I just picked up MoO3 for my Mac. (I finally upgraded to OS X, which was the condition I had to fulfill before I'd let myself buy the game.) And so far ... well ... I
think I like it.
It's hard to be sure right away, because there is so much to learn. It's far more complex than any TBS I've played, and the emphasis on macromanagement doesn't come easily to me (I'm an inveterate micromanager). But I get the feeling that once I get the hang of it I'm going to like it quite a bit.
Master of Orion dead? I think so, in a way. The game mechanics of MoO3 are so unlike those of dear old MoO2 that I can declare without hesitation that
MoO3 is an entirely different kind of game.
It seems to me Quicksilver would have done much better by the Master of Orion title if they had just left the game mechanics more or less intact, spruced up the AI, added a few new races and some pretty 3D graphics. Everybody who loved MoO2 would have bought it and loved it. End of story.
I'm not saying that MoO3 is a
bad game; it's just not a
MoO game. Even the developers knew that they wanted to create something different. They would have been much wiser to give it a new title and backstory, and let it sink or swim on its own merits.
By trying to exploit the name of a tried-and-true classic to sell an entirely different product they have alienated many fans of classic MoO, and perhaps have failed to reach those gamers who would be most interested.
So if you're thinking of playing MoO3, do yourself a favor: Forget it's a Master of Orion game (except when you're reading the backstory in the manual, which I agree is very nicely done). If you come at the game without preconceptions of what the gameplay is s'posed to be like, you might find it a fresh addition to the RTS field.
Danapoppa
Edit: When I said "very nicely done," I was referring to the backstory. The rest of the manual leaves a lot to be desired, and is sure to be a great source of frustration. Forewarned is forearmed.
