worth the money.

It's pirates and zombies, in SPACE! What more do you want? Oh, actual information... okay...

It is primarily a top-down action game based on 2D arcady space ship combat. the player collects resources and "goons" to build up to, what is it? 4 or 5 five ships at a time. New ship types are acquired by encountering and destroying them, then picking up enough of the blueprints that get tossed around. Research is like an experience or leveling up system where the player can unlock new and more powerful weapons.

It is a simple game, but it is very fun and very well polished.

Very enjoyable if you enjoy space combat Sims, but in the end it can become very monotonous as there are very few types of enemies and missions that you encounter. However, I certainly got my money's worth in play time and recommend it to anyone looking to zip around space and cause their fair share of explosions.

This is a really good game, and a lot of hours has gone into it. It full of humor and feeling, you can feel that the creators has put much effort into the making of this game.

This game has drained a great deal of my hours already. It has RPG elements, some strategy, a bit of a space shooter feel. And a great deal of sarcastic humor. Very well made indie game.

I was surprised to learn this game was made by only 2 people considering the extremely polished and addicting game-play. S.P.A.Z. is a game that definitely deserves at least a try.

A fun top-down shooter with a lot of customisation and some resource management. The art style is really nice and the game play is well balanced.

as i like spaceship simulations i tried the demo of spaz and had not been convinced. but when the game had been discounted i gave it a go.

i have played aprox 15 solar systems and have no real intention to play more. its very static, random and exchangeable.

static means every system has a very similar structure with bases, gates and spots of interest.

random means the side missions (for earning resources + experience) are placed there and repeat after the 3rd system.

exchangeable means it does not really matter what you do because you may shift the forces (only 2 factions) a bit in a system but it has no real influence (especially when you dont come back).

so the main purpose (until where i played) was to grind resources, technology, experience and access to systems.

on the other side the game is definitely worth a look (especially at discounted price) as it has some interesting gameplay features.

you dont control a single ship but you can switch between any ship in your fleet (rest is controled by autopilot). if you loose a ship it gets rebuild in the mothership and enters battle again.

it can be fun to level up and achieve new skills or technologies and collect required upgrades.

the story seems interesting and there are humorous elements.

the graphic is nice and comic like.

user interface is clean and convenient.

so with a bit less grind and a bit more real content i could rate it 4 stars but in the current state its not captivating enough to let me explore 50+ stars.

A much needed game in the gaming industry, been so long since I saw a nice space shooter like this.

A fantastic "old school" feel, ala Star Control, to gameplay with an interesting story and evolving galaxy make this game a winner. Highly addictive, and continuously being improved by the Developers to keep you coming back for more.

Best thing since Star Control 2. A little difficult at times, but certainly worth 15 bucks. Plus there is a new patch coming which will offer more ships and other upgrades. I think this will help in the beginning stages of the game.

it s great but i think it is ... difficult the weapons and the ships i dont know how i can make bigger ships :( -

But but but i think its cool the eneyme and the friens you can schwitch them and the missons are cool very cool ++

This Game is quite interesting as I like the procedurally built galaxy, which means each game is a little different than the one before. Controls take a little getting used to, but should be manageable after a few tries. I love the story line and won't spoil the ending, but it caught me by surprise. I played my 1st game on the normal setting and the difficult increased dramatically mid-game, but then tapered off at the end. This is a good shooter game with plenty of options for upgrading your ships. The graphics are quite well done, and the sound effects are great. Well worth the $15 I spent.

This game is certainly unique. It's a dying genre of space sandbox, and this really stands out being a game on the 2d plane. Really though, the developers put a lot of care into it and the sandbox elements are great. There's fleet building, tech trees, faction tensions, and a randomized galaxy each time you play. Also, Zombies!

Great to see a game that dares to do it's own thing.

A really nice concept there you slowly gain better ships and equipment as you unravel the games interesting plot.

The game also contains some entertaining background sounds, but they do get abit repetitiv over time. Wish there where more of them.

A really great concept executed excellently. A variety of customization options to play the way you feel most comfortable and have the most fun with. Smooth controls and excellently paced gameplay. The game starts off rather slow with very limited customization; give it at least a half hour for it to get truly interesting. For a while the game may seem a little repetitive until certain things get added into the game via patches such as bounty hunters and more ship types. I personally find the art style of this game to be great but that comes down to preference, take a look at a few screenshots to decide if it's something you enjoy.

overall a great game, but can be slow at times and a little repetitive while it's still being worked on. I recommend picking it up, it's cheap and you will definitely get your moneys worth.

WARNING: This game is not a SHMUP its gameplay shares more similarities to games such as asteroid.

Hurry and buy this game if you like: Starscape, Space Ranger 2, Star Control 2, any space shooter schmups etc.

The dedicated forum community on the developers web site for Spaz will keep this game alive, and new versions coming, I have no doubt. This one is a no brainer folks.

Really fun game, but right now, it needs more content. It gets really repetitive after a while, but still, from a team of only 2 guys, it's great. I'm looking forward to all the future updates. You can upgrade your ship and decide which path you will follow. You get a good amount of ships in the game.