Freelancer
Eight hundred years prior to the start of our story, bitter conflict divided all of mankind. A handful of colonists struck out on their own to begin anew - far away from the Earth and its turmoil. Several ships were launched with enough equipment and supplies to give the hundreds onboard a fighting chance - but since the area around far-off Sirius had never been surveyed, no one really knew what to expect. What they found was
In the open-ended space action/adventure game Freelancer you play a ne'er-do-well with a lucky streak, one of two survivors of a space disaster. Penniless and shipless, you venture around a space dock until you find a ship and a job. You'll encounter a heady mix of canned missions that follow one main quest, and a million opportunities to make money or aggravate the various factions that co-exist in the universe. Like an online role-playing game, or Bethesda's Morrowind, you determine who your enemies are and who your friends are by your own actions, and, in another nod to role-playing, you can customize your ship with guns, rockets, and equipment just as you would customize a RPG character with swords, bows, and magic items. Best of all, you can play cooperatively with friends or fight it out with enemies online. The backstory posits a future where various countries, divided by both nationality and, seemingly, race, have boarded massive colony ships and ventured into a wormhole that appeared within reach of our crude space technology. They found themselves in a galaxy far, far away and they got stuck there when the wormhole collapsed. They quickly colonized new home worlds and named everything with familiar locales that make navigation a breeze. In the American sectors you'll feel at home entering the New York system and landing at a spaceport called Manhattan, for example. While contrived, this device is used beautifully and it's far better than having to memorize a bunch of sci-fi names and remembering where they are, perfect for a massive universe such as this one. Though Freelancer is set in space, it is technically not a space simulation. The game was designed to be accessible to casual gamers. For example, Freelancer makes you use the mouse for ship control. This is quite a shift for a game genre normally known to require joystick control. But even old-school Wing Commander or X-Wing fans may find that the sacrifice of verisimilitude is made up for with gains in agility. The mouse controls your guns, while you use the keyboard to maneuver around the rich universe that developer Digital Anvil has constructed. Much like a first-person shooter, you can dodge and weave while precisely blasting your enemies. Despite the game's age, its graphics are spectacular, as is the sound and voice acting, and in that way, fighting and trading with friends or alone, Freelancer proves worth the wait. Just keep in mind that it is explicitly not a hardcore space simulation, and you'll have to leave your joystick on the shelf. --Andrew S. Bub Pros: - A deep and interesting universe
- Game adjusts to your choices and affiliations
- Innovative and addictive co-op multiplayer
- It looks like a space sim but plays like a RPG
Cons:- Joystick isn't even an option
- It looks like a space sim but plays like a RPG
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Freelancer Reviews
The cut scenes in the bars & other interactive places get boring, but just hit 'escape' to run through them. Plenty of play time after the main plot is completed. Awesome game. great game & loads of fun for the money Try trading with a freighter if you get bored with just shooting everyone in a starfighter. Visit a ton of planets in many systems. Again,.
I really liked this game, and the game came in real good condition. Other then that the game is perfect. But i rated fun level to be only 4 stars because it does take alot of time going from place to place and the planets have nowhere really to go to. This game does take alot of time when playing but if you like space and you like to buy your own spacecrafts then this is the game for you. No scratches to be found. I rated this game 5 stars overall because I personaly love this game.
The combat situations really depend on you knowing how to make the best use of your ship. Some are heavy haulers with turrets and lots of armour, while others are lite, nimble little scouts, with little armour, little firepower, be great maneuverability. The story line is interesting, but seems very linear. If you just want to trade, the story can get in the way, but the game is a lot of fun if you can play along with the story line. Unlike Privateer, it doesn't take forever to upgrade your ship, and there are lots of ships to choose from. Good game overall, even as old as it is, if you want a space trader, this is about the only choice. The story unfolds in a way that helps you find you way around and which areas are safe for your skill level.
Had difficulty access MMORPG servers, still trying to find out how, that is kind of dissatisfying, but the graphisc and ease of play are very intriguing. Freelancer is a great game with replay value. One of the best Space games I have played. I play this game often.
This is what they truly mean by "open-ended gaming". I wish they'd consider a sequel. You can even gripe about the lack of joystick interface (yeah, the mouse-only driving is what cost this review a star). There are a number of easter eggs to find (hidden joys), and quite a few sectors that don't get visited in the course of the plot, to give you something to do once you've beaten this game. I mean, you can only take so many approaches and kill so many targets before you're done and should really get some sleep, right.
An excellent game. Yes, you can lament the lack of multiplayer. You can run with any group, any time, even the ones you've run missions against or just blown up and robbed (thanks to convenient bribes). While it does get repetitive after a while, most games do. But you cannot lament the range of ways to play this game.
You can also lament the too-short storyline (at least its longer than Call of Duty).
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