Darkstar One

I see a lot of comparisons and expectations in other reviews. Taken on it's own, this game is fun and entertaining. The trade seems a little too easy, but I was never much on the trading side anyway. I am older so I am playing on 'easy' ;) I just want to have a good time and not prove anything. Story seems good so far. Yes, missions are just cookie cutter, but ALL games of this ilk are like that. Event the famed Mount and Blade. This and Rebel Galaxy Outlaw are my go to space games now. Easy to get into and fun to play. I don't want a Astronaut University degree to play a game. Hello Elite dangerous, I am talking to you. OK, it is not that bad, but for the steep learning curves of other games it better have that much more fun!

Like many others I had been waiting for that game with a lot of anticipation, since I'd been looking for something to continue the tradition of Privateer, with proper stick controls, an alive universe, and a lovingly written guiding storyline. In the end, DSO managed to disappoint in every aspect. Trade is actively discouraged by having the player ship transport cargo as a dragged "box" with massively reduced ship speed and maneuverability, and pretty much no way to pass encounters. Combat is repetitive and gets old very quickly. The story is… just meh, plagued by weak writing and even weaker characters (a plot character is kidnapped at one point and missing for a while, which turned out to be relaxing since that character would otherwise molest the player with a stream of meaningless commentary). Add to that one of the worst HUDs in the history of games and badly thought out controls where joystick and mouse input are conflicting, the keyboard layout is just plain weird, and it takes a few seconds to check even shield/armor status because it's a very tiny element at the edge of the screen, and you have a game that's not even worth a $4.99 special offer price. This is the game that killed the last hope of a decent space sim. Thank you, Ascaron, you won't be missed.

I would not tell you this is the best game ever, as it definitely has it's warts. But if someone was looking for a fun space-shooter, especially if they are new to the genre and want something with a lot of depth in customization/gameplay, but not worry so much about memorizing keyboard layouts or needing a cheat-sheet for the controls, this is a VERY solid choice. True, if you are not interested in flying around in space, dog-fighting and customizing your ship, you should walk away as that is in essence what you are doing. But if this type of gameplay interests you, it's definitely worth your time.

An arcade spaceship game. Very nice graphics for the time but was very short game. If you expected some huge open world game ,you will be disappointed

I'm not sure what the worst part of the game is: the boring, repetitive gameplay, the story or the "voice acting". I'd tell you to decide but I'd never recommend this game to anyone. You'd be better off with Freelancer or Tachyon, or maybe a good space sim like the Freespace series or Privateer.