Most of the games coming out were derivatives of Pong, or Space Invaders or Asteroids...
But along came a space sim game that astounded a community.
Star Raiders.
A game, all 8K in size, being run on an 8-bit platform (Atari 400/800).
I'm sure a lot of you don't remember, but there was a time when you had to concentrate on game play, rather than eye candy simply because computers didn't have the memory or horse power to handle anything more than crude graphics.
But somehow, Star Raiders delivered on both ends. The graphics, for the day (and still today in my opinion) were excellent. But the game play? Unmatched.
It was a first-person Space Sim that challenged you, intrigued you, frustrated you...but always had you coming back for more.
I can't even estimate how many missions I have flown over the years...
Sorry for the digression and history lesson, but the point I'm trying to make here is that playability is key.
Over the next 20+ years, MANY new space sims with flashy graphics and sound have hit the scene. As computers became faster and more powerful, so did the sims. But none captured my eyes or hard earned money. Maybe I was waiting for the next Star Raiders. I'm still waiting for Battle Sphere, but that's another story...
They all looked good, but they lacked something. Either they were too complex to make them fun (remember, these are games. They're supposed to be FUN) or they simply had poor game play.
But enter 1999. 20 years after Star Raiders came a game that promised more.
Unmatched graphics.
Intense sound and music.
A story line.
Playability
Playability
Playability
and fun.
That's what FreeSpace 2 is. A game worthy of the genre that Star Raiders created.
Game play is fast and furious, but not so much so that you'll get lost and frustrated in the game. It's always challenging though, and the difficulty settings allow you to customize it to your own likings...
The graphics, as everyone has told you, are unrivaled, even today (2 years later). Someone compared it to playing with a $100 million movie. Well said, that's exactly what it feels like - living inside a movie.
Sound - not just effects, but music, are both beautifully done. To me, sound is equally as important as graphics. Stepping back to Star Raiders, you couldn't match the sound of your photon torpedoes...excellent!
And the same goes for FS2. The sound of each weapon, the explosions, the warning signals...all add such a level of realism that it's almost scary.
And the background music just adds to the 'movie' sensation.
Add to this the incredible attention to detail, from the extensive training missions, to the technological database, to the customizable HUD. You have a game here that realizes that you can't please all of the people all of the time, so it allows each player to customize it to their own likings.
It's got it all. It really does. IF, and that is a big if, IF you like the genre (space sims/shoot'em ups) then you simply can not be without FreeSpace 2.
Want to impress someone as to what your new PC can do (if it can handle it) throw in FS2 and prepare to amaze them.
Yes, you need a decent system to run this game to it's required level. But it's worth it.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.