Freelancer

[Goodsport]

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Anyone here try out Freelancer (http://www.microsoft.com/games/freelancer/) (while the retail version only hit stores today, the demo was already out for a while)?

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp It's the sequel to Starlancer (http://www.microsoft.com/games/da/starlancer/) (set 800 years later), and was originally developed by Chris Roberts, the guy who had created the Wing Commander series.


-G

[KDdidit]

Yeah, I bought it yesterday and I think its pretty good but I don't think it lives up to the hype (4 years of development) its received though. I can't belive there's no joystick support for it (I figured MS would use it to pimp their sidewinder 2 Force Feedback for $100) but I admit the mouse controls are better than I thought they'd be. The space combat is a little arcadish with little need for strategy. The missions seem kind of repetitive (so far) but if you like the space combat its not really such a bad thing. They talk a lot about the open-ended nature of it, but if you do the storyline missions its decidedly linear. Plus you can't get around it at the beginning because if you don't do the main storyline missions they won't open the jumpgates for you and you're stuck in the York System. Overall I'd give it a 7/10, but I suppose if I didn't have as high hopes for it as I did I may have given it a 9/10.

[Goodsport]

Originally posted by KDdidit
Overall I'd give it a 7/10, but I suppose if I didn't have as high hopes for it as I did I may have given it a 9/10.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp I think that pretty much nails why I'd probably rate it around the 8.5/10 - 9/10 mark so far. I never got the chance to play Starlancer, and while I vaguely heard of the development of Freelancer on and off over the years, I really didn't start following the game until shortly before the demo came out.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp By reading various official and unofficial message boards of many new games around the web, I've been noticing a huge difference between those posters who've followed the development of a game (whichever one, take your pick) for a long time to those who just recently started playing the same game - as a whole, the former seem to be much more critical and disgruntled with the final release of said game than the latter, who seem to judge the final product on its own merits rather than on what was initially promised or (if the game is a sequel) how it compares to its predecessor.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp So which group is correct? It's hard to say... they both probably have some good points to back them up.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp In any case, KDdidt, you make very valid points, and I can see where the side-missions may eventually get very repetitive. Do you think that they'll add a patch soon that will add a bit more variety in the side-missions? :confused:


-G

[KDdidit]

I didn't play Starlancer or Privateer (the game most people have said they hoped this game would be like) so I didn't really base any expectations based on that. I suppose I can only really compare it to the only space combat games I've played which were all the Star Wars games like Tie Fighter and X-Wing Alliance for PC and the Wing Commander Games on consoles. That leaves weird comparisons because the X-Wing series used joysticks and Wing Commander used gamepads. Compared to those though, Freelancer is much better.

One thing that I'm changing my opinion on are the graphics. At first glance they are merely above average, but what is impressive is how many things are going on at once. You can be fighting with 10 other ships in an debris field with lasers and missles all over and there's no slowdown with framerate or anything. I have a pretty decent computer (Athlon 2400+) but the graphics card is only 32MB and I have most of the video options almost at the highest and it still runs well.

As for patches with side missions, I don't know. Cynically I'd say they'd probably opt for an expansion pack for any additional content to get some $$$. But I do think if enough people like it there will be a lot of player add-ons such as different weapons (which there aren't enough of in the game), ships, and missions.

Who knows though, when I get home from work and play it a little more tonight I may have some different opinions.

[Nemesis]

I really like this game, even the mouse control for flight. I wasn't sure how much I would get into not being able to fly with a joystick until I realized that the mouse controls left me free to control other aspects of the game more easily at the same time. Once I got into that and I've now become the most infamous smuggler in the galaxy, well.....doesn't get much better than that.