Tonight's biggie: I'm trying a demo for a game called Space War Commander.  I think I will probably wind up buying this.  This game seems like a streamlined RTS done with simple 2D graphics: by some amazing coincidence, recently I was actually putting on my game-designer hat and pondering the same concept!

(Actually, I was inspired by a little joke-game called The Linear RPG, which streamlines the gameplay of a Japanese-style linear RPG to the point where you are walking a stick figure person along a line, losing hit points and gaining experience.  I wondered how one would summarize an RTS in this manner.)

So far, it looks as though you don't do any base building or upkeep.  You are handed your base at the start of the game, and that is it.  You also don't explore at all: the map is handed to you at the start.  You get more spaceships by buying them.  You get money by claiming asteroids or planets (you claim them by putting one of your ships there).  With things this simplified, they could add a few details.  If you have a fleet with a "Scavenger" ship, you can also make money by salvaging enemy ships when you destroy them.  And you can make money by creating freighters and trading items.  Games last only around 15 minutes.

By the way, there doesn't seem to be any research in this.  You can build any spaceship at the start, and there's no way to "unlock" more advanced spaceships.

When I first heard about this, I thought: okay, this has the potential of being quite addictive!  Let's see.  It's still a few days until Demigod comes out, and I'm trying to not think about it.

Anyway, the sound effects are simple.  Saying the graphics are simple is an understatement.  Battles look small and simple: when your fleet and an enemy fleet are in the same square, they start firing at each other.  It looks like it's also possible to have ships retreat from the battle, and ships not in battle recharge health.  I'm still getting used to the fact that I see the entire map at the start, including where the enemy base is and what planets/asteroids have been claimed by the enemy AND movements of enemy ships.  I would say that this makes the game too easy, but since I haven't beaten the demo levels, I can't really say that.