[Fionn]

It's just a matter of personal taste but IG2 left me rather cold, good ground combat or not.

It certainly has its strong points but it lacks the depth and versatility of SE4. IG2 seemed flat to me in some important ways and I found it hard to get interested in the prepackaged empires, especially the warrior race who can't even access the diplomatic functions. I find the "flavor" of SE4 much more involving, especially when it comes to the customization abilities.

Maybe if I was at all interested in multiplayer gaming, it'd be different, but I think I've already spent more time playing the demo Version of SE4 than I spent playing the full release Version of IG2.

I spotted a couple of copies of IG2 on the bargain wall at a shop today. It'd be a decent cheap buy but I wish I hadn't bought it at the full price!