Cheap Freespace 2: Sci-Fi Sim of the Year (Software) (Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows Me, Windows 98) Price

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Customer Reviews of Freespace 2: Sci-Fi Sim of the Year

The all-time pinnacle of space sim games?
I remember getting an ad for the original Freespace just before it came out back in 1998 and mentally dropping my jaw at the "life-sized" starcruisers exhibited in the glossy fold-out I'd been sent. I bought the dramatically titled "Descent: Freespace - The Great War" and enjoyed it immensely. Not since the release of the first two Wing Commander games had a computer game blown me away in quite the same way. <
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>A couple years later, I was in the minority in hearing about the release of this, the sequel. The same amazing graphics (updated to accomodate Moore's Law, of course) with added features like nebula effects and beam weapons -- something for which sci-fi sim fans have clamored for ages -- are instant buying incentives. But most importantly, these games have a plot worth paying attention to, which, keeping the short attention span of the game playing populace in mind, explains why Freespace 2 sold as poorly as it did. That Interplay (FS2's publisher) barely promoted it probably didn't help much, either (I never got a glossy fold-out about Freespace 2). <
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>It's honestly bewildering to look back on how badly this series apparently fared; the original's main competition at the time was Wing Commander: Prophecy, a shameless and despicably cartoony co-opting of the franchise name that most closely resembled an ugly, speed-addicted old hooker wearing too much makeup. A "Moulin Rouge" to Freespace's "Return of the Jedi." For many, Freespace 2's failure marked the sad end of an era for the genre. <
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>More recent contributions to the field of space sims include Starlancer and Freelancer, two games from the original creators of Wing Commander. Starlancer is the gaming equivalent of the Wing Commander movie (you know, that endlessly terrible suckfest starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Chris Roberts's ego), taking Chris Roberts's strange obsession with World War II in space to an illogical and tedious extreme. <
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>Freelancer has breathtaking graphics going for it, but its plot and gameplay leave something to be desired. It's overreaching goal of creating a living, breathing universe fails since Digital Anvil's idea of a "living, breathing universe" is apparently synonymous with a big game of Madlibs in space, turning Freelancer into a mildly amusing diversion a couple notches above a screensaver. And as far as repetitive shoot-the-monster role-playing games go, Diablo II has it beat quite soundly in terms of both replayability and sheer fun factor. <
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>As a political footnote, Volition (FS2's developer) was forced out of their contract with Interplay a while back. In lieu of being able to make a Freespace 3, the source code to Freespace 2 was made available to the public. Since then, an outpouring of freelance talent has created such interesting projects as "FS2_Open" (largely a graphical updating of Freespace 2 to take advantage of advances in video card technology and processor speed) and the "Wing Commander Saga," a Freespace 2/Wing Commander mod. If the included FRED (FReespace EDitor) wasn't enough to keep one occupied playing user-created missions, the near-unsettling drive of the FS2 mod community is sure to create literally endless replayability for this series. <
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>As far as space sims go, the duology of Wing Commander and Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi will forever sit as kings of the hill in my view, but Freespace 2 takes an entirely respectable second place. It's well worth the lofty prices one is forced to shell out these days in order to get a full, working copy, especially considering the thriving mod community surrounding the game. <
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>Freespace 2 artfully balances style and substance. Volition made a visually-stunning masterpiece with a pulse that, while not as intimately cinematic as the Wing Commander series, skillfully sets the "suspension of disbelief" button in the gamer's mind to "On." This is the real deal. You can't go wrong with Freespace 2, no matter how you slice it.

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Man this brings back Memories
I just got this game from a friend who just happened to not want it anymore and let me tell you,,,I am having fun. Pretty good story and acting is not bad, graphics are still on par. I remember the wing comander games and by far this blows those away. If you can't afford the 95.0 dollars, like who can? <
>Get it if you can this is a great game.

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The best space combat game ever created by human hands!
This game will check the meaning of the word "game" for you. <
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>1.) Deep, well-writen sci-fi plot. <
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>2.) Incedibly dog-fighting action <
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>3.) Capital ships have huge beam cannons that can punch right through hostile ships (awe-inspiring). Bottom line here, the graphics rock! <
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>4.)Dozens of user-made campaigns online. Done with the main campaign? Go download some more. <
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>5.) Amazing battles and dogfights composing of seemingly endless swarms of allied and hostile fighters. <
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>6.) Rise through the ranks, earn medals, and even acquire your own squadren to command. <
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>7.) Great multiplayer modes! <
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>8.) An excellent mission editor which allows you to easily, and quickly, create missions of pro developer quality...without any programming! <
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>9.) Some missions are very non-linear. So sometimes what you do in one mission, effects the next mission (fail to destroy a cruiser? It may just show up in the next battle). <
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>10.) Amazing cutscenes, better than any other game i've ever played. <
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>11.) High replay value. <
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>12.) Heck, everything about this game rocks. <
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>Bottom Line: <
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>This game blows away any other space combat game! BUY THIS GAME NOW!