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FreeSpace 2: Sci-Fim Sim of the Year Edition

Score: 90%
ESRB: Teen
Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Volition
Media: CD/3
Players: 1 - 8
Genre: Action/ Online

Graphics & Sound:

It’s been a while, and FreeSpace 2 is still the most gorgeous space sim I’ve seen. Nothing compares to the grandeur of two monolithic space titans dueling with massive energy beam weapons, as tons of little ships zip in and out of the surrounding space, blowing each other to smithereens. No game has captured the truly epic space-opera feel that FreeSpace 2 has. The ships range from tiny to absolutely enormous, and each of them is exquisitely detailed. The HUD is clean and understandable, and the weapon graphics and explosions are delicious.

The sound effects are tight as well, with nice big booms and excellent voice acting. The music is suitably space-operatic, somewhere between Zarathustra and John Williams, with pounding battle music and soft travel music all in one.

Even the menu system, the same style that’s been used since the first Wing Commander, is nice and busy and active, with lots of animations and such. The interface has a nice brushed-steel look to it that doesn’t fail to appeal. FreeSpace 2 is both a visual and aural treat.


Gameplay:

It’s a treat for the itchy trigger finger, as well. The plot picks up after the first FreeSpace, and you’re fighting the Shivan threat on an even more massive scale, all the while being hampered by some upstart Terran rebels. Tsk. The plot is decidedly linear, but for all its linearity, it is also decidedly engrossing, and you’re going to find yourself caring more about what happens in FreeSpace 2 than you have for any other space sim. It’s suitably dark, mysterious, and with its share of twists and turns, you’re going to play this game all the way through.

The gameplay itself is as tight as I’ve ever seen in a sim. Both keyboard-and-mouse and joystick control are usable, and the interface lends itself very well to customization. You’ll fly plenty of ships, each with its own interesting load-out, and you’ll get to see capital ships duke it out up close and personal. No other game that I’ve played comes close to the epic style of FreeSpace 2. Sure, the game itself is basically everything good from other space combat sims, sort of a Speed Punks or Crash Team Racing of sci-fi, but there’s nothing wrong with making lots of good formulas even better. If you get frustrated on a mission, you can even skip it so you never get bummed out entirely. It’s features like these that make FreeSpace 2 a gamer’s game, one that every fan of the genre (or even those with just a passing interest) should at least try and probably buy. The nebulae that you fly in are executed with gorgeous precision, the A.I. for your wingman, although sometimes a little flaky, is generally on-the-spot, and you’ll be pulling a Luke Skywalker every time you see a capital ship go up in smoke. Yee-ha! is right.

The Sci-Fi Sim of the Year Edition offers a few new goodies. You can play a new single-player campaign, 13 missions that users have created and were good enough to be put as “official” on PXO, the online gaming service, and a few other neat additional missions. Internet gameplay is as tight and furious as ever, although in my opinion, FreeSpace 2 lends itself as more of a solo experience -- there’s something about the majesty of outer space that makes it a little more personal. But judging from the popularity of PXO, not everyone thinks so, and I have to admit that I enjoyed the multiplayer aspect of the game, if not as much as the single-player.


Difficulty:

Missions range from trivial to damn near impossible, but since you can skip missions after failed attempts, this shouldn’t really be too much of a problem. Of course, if you’ve absolutely, positively gotta beat every single mission legitimately, be prepared to waste hours. It’s not that the missions are unbalanced -- it’s that they’re just so, well, tight, that you’ve got to play them right or get wasted. But don’t worry -- the difficulty ramps up nicely.

Game Mechanics:

The controls in FreeSpace 2 are spot-on, the menu system is easy to understand and use, and you can play with just about every setting under the sun, from the way the HUD looks to the way you control the ship. The in-game physics are typical space sim -- what happened to that whole inertial thing? -- but that’s not so much a detriment as an almost-necessary concession to arcade-style gaming. This is truly a great game, deserving of the Sci-Fi Sim of the Year award.

My only bone with the Sci-Fi Sim of the Year Edition is that it really doesn’t offer enough for the person who already has FreeSpace 2. Unless you’re a completist, your money would probably be best spent elsewhere if you bought FS2 already. However, if you haven’t picked up the title yet (you fool!) definitely get the Sci-Fi Sim of the Year Edition. The little extras (there’s also music and wallpaper and whatnot on the third disc) are worth it, and the game itself is absolutely engrossing. You won’t regret it.


-Sunfall to-Ennien, GameVortex Communications
AKA Phil Bordelon

Minimum System Requirements:



Pentium 200, Windows 95/98/NT, 32 MB RAM, 400MB HD space, 8X CD-ROM, DirectSound-capable card, 3D Accelerator
 

Test System:



Windows 98 running on a K6-III 450 w/ 256MB RAM, 6x24 DVD-ROM drive, SoundBlaster Live!, Creative Labs Riva TNT2 Ultra w/32MB RAM

Windows FreeSpace 2 Windows Heavy Gear II

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated