Two decades later and still no one has made a better space combat flight sim. Certainly there are notable attempts, but this game has stood the test of time.
THE BEST SPACESIM game EVER. I kid you not. Back in 1999 it's visuals, sound and what's more important - gameplay and dark atmosphere were unparalleled. Since then I've beaten the game perhaps a 100+ times and it delivers fun every time. Sure now I play it using the FSO mods and updated visuals and even my kid was shocked how a 20 year old game can be awesome to play and enjoy!
From beginning to end, the involving storyline and varying mission types will keep you wanting more, which is provided by the sufficient multiplayer capabilities, and the interesting SquadWar ladder system.
Manages to do what few sequels can--retain all of the good things in the original and improve on them, while still incorporating new features and gameplay elements never before seen.
Still very derivative of the games that came before it. What's different this time around is that Volition has added to the genre instead of just cloning it.
But playing the game makes you realise just how little effect any one pilot has on a war, and how futile and dehumanising the whole thing is. I'm sure it wasn't meant to, but there you go... The world's first pacifist space combat sim?
Definitively the best space-sim ever made. While it creates it's own universe instead of basing on Star Wars or Babylon 5, there is similar depth in the space of FreeSpace. The plot is linear (with a few exceptions), but extremely immersive. The game is fairly easy on normal difficulty, but "hard" and above can be really challenging.
An open source port of FreeSpace (FreeSpace Open) enhances the graphics, fixes some bugs, even adds some new features. What's even more important are the free community made campaigns - some of which are just as good as the original one.
Never played a game with as much atmosphere and and this coming from a space based shooter!
PLEASE play this with a force feedback joystick. Wrestling the juddering controls amid waves of flak or fighting the Flailing Joystick after a collision just made this game that much more engrossing :)
There are not many great and somewhat new space games out there and Freespace 2 is one of the classic great games. So every hardcore gamer should look into the game.
First of all, this game is everything else than outdated because of the Source Code Project. This mod is very easy to install and improve the game extremely, especially the graphic looks well even today. Sound and Music are also good.
So you can focus on the gameplay. The controlling of your ship is perfect: there are a lot of commands, maybe even too many. You need a joystick to enjoy it, but they are so cheap, so I bought one for 30€ and get a perfect one (Thrustmasters T Flight Stick X). It takes some time to learn the many functions in the game, but it is worth it.
The problem is, the game is only about fighting in your vessel. The campaign is a series of missions, where you fight most of the time, so it is not diversified and maybe a bit outdated. I prefer the Freelancer style, where you could do much more than shooting all the time.
There is another thing I didnt like in the campaign: You are already focused on fighting and the several hotkeys, but there is so much talking during the fights, that it is almost impossible to understand them.
The story is deep, because it is based on the predecessor and the story was developed there already. So you will need some time to read the background informations. But most of the story is presented by text between the missions, so a bit boring.
--> I prefer Freelancer, because you had more freedom there.
FREESPACE 2: First of all, I'm not a good Space Sim gamer, but this is a pretty fun game for the newcomers of the genre. Here's Freespace 2. It's a beautiful game for a 1999 game. It feels like a 2004-5 game. This game was actually intended to be a spin-off for Descent, but right now it's more stand-alone on it's own. The gameplay was just your normal Space Sim. You lock on missiles and shoot your enemy's vehicle. The vehicle designs are not bad actually. You have your lock on target missiles and your normal infinite laser beam gun. The game is pretty challenging and it can be very intense too. If you are new to the genre like me, don't worry! As soon as you start the game, you'll greeted with a pretty good in-game tutorial. The single player campaign was great with an interesting storyline too. The voice acting is top-notch on this game. It feels like you're playing a Sci-Fi movie instead ****. I really liked the theme for the game. The space just feels really like a space. Though there are some problems I have no this game. It really takes practice your you to hit a target with your laser beam as you won't hit it perfectly. And If you have a netbook, this game works well, but the problem is that you don't have enough buttons on your keyboard. The game uses more than all the buttons on your keyboard. Most netbooks don't have keypads which was used on this game if you want to strafe your ship. If you want to, just use your joystick. OVERALL: FreeSpace 2 is a good game. I can't really rate it higher because I'm a noob on the genre. So I can't really enjoy the overall feel of the game. If you really liked Space Sim games, go ahead and pick Freespace 2. You will be very satisfied, and newcomers should check it out. [7/10] "Good"
It's a nice game, but there are better ones out there made near the same time. The controls are all over the place and there is very little polish in the look of everything. The gameplay got old fast and made me want to play better titles.
SummaryThe year is 2367. Thirty-two years have passed since the Great War. As Terrans and Vasudans struggle to rebuild their civilizations, civil war erupts in the Polaris system. A rogue Terran admiral declares war against the Vasudans, threatening the stability of the Alliance. Without warning, the Shivans return, and Terrans and Vasudans fac...