This is what Elemental could have - and SHOULD have - been.

Best description for this game from me is that Endless Legend is a 'post-cataclysmic-event science fantasy genre blend of Civilization and Age of Wonders'. If you enjoy either of these games I strongly recommend snapping it up; the combat options are excellent, the cities requiring less micromanagement than most 4x type games, and the game storyline and history that you unravel through each of the races is not only unique but incredibly detailed.

There are a few quirks with the game (trade, diplomacy, city placement), so I do suggest that the tutorial game be played through, even by the more experienced 4x gamers, just to familiarise yourself with them. The only real beef I have with the game is that there are a couple of race options that require some serious rebalancing; in the game's current state they'll kick you to the curb if you have a human player running them properly no matter what you do... except ganging up on them, which is never fun...

So all in all, I give this game a 8.5/10. I haven't played it in a while now and there have been some DLC expansions released in the meantime, so I may re-evaluate my score further down the track :)