Rating: 
Summary: What a great game!
Review: One of the most realistic games in the history of space games. Unlike many other space sims, Freelancer is an easy game to learn but hard to master. Freelancer is one of the few games that can totally immerse the player in the game, unlike many other space sims the game doesn't revolve around the player. Police check other ships for illegal goods, and as you travel through sapce you can hear CPUs talking to each other. One thing Freelancer could have improved on was the graphics. Planetary graphics are breathtaking, stars REALLY look like stars. In dog fights, however, ships are pretty much reduced to a targeting circle. All in all though the graphics are absouloutely stunning. Multiplayer is also excellent with many servers to choose from.
If you like dogfights or if you like to trade or if you simply like to explore, Freelancer is the game for you.
Rating:
Summary: X2 isn't better
Review: Any accusing Freelancer being a rip off best not without accusing their own favorite as well. Few games these days are not borrowing from another. One critique of this game called it a rip off of his favorite. So happens his favorite could be considered a rip off of a couple others. Homeworld for one. I thought I was playing Sierra's Homeworld when I first started the X universe. Check out the X2 screenshots and those at Sierra's Homeworld. Ever play the game planets? See any similarity? What do you think?
Rating:
Summary: Freelancer, a game for the Privateer?
Review: Freelancer is sometime in the future. A great war has ripped Humanity into two factions. One Faction about to loose all gambles on a sleeper ship convoy of ships to the Sirius Sector...the gamble works...yet there is more here than open space and although the systems are populated and thriving an Iron grip is about to overtake all...The Freelancer Trent will be embroiled in the most exciting journey of his life. I loved the graphics, I loved the exctended plot and the open game play as I assumed the Person of Edisen Trent, also, the suport with the Lancer reactor web site that allowed easy modifications to ships and game play makes this a must have and must play for this old Privateer....Chris Roberts...you've done it again...congrates to Digital Anvil for a fine piece of work. now if I can just get back to the seamier side of the Gemini Sector...the Troy system! The Old Privateer
Rating: 
Summary: Cheap rip-off of a small German independent company's games
Review: Cheap is the active description. Rip-off is the verdict. If you want a great game, in the tradition of Elite and Privateer, turn to EgoSoft out of Germany. X-Beyond the Frontier, X-Tension, and the newly released X2-The Threat, all blow Microsoft's lame game to shame. Freelancer should be relegated to not the bargain-bin, (as it is now), but to the trash bin. And if you did play Freelancer, and actually liked it, then you will LOVE X2! And yes, they have an English version. And they continue to come up with add-ons - not "patches", but real additions to the game ala "The Sims", for free download by registered owners. Make money trading, owning factories, blowing up Pirates or other bad guys, and capture ships. Own a fleet of transports, fighters, corvettes, destroyers, battleships and carriers! Compared to X2 by Egosoft, Freelancer is a poor Craker Jacks prize. And Egosoft has been growing this franchise for a long, long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad
Review: I have the demo version of the game, which is pretty comprehesive. I enjoyed the game a lot, but it isn't a very accurate sim. All the ships act the same, doesn't matter if it's a big freighter or a little fighter they are all the same in agility. The AI isn't very good either, they just are stupid what else can be said. However, the storyline is pretty cool and I like how it's laid out and how open ended it is. If they combinded Freespace and Freelancer you would have the best space sim ever created. Oh and I would give it 3 and a half stars.
Rating:
Summary: Just buy the Stinkin Game!
Review: I really don't care what YOU think about the game, but it is just really great in all aspects. It has overall good gaming and great graphics along with the greatest RPG action since, uhh... some really great old game that I just can't remember the name of. I mean, uhh... er... ehh... JUST BUY THE SKINKIN GAME! (that slogan is trademarked buy uhh... er... me.)
^_^
Rating:
Summary: A far cry from Privateer, but a few nice points.
Review: Some very good things, some very bad things about this game.The box lies. The plot isn't optional. You have to start the plot just to get a ship, and you have to play the plot to get access to ships and equipment. You don't get to decide who your friends and enemies are, because it's based on who's ships you destroy, and that's decided by the plot, because they make you play the plot. Where you are is decided by which plot missions you're between at any given time. As such, you need to have played through the entire game to get access to the entire galaxy, which, admittedly, is impressively large. But they lied, right there on the box, just to get Privateer fans to spend money on it. It's not like they were vague. They said something that wasn't true. That really bothers me, to the point where I would hesitate to buy another Microsoft Game. Pros? The mouse interface, which almost made me not buy it in the first place, is actually pretty cool once you get used to it. It's a little disappointing though, because people (like me) with programmable joysticks don't get to use them. Also, while the on-planet interface (clearly a Privateer ripoff) looks no better than PII, the space graphics are gorgeous. I mean it. It's a beautiful game to fly around in. If you have a good system and want some eye candy, and like playing the plot, buy this game. If you want games with better graphics and true open-ended realistic non-plot driven gameplay, you can.. you can.. well, I dunno. Start a software company and make one. I'll buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good value for the price
Review: Ok, the price of this game has dropped ..., so on a whim, I went and bought it. It's no "Star Wars:Knights of the Old Republic", but it's certainly a playable game (albeit a bit repetitive.) They try to make it open-ended which in theory sounds great, but in practice tends to make every mission seem like more of the same. The controls aren't the most intuitive, but it's playable even if you can't use a joystick. It may take you a mission or two to get used to it, but you eventually will. The plotline is decent, and overall I'd recommend this game, especially for the price. I would've liked to have had more variety in the missions, but the graphics are certainly top-notch and the game seems to be stable - unlike several other games I have bought recently. I don't think the commodity trading is implemented very well either. I would've preferred a lot more variation in price. For example, a better commodity trading model is the one used in Dope Wars, where you buy a commodity, and every time you go to a new place, the price changes by some random factor. Instead, in Freelancer, prices are at constant fixed value, and too many items that are for sale, are at their most expensive. It feels like a game where they had grand visions of what they wanted to do with it, but were forced to hurry and get it out the door. A little more polish (like having a little more personality to the factions or at least better variation in their conversation), and it could've been great. Instead, it's merely ok.
Rating: 
Summary: Gets boring quickly, not the next Elite or Privateer
Review: First of all, I am a hardcore Privateer fan. I've been playing space sims since I was ten years old, and I've played them all (my favorite is probably still Freespace 2). The hype surrounding Freelancer before it came out was unbelievable, and all of us space sim fanatics were counting down the days to the release of Freelancer for at least two years beforehand. When I finally got it and finished the campaign, I played for maybe three more days until I was bored out of my mind. Once the campaign is finished, there's nothing left to this game. I was looking forward to weeks of exploring, trading, policing, stealing, whatever struck my fancy. But once you complete the mission line and become a real freelancer, there's nothing to do. The so-called "random missions" are all the same: go here, kill ships, come back, lather, rinse, repeat. Even the venerable Privateer had missions like patrol multiple systems, or escort freighters, or special cargo runs for mega cash rewards. Freelancer has nothing of the sort, only "go kill this guy" missions. That's it. While all the planets and all the systems look different, every person inside said planets look the same. The game employs about 4 character models, differing only in clothes and hair. All the voices are the same, all the faces are the same. Not remotely convincing for a universe which supposedly houses hundreds of billions of people. A lot of people beef about the lack of joystick support. Let me say that I am a hardcore flightstick junkie, and I went into the game perparing to be disappointed, but I was surprised at how well the mouse system worked. If you're new to the genre, it's very easy to learn, and you can become a much better dogfighter using this method than if you were to try to use a joystick cold turkey. All in all the combat aspects of the game are revolutionary and cool, and the graphics aren't bad, but the rest of the game is a bit under par. If you're looking for the next Privateer or Elite, I would recommend X2: The Threat. This is not it. I know. I was disappointed too.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Game for the Price
Review: I wasn't to sure about this game when I first tried the demo version. Actually, I played all of about 5 minutes and said "not for me"!! Well, I heard some good things about it and decided to drop the bucks and give it a try. Definitely, glad I did. Most of the game info is noted in the other reviews so I won't bore you with that. One note, there is a story line you can follow or you can change it around some by deciding on who you want your character to be--the basic good guy or the villian type. The graphics are great--and I only have a PT 3 900 with a Nvidia G-force 3 game card. The universe is worth the buy. I'm not finished with the game yet, and I have flown through some spectacular space scenary. The missions get a little slow at times, if you keep the same type of ship--ie. fighter or cargo. However, I have found taking on the roll of pirate, and blasting away at certain cargo ships fun. I have chosen who I want to be friends with and who I want to tick off. The next time I play, I intend on changing roles again. Hope this is somewhat helpful. I say it's worth the dollars to buy the game.
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