Hi there. I'm a new player to Amplitude games - after enjoying Humankind so much I've bought all the Amplitude stuff and will try Endless Legend or Space 2 next. which of the 2 would you advice to try first and is one considered better than the other?

I had a look at Endless Space briefly and the interface is so slick and beautiful but also there seems to be one hell of a learning curve to get started - is it one of their more complicated games and when I try it should I start with all the expansions turned off or are some must haves?

Thanks.

Tough question. Basically, if you enjoyed Humankind, you'll feel yourself right at home in Legend. That doesn't mean you won't enjoy Space more, it's just a bit different, with Star Systems and star lanes instead of hex tiles and terrain. My advise would be to start with Legend and pick Vaulters.

For same reasons it is hard to point which one is better. I love both of them, but I consider ES2 to be pinnacle work of the Studio, so that is my preference. That said, most EL DLCs are a lot more streamlined and interesting to play. Changes to Winter, Ocean control and Eclipses are fun as hell.

I think it is mostly safe to start EL with either all DLC or not at all, there's plenty to do either way.

ES2 should be surprisingly easy to pick up after Legend, you are already familiar with FIDS management, questing and so on. As for DLCs, there I'd suggest to start without Supremacy (you won't utilize Behemoths properly without base game knowledge), no Penumbra (to avoid novice confusion of stealth and hacking), no Awakening (to avoid novice confusion of Academy) and no Dark Matter (great DLC, but minor bugs might make bad first impression). You can keep all rest ON for your first game.

And if I might suggest some guides/resources to better grasp basic concepts.

For EL: 

Wiki

On how city building works

On how trade works (similar to HK, but more passive in nature; resources are bought/sold through Market)

On how battles work (similar to HK, but Initiative governs targeting and autoplay)

On how to use Diplomacy (Influence has a lot more use, compared to HK)

On how to play Ardent Mages (1, 2)

On how to build and use stockpiles

And for ES2:

Wiki

On how space battles work

On how targeting and evasion works

Useful terraformation chart

fantastic reply, can't ask for better than that! Thanks.