Rating: 
Summary: One of the best Space Sims I have seen!
Review: Looking for a game that combines the best of all space simulators in one package? Then try Freespace 2! Freespace 2 is an AWESOME, fast-paced space simulator that is "very simular" to a wild combination of Descent, Star Wars, Star Trek, and the best space movies that you can think of. The game's story plot is very cleaverly designed and is enjoyable. The missions are beautifully designed and well planned. The manufactures of this game have obviously put hours of careful thought into making this game of the best of the year. I wouldn't be surprised if this game doesn't continue to win big in the next year also. The game play is very smooth for Pentium III computers; excellent for those that are slower. I have a Pentium II 433 and the game play is still awesome! One thing that makes this game a winner is that it comes with a variety of very nice features that most space simulator packages don't come with. Some of these features are FREE multiplayer game-matching service, in-game chat rooms with multiple public / private channels, automatic statistics tracking, smooth game play, well designed missions, beautiful movie inserts, voice read mission debriefings, the actual game play is like being inside of a live movie (a little addicting, I must admit), mission builder, campaign builder, the ability to modify your missions by selecting your star fighter, equipment, weapons, etc. Another neat feature is that this game comes with a lot of movie clips and communication that occurs in the play time. It also comes with about 40 missions that are aways fun to replay. Missions can come out differently, which is always a welcomed feature. One extra feature (which I have already used is that the game is upgradeable. This way, you can keep freely upgrading your game in case the manufactures find any bugs.) The current version is 1.20.If you like to have fun, give this game a try. I personally don't buy very many computer games, but this is one that I WILL HAVE TO RECOMMEND. It is definately a must buy!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Space Sims I have seen!
Review: Looking for a game that combines the best of all space simulators in one package? Then try Freespace 2! Freespace 2 is an AWESOME, fast-paced space simulator that is "very simular" to a wild combination of Descent, Star Wars, Star Trek, and the best space movies that you can think of. The game's story plot is very cleaverly designed and is enjoyable. The missions are beautifully designed and well planned. The manufactures of this game have obviously put hours of careful thought into making this game of the best of the year. I wouldn't be surprised if this game doesn't continue to win big in the next year also. The game play is very smooth for Pentium III computers; excellent for those that are slower. I have a Pentium II 433 and the game play is still awesome! One thing that makes this game a winner is that it comes with a variety of very nice features that most space simulator packages don't come with. Some of these features are FREE multiplayer game-matching service, in-game chat rooms with multiple public / private channels, automatic statistics tracking, smooth game play, well designed missions, beautiful movie inserts, voice read mission debriefings, the actual game play is like being inside of a live movie (a little addicting, I must admit), mission builder, campaign builder, the ability to modify your missions by selecting your star fighter, equipment, weapons, etc. Another neat feature is that this game comes with a lot of movie clips and communication that occurs in the play time. It also comes with about 40 missions that are aways fun to replay. Missions can come out differently, which is always a welcomed feature. One extra feature (which I have already used is that the game is upgradeable. This way, you can keep freely upgrading your game in case the manufactures find any bugs.) The current version is 1.20. If you like to have fun, give this game a try. I personally don't buy very many computer games, but this is one that I WILL HAVE TO RECOMMEND. It is definately a must buy!
Rating: 
Summary: More of the same
Review: Take 'Conflict: Freespace', polish up the already-gorgeous graphics, and you have 'Freespace 2'. Essentially a re-run of the original, this adds new ships, new weapons, at least one outstanding graphical effect (capital ships now attack each other with 'beam weapons' - giant shafts of light that cut through ships like a hot knife through butter), and some new cut-scenes, all wrapped up in a sturdy cardboard box. At the risk of souding boring, if you liked the original, you'll like this, as it's more of the same - the controls and interface are identical, and it's just as derivative of 'X-Wing' and 'Wing Commander' as it ever was, with an emphasis on fast action and spectacular effects. It has absolutely no depth, and very little replay value (the missions are often tightly-scripted, and replaying them is often quite dull, as you know exactly what's about to happen), but it's the best combat flight simulator on the market. One tip - try and play the original first, as this game doesn't usher you into the flow of play gradually, it drops you right in the thick of things from the first mission.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this game!
Review: This game is by far the best space sim out there. The graphics are incredible, but make sure you have a good 3D card (my 12MB VooDoo2 gets a little jerky at times). The storyline is captivating and well thought out. Anyone playing this game will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The MOST underrated game out there...
Review: This game not only beats XvT by several leaps and bounds, but it is VERY attractive to the MOD community. Most exciting of the universe. Volition has done it again. I only wish more people knew about this game.
Rating:
Summary: One of the BEST simulator game EVER MADE!
Review: This space-sim is AWESOME!About 30 years after the first Great War and new one is about to happen.The Galactic Terran fleet has been cut off from Earth.The Vasudans have allied with the GT and formed the Galactic Teran-Vasudan Alliance.The huge nebula that was created in the first game holds many dangers.The Shivans,a very mysterious and destructive race,are invading GTVA space to find out what happend to their scouting party you destroyed in the first Great War.The sinister plot unvolds as you battle deeper into the game.And with an amazing ending you never saw coming!This game has your adrenaline pumping through your vains at the time you've arrived at the final chapter!And with great music to pump it up even more!At true SF masterpiece which is actualy more of an action then a simulator game in my opinion.Sims don't get better than this! (With the exception of FreeSpace 3 =)
Rating:
Summary: The best PC game I've ever played
Review: When I first got this game, I didn't know what to expect. After playing through the single-player campaign, I was blown away. The missions, the ships, the dogfights, the graphics, the storyline, everything is top notch. I would have to also say that this game is underrated. For all you FS1 people who have no clue about this one, it takes place 32 years after the Lucifer was destroyed and the Sol jump node collapsed, isolating Earth from the Terran civilization. The GTVA has been formed, unifying the Terrans and Vasudans. Suddenly, the Neo Terran Front, a rebel force led by renegade Admiral Bosch, starts a war with the GTVA over the Vasudan alliance. Not only that, the Shivans are back, but the Terrans and Vasudans have advanced greatly technologically in 32 years, and are ready to fight them this time around. Also, we find out why Bosch has rebelled against his people, and it involves the Shivans. As the story unfolds, his agenda becomes clear, and could have serious consequences for the galaxy.
Rating:
Summary: Probably the greatest space sime EVER!
Review: When I got this game bundled with my joystick, I wasn't thinking very highly of it. Heck, most bundled games aren't very good. But once I popped it into my CD-ROM drive, this game was absolutely STUNNING. Unfortunately, like most sci-fi PC games, they don't sell well. The game has been out of print since 2000. To get to the point: the graphics are very smooth and crisp for a game in 1998. In fact, they're what you would find standard on any other high-end space sim today. The game only requires 2 MB of video RAM, which is rather low. But I assume that is only with the default 640x480 resolution. If you have a least and 8MB video card, tune up the resolution to 1024x768. You'll be glad you did. The default resolution doesn't show off the game's true glamour. With a higher resolution, you have much finer detail, which leads to much more enjoyable performance. I was amazed at how smoothly the game ran at higher resolutions. To put it short, it's like playing in a Star Wars movie--but with tons of radical ships: carriers, cruisers, destroyers...the list goes on and on. You'll find yourself easily dwarfed in a little cramped up fighter. Don't get discouraged though, the difficulty is reasonable. Wingman actually DO SOMETHING in this game, rather than just fly around shooting at fighters and missing, leaving you to do all the work. The wingmen are very intelligent in this game. After turning up the resolution, the weapons on some of the ships will leave you in awe. Beam weapons looking much like the Death Star superlaser (but about half as deadly) will be flying left and right from capital ships as they slice each other apart. There are anti-fighter beams, like their bigger counterparts although they are much weaker and fire faster; for the purpose of making you spin in smoke to your death. This game is not only a space-sim action game. It requires strategy to maximize the effectiveness of your wingmen and thinking of where to go next. Also, the storyline won't keep you sitting back in your seat drooling of boredom. There are NO animated cutscenes that take forever to load, they are all incorporated into the game. Although there are pictures of a person talking during a communication, that's about all you'll find that gets close to cutscenes. It's this balance of action, graphics, storyline, strategy, and vessel and weapon design which makes Freespace 2 unique from other less successful space sims. The requirements can be fullfilled by any modern computer (any PC a year old and younger). You'll need a joystick to get the full control of the game, preferrably a force-feedback one since this game adds more realism with force-feedback support. BUY THIS GAME if you are an action or sci-fi fan! You may have to do some looking around for a good deal since it's out of print, but believe me, it'll be worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Probably the greatest space sime EVER!
Review: When I got this game bundled with my joystick, I wasn't thinking very highly of it. Heck, most bundled games aren't very good. But once I popped it into my CD-ROM drive, this game was absolutely STUNNING. Unfortunately, like most sci-fi PC games, they don't sell well. The game has been out of print since 2000. To get to the point: the graphics are very smooth and crisp for a game in 1998. In fact, they're what you would find standard on any other high-end space sim today. The game only requires 2 MB of video RAM, which is rather low. But I assume that is only with the default 640x480 resolution. If you have a least and 8MB video card, tune up the resolution to 1024x768. You'll be glad you did. The default resolution doesn't show off the game's true glamour. With a higher resolution, you have much finer detail, which leads to much more enjoyable performance. I was amazed at how smoothly the game ran at higher resolutions. To put it short, it's like playing in a Star Wars movie--but with tons of radical ships: carriers, cruisers, destroyers...the list goes on and on. You'll find yourself easily dwarfed in a little cramped up fighter. Don't get discouraged though, the difficulty is reasonable. Wingman actually DO SOMETHING in this game, rather than just fly around shooting at fighters and missing, leaving you to do all the work. The wingmen are very intelligent in this game. After turning up the resolution, the weapons on some of the ships will leave you in awe. Beam weapons looking much like the Death Star superlaser (but about half as deadly) will be flying left and right from capital ships as they slice each other apart. There are anti-fighter beams, like their bigger counterparts although they are much weaker and fire faster; for the purpose of making you spin in smoke to your death. This game is not only a space-sim action game. It requires strategy to maximize the effectiveness of your wingmen and thinking of where to go next. Also, the storyline won't keep you sitting back in your seat drooling of boredom. There are NO animated cutscenes that take forever to load, they are all incorporated into the game. Although there are pictures of a person talking during a communication, that's about all you'll find that gets close to cutscenes. It's this balance of action, graphics, storyline, strategy, and vessel and weapon design which makes Freespace 2 unique from other less successful space sims. The requirements can be fullfilled by any modern computer (any PC a year old and younger). You'll need a joystick to get the full control of the game, preferrably a force-feedback one since this game adds more realism with force-feedback support. BUY THIS GAME if you are an action or sci-fi fan! You may have to do some looking around for a good deal since it's out of print, but believe me, it'll be worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Move over Wing Commander, Take a seat X-Wing, FS 2 is here
Review: Where to start...well, I know I won't make a catch all neanderthal statement to the effect that this is the best game ever, (that is until the NEXT best game ever comes along), because it isn't. Freespace accomplishes many things by providing a solid story line to back up very impressive game play. Where Freespace might lack is in two small areas-lack of creativity for naming of vessels within the GTVN and the fact that no military structure would allow or stand for the sniveling and back talk that gets carried over in the com-traffic between fighters and capital ships. But these are minor quibbles to what lies in store for the player. Freespace 2 offers an expansive campaign with several missions that lead you from a civil war led by Admiral Aken Bosch (voice of Ronny Cox from Robocop & Total Recall), and his Neo-Terran Front faction to a resurgence of activity care of the Shivans, whom Bosch has somehow brokered a deal with. Where the missions shine is the player is never lacking anything to do, and the game borrows from both the Wing Commander and Star Wars games in mission design. However, unlike the other space combat sims, Freespace 2 never suffers from the worry of having to be all over the map in order to accomplish a mission. The flight model is much improved over the original game, though I think the GTVN fighters could be a little faster, even without the afterburners. Flight dynamics are second to none, the ships responsive, especially with a good joystick. Fighter choice, weapons and missiles are in good supply, and each have their different effects, though I would have preferred a little more discretion in outfitting my fighter in early missions. Graphically, Freespace 2 is very strong, whether it be the detail on the various fighters to the overwhelming scale of the capital ships, especially the Sathanas-class juggernaught (which I think gains its inspiration from the Vorlon vessels from Babylon 5). However, it's the little things you notice that really make the game, like when you fire at ship and miss, your weapons' discharge flashes over the ship hull with a visible light effect, the visual and aural effect of a capital ship's flak guns as you do a strafing attack across it's surface (you quickly learn how to skin dance across the hulls of these big beasts) or the spectacular nebula effects of the later missions as you pilot your way through pea soup-like gas clouds. Ship design is also better than in the first game as they play up the more insectile forms of the Shivan fighters, whereas in the first they resembled awkwardly placed slabs arrayed in different angles. Human and Vasudan fighters are a mixed bag, but they all have a functional look about them, and have much less of a polished look than either Wing Commander or the Star Wars. Boiled down in it's essence, Freespace 2 is a solid shoot-em-up type game, carried on thanks to a solid game engine, and exceptional graphic design and terrific 3D support (I have 16 meg Voodoo 3000). This is all enhanced by a great interface that doesn't over complicate the flow of the game or game play. This is not the best game ever, as no game can claim that crown. However, it is the best of the current crop of space combat sims. It easily outclasses X-Wing Alliance, and I feel that Lucas Arts really needs to rethink how they design their game missions, because in XWA, you are flying practically the same missions you flew in X-Wing & TIE Fighter. Freespace 2 gives you a vast playground that is not merely beautiful, but ultimately function and very rewarding.
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