Darkstar One - GOG.com

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genre

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avg. user rating

release date

compatible with

developer / publisher

available lang.

simulation / economic / sci-fi

4.1 GB

based on 417 customer votes.

August 11, 2006

Windows XP & Windows Vista (32 & 64 bit)

ASCARON Entertainment / Strategy First

English

buy for $9.99

or add to cart to buy more with one order

manual (33 pages)

in-game soundtrack

artworks

hi-res wallpapers (2)

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Experience fast-paced action in a vast and authentic universe in DarkStar One, a space action adventure game with spectacular graphic, freedom of choice, and a gripping storyline, as the young hero Kayron Jarvis, a talented escort pilot, discover clues surrounding a secret your murdered father was hiding.

An unknown technology hidden within your ship, the DarkStar One, appears to be the key - but then an unforeseen twist dramatically changes the course of events. Delve deep into the galaxy, discovering new races, solar systems, technologies, and ever-stronger opponents as you travel on your epic journey.

DarkStar One features an elaborate story, related by more than fifty minutes of video sequences. You can choose and upgrade your spaceship - a fast attack ship with many light weapons or a near-invincible cruiser with heavy weaponry.

Maybe you will be the hero who will bring hope to humanity... or destroy it...

This game has been patched to the latest official version: 1.3 (1416)

Age requirements: ESRB Rating: TEEN with Drug and Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Blood. PEGI Rating: 12+ with Bad Language.

Minimum system requirements: Windows XP or Windows Vista, 1.6 GHz Processor (2.6 GHz recommended), 512MB RAM (1 GB recommended), 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 9 with Pixel/Vertex shader 1.1 support (3.0 recommended), Mouse, Keyboard.

DESCENT 3 + EXPANSION

simulation, combat

Freespace + Expansion

simulation, combat

FREESPACE 2

simulation, combat

Silent Hunter® 2

simulation, strategy

THE GUILD GOLD EDITION

simulation, strategy

Average customer rating 4.0 out of 5.0

Excellent space sim (by clpo13

clpo13)

I picked this up at a Target not long ago and I was pleasantly surprised. I'd never heard of the game before, but I checked out a GameSpot review, which compared it favorably to games like Freelancer. I loved Freelancer, so I bought Darkstar One immediately. I am very glad I did.... full review

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(69 users agree with this review)

Sorry but... (by hungyeung

hungyeung)

I remember when DarkStar One was in development, and we space sim enthusiasts were lurking on their forums and asking questions. Of particular interest to many of us was how the game was to be played. Rest assured, we were told, DarkStar One is going to be "Freelancer done right". We were skeptical, because not were all the tidbits so far only dealt with the combat portion... full review of the game, the devs were evasive and vague when asked about the other stuff which makes up a space sim. Space sims AREN'T all about shooting, goddamit.

And whaddya know, they bolloxed it up, just as we feared. Freelancer done right, my ass.

- You have a grand total of 1 (one) ship that you will get to fly in the game. Ever.

- The only improvements you make to your ship will be the weapon loadout and a bunch of mostly-forgettable skills. Also, like it or not, you WILL be a combat dog. If you were thinking of, oh, just about ANY OTHER SPACE SIM, you would know that there was the possibility of getting rich by hauling cargo, to mention one of the more common features. Nope, no such luck here. You're a fighter, dawg... get used to it.

- Each star system is an exact carbon copy duplicate of ALL the others: there's a sun in the middle, there's a space station to dock with, there's a useless planet in the background, and oh look, there's an asteroid belt. All the same. In EACH AND EVERY single goddamned system. 300 of them? Puh-lease. If I could recycle the graphics like this and only change the system name, I could think up 3,000 of them.

- Factions. Instead of the realistic factions a la Freelancer, with their dynamic inter-relationships (and not just vs the player), DarkStar One presents you with the tired, cliched old "good guys vs bad guys", "cops and robbers" style of police, pirates, and neutral merchants. For f***'s sake! This isn't a step backwards, it's an entire goddamn marathon backwards. What is this, 1970?!

- - - - - -

Needless to say, DarkStar One has all the depth of a puddle of rainwater. This is a game as designed by a bunch of shooting game enthusiasts, more likely. If you're into mindless fighting then this game may interest you. For all of five minutes. Let's not even talk about replayability (to get to the point: there's none).

I'm not going to praise the graphics either. Why should I? Abusing bloom and particle effects does NOT equals good graphics. Imagine if Tetris used 3D blocks, fullscreen antialiasing, and flashing lights to herald new scores. Same goes for DarkStar One. Throwing truckloads of special effects at the player does not make a lousy game better. You can polish a turd, but it's still a turd.

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One of the best space-sims ever (by nemt

nemt)

Darkstar One is easily the best space-sim since Freelancer. The difference here is players control the same ship throughout the game, instead of trading/buying new ones as credits are accumulated. This gives it more of an action-rpg feel than many open ended space-sims have, as you collect artifacts to upgrade and customize ship attributes. If you've played any Elite style space-sim... full review