Your Views?

[Embattle]

I've been toying with the idea of getting this game, what you think of the game?

 

[Embattle]

Any one?

 

[bigfoot]

It's definitely worth owning, the review on Game.Net doesn't do it justice. I'd give it 8 out of 10.

 

[Louster]

Not worth owning. It has no depth and is basically pointless repetition. The entire universe is entirely static and devoid of any convincing indication of life. The single player story is clichéd and contrived and rubbish, the multiplayer game is, as previously mentioned, lacking any sort of depth or reason to play other than obsessive-compulsive gathering of meaningless power. Get Conflict Freespace or something.

 

[.Cask]

It's a good fun relatively brainless shooter. I said before somewhere that it's closer to a console game than a PC one really. Simple controls, simple gamplay, no hefty manuals required here. Refreshing to see a level-based improve-your-character type game that doesn't have to become a part-time job to get far in.

X-Wing vs Tie-Fighter did it better though

 

[Louster]

Yeah but jeesh, the "levels" are all essentially the same: your guns get more powerful, numerically, but no more impressive - slightly differing visuals and that's it; you don't get acess to any neat new types of weaponry or equipment or options of play, except for the rarely-used torpedo launcher thing; the "harder" systems basically differ merely in the amount of damage and armour the random-spawn enemies have; the missions differ in exactly the same way, simply offering enemies that either take more time or firepower to kill. Yeah it's funnish for a little while, until it hits you that in that short space of time you've basically seen everything the game has to offer.

 

[.Cask]

Yeah but some people actually take pleasure in collecting stamps.

It's pretty obvious this wasn't aimed at the hardcore gamer. JUST LIGHTEN UP MAN LIGHTEN UP.

 

[Louster]

BUT UGGGHH IT DOESN'T SIMULATE A REALISTIC COMPELLING DETAILED LIVING UNIVERSE FOR GOD'S SAKE. How can any game that doesn't do that be any fun?!?!

 

[.Cask]

Hey I enjoyed Syndicate and the civilians in that used to walk up and down all day and never did anything.

Given infinite time and infinite finance I'm sure MS would only be too happy to build a virtual world for you but as they're too tight arsed for that you'll have to use your imagination!

You weren't one of those people that complained about the lack of storyline in doom were you?

 

[Louster]

I wasn't really around for Doom, but uh, as for Syndicate, that had squad combat and stuff. You had to use tactics and strategy to make your weaponry work in the situation, make your people work together, balance research and spending and whatever. It's been ages since I played it but from what I remember it had tons more depth than Freelancer.

 

[Louster]

Heh and Freelancer quite adequately displays how little a storyline can add to a game, oh yes!

 

[.Cask]

Don't tactics and strategy just lead to ways of blowing things up more efficiently though?

Freelancer dispenses with the BS and just goes right to the killing!

Dunno why I'm defending it really. Played it for a couple weeks and haven't touched it since. Warcraft 3 TD's > all.

 

[Louster]

Yeah but tactics and strategy require a system which is freeform and well-designed enough that you can choose what to do, and potentially come up with ways of beating a set objective that the designers never thought of. Everything in Freelancer is pre-planned and crap - there's no real reason for playing it, since it requires little to no thought or skill or even just input.

 

[Louster]

The "skill" in Freelancer is the ability to track a targetting crosshair around the screen with your mouse. Hooray.

 

[MikeyBear]

Embattle: If youre unsure wether you'll like it or not then I'd say don't bother.
Its a great example of how to do the genre (space tradey elite 'em up) badly.
Its a very "small" game, feels cheap mostly and you feel like youre playing a game (if that makes sense).

As a fan of the genre I have to say that my initial (albeit reserved) enthusiams are fading fast ...Ive got a big'ish ship, loadsa weps and theres no-where really to go to be honest (talking multiplayer here).
Explored large portions of what space there is and it all feels very constructed and premeditated.
The combat is at best simplistic and seems to follow no ryhme or reason ...you just seem to get attacked randomly - albeit as a result of your reputation with AI groups. If there is a pattern to it then its not immediately apparent and therefore may as well be random.

Ultimately its rather shallow (compared to what was promised) and once you get a few quid and a big ship (easily done) then theres nowhere to go really.

Would benefit from an expansion pack and stuff like player owned stations etc.

If youre desperate for a space trader (which I am) then its summin to do until until X2:The Threat comes out. [/my 10 cents]

 

[Brannor McThife]

Have to agree pretty much with what Mikey said. I have a Sabre, 4 Nomad Cannons, and all the convential weapons/mods I want - except for Class 10 Turret.

I have 3.6 Million credits now and rank 38, which I believe is the cap, as I hit that at around 900,000.

I've played with all the political factions, but as said, in Multiplayer, there's no "story". So it's just fly around, have trade lanes disrupted by allies and shoot stuff.

I'd still like to get all the Sabre flyers to explore Nomad space sometime, but other than that, I've been everywhere, killed everything. And all that since I got it on Saturday...

-G

 

[Embattle]

Thanks guys, I used to love Privateer when it original came out and played it for yonks. It did seem to me that this was, at best, exactly the same and only better in terms of graphics.

 

[Embattle]

I would give it no more than 7/10, it was good but fairly short with only 13 real missions and the last ones being done one after the other.

I'm now left with just building up my rank to get better ships, it becomes slightly repetitive just going hunting all the time, guess I could do some freighter work but it still remains that the game is mainly over

BTW why is it the last mission seems to promise a good ship afterwards and then you don't seem to get it, or get to it?

Hope Freelancer 2 is put together with more thought.

 

[Embattle]

BTW a video of X2 The Threat can be found here http://www.3dgamers.com/dl/games/x2/x2-thethreat2003_hq.zip.html

Its about 23megs.