by Mr Skeletor
It's simple.Eclipse sacrifices theme for mechanics. It has a checklist of what should be in a space combat game, but while the way it hangs together is 'balanced' and 'elegant', it comes at the cost of flavor and personality.
The TI races get the creative juices flowing. They have a style.
I couldn't tell you who the eclipse races are.
In the end when I play a space conquest game the feeling of epic victory (or defeat) is what matters most. Eclipse may make you feel like you played well (or not) and you outsmarted your opponents (or not) but it will never make you feel like you battled to control the cosmos.