Immersive story line. StarLancer features adramatic story bas
StarLancer recruits space fighter pilots into the 45th Volunteers, a ragtag group of U.S.-led Western Alliance freedom fighters tossed into the war against Russia's Eastern Coalition. It's the cold war in space.
This is the first game by Digital Anvil, the company formed by legendary game designers Chris and Erin Roberts of Wing Commander, Privateer, and Strike Commander fame. It's no surprise that StarLancer's gameplay follows standards set by its classic predecessor and obvious inspiration, Wing Commander. Players are briefed on the tactical situation of the upcoming mission, then choose a fighter and ordnance. Only a few playable ships are offered at the outset; mission performance determines how quickly you earn access to more powerful fighters.
StarLancer's ships are well balanced: some are fast and lightly armored, while others carry powerful weaponry but can't keep up with an agile foe. But while the ships are cool, they lack the customizing features found in FreeSpace 2 and Tachyon: The Fringe. You're able to equip particular missiles and add additional afterburner fuel, but you can't customize gun weaponry or add upgrades or special features.
StarLancer's mission design is certainly its best feature. Mission goals often change on the fly, and frequent pilot chatter immerses players into the game's war atmosphere. Decisions made during missions can drastically alter later missions. For instance, if you fail to eliminate an enemy battleship early in the game you'll face a tough fight in a later mission when the enemy reinforces its front lines with that same battleship.
Though offering nothing really new to the space combat genre, StarLancer's crisp 3-D engine, frenetic combat action, and complex missions make enlisting worthwhile. --Doug Radcliffe
Pros:
- Keeps you on your toes by switching objectives midmission
- Missions feature multiple paths to victory and failure
- Stellar multiplayer support with deathmatch, team, and cooperative play
- Excellent musical score
Cons:- Inability to fully customize ships
- Visually pleasing, but it doesn't exceed standards set by FreeSpace 2
Starlancer is a gripping space combat game that combines the intense action of first-person space combat with the drama and intrigue of a classic WWII air combat movie. With stunning 3-D graphics and over 25 spine-tingling missions, players are pulled into an epic battle for control of the solar system. Developed by the creators of the Wing Commander and Privateer series of games, Starlancer is sure to set the standard by which future space combat games are measured.
Starlancer Accessories
Freelancer
Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos
Freelancer Strategies & Secrets
X3: The Reunion 2.0
Freelancer (Jewel Case)
DarkStar One (DVD-Rom)
X3: Reunion
Space Force: Rogue Universe
Tarr Chronicles
Freespace / Silent Threat Bundle (Jewel Case)
Starlancer Reviews
I advise investing in a flight stick controler. Well worth buying. Predecesor to freelancer which is better than this game. Overall enjoyable game Lots of in game cinema which gives you some time to catch your breath. This game is very challenging.
I had tailed him and got into the kill slot and pounded him with the main guns and screamer missiles. Much of the storyline is scripted so during a combat dogfight, an enemy charcter cannot, repeat, cannot be killed. His shields were gone, but the armor plating would not go down below three units. Later in the game he dies just as easy as any othrer enemy. Not destroying the warp gate will allow for sudden cap ship appearances later on.
Fun to play, but overall it's o.k. Failing to accomplish a certain objective will lead to more difficulity later in the game. Overall, the game is good but it does lack in many ways due to it's script. This is espically noticable with nikolai petrov. The plot variations are kind of nice.
I'm not a multiplayer kind of guy so I never used the multiplayer function. If you didn't watch that TV show from the mid-90's it's finally out on DVD so think about picking it up to watch it and you'll understand the allure of Starlancer to someone like myself. If you are a fan of realistic space combat sims, then this game probably isn't for you. I fell in love with this game when it first came out years ago.
I think the various fighters you get to pilot provide an excellent variety along with the plethora of different types of guns and missiles you can arm your fighter with. If you don't know much about the game, think Space: Above and Beyond. it's not the greatest space combat sim ever, but it's well worth the play and I have enjoyed it over and over again. And there aren't, or weren't, many Microsoft games I could easily say that about. The only thing I would have loved was the option to trade out your fixed guns for different types of guns.
Yeah. I preferred single player missions only. What more is there to say. That would have made an excellent game absolutely superb.
If you liked Space: Above and Beyond, you'll probably like this game too.
I only had a little bit of trouble controlling the game with my joystick, but all you should have to do to fix this is unplug any other controllers that you have. In the missions so far,(I'm up to mission five), a lot of them involve escorting ships. Well, that's true.
But what they failed to mention is that you mostly use your guns instead of missiles. Very realistic game with great graphics. Definetly a great buy.
This is because it is very hard to get a missile lock, so you won't run out of the small amount of missiles that you can carry. In other reviews, people have said that you can't carry very many missiles. You never run out of ammo for your guns.
When you fly next to a capital ship you feel very small - those kind of ships are huge. Overall this is a great game with great graphics.
I mean I only paid [money] for it so overall i'm not to disappointed by I do wish Wing Commander. I don't know while I liked the game the inability to customize your ships and the frequent crashes sort of ruined it for me. This game really wasn't all that bad. From the last it seems easy and short but as you get into it you find out that beating the game is a lot more difficult than you tought at first.
