Oriental Empires is still in Early Access, but from what I've played so far of the ambitious 4X strategy game -- which blends elements of the Total War and Civilization series -- I see a lot of promise.

I reviewed the original Endless Space back in 2012, and found it a pretty snappy little 4X game, albeit one with a distinct lack of personality. From what I've played so far of Endless Space 2, we won't be suffering through that again.

Since June, Chinese players have been bombarding strategy game Endless Legend with poor reviews after developer Amplitude Studios removed a mod for Chinese language support that linked to a pirated version of the game. Last night, other players took to Reddit and organised to vote the game's rating back up.

Modern board games can cost a lot, and the Scythe is no exception. It cost me $170 a few weeks back to take the crowdfunded strategy game home, and since then it's been worth every single dollar.

Remember how there were a few big 4X games coming out this year? We've already had Stellaris early on, and the Master of Orion reboot launched just last month. But there's one title on the horizon that's still in the works. It's Endless Space 2, and it's looking a bit great.

XCOM 2 isn't coming out until 2016. Rising Tide didn't revitalise Civilization: Beyond Earth. Endless Space 2 isn't out until next year. Master Of Orion isn't playable yet either and Galactic Civilizations 3 ... there's something not quite there. What on earth is a 4X fan to do?

One option is to hit up Endless Legend, the fantasy-themed 4X from Amplitude Studios. And if you're looking for something meaty to dive into over the holiday break, the game just got a massive update.

As soon as Wargaming began openly slotting Master of Orion into emails about PAX Australia, I was immediately intrigued. There were so many questions to ask: why did Wargaming pick up Master of Orion in the first place? How does a free-to-play model even work with a 4X? And would they stay true to the original?

As it turns out, the answer is yes -- exceedingly so.

This is good. This is very good: 4X is back on the radar, people.

In fairness, Wargaming are the ones putting the spotlight back on the genre today, and that might not inspire a great deal of confidence in some. But they're bringing Master of Orion to the party, and they're going to use PAX Australia as the first chance to reveal some details.