EVERSPACE™ 2

Let's get down to the point, this is an excellent spaceship-driven semi-open world game with an heavy emphasis on loot and, as such, repeated actions. The game has its fair share or "options" when it comes to variants/types of weapons and gadgets/equipment which will, for the most part, fit all kind of play style. Yes, this game is all about numbers. You fight, search, loot and get dropped stuff that slowly raise those numbers that makes the game at tad bit easier as you go on. It's also a game where enemies will grow as your level grow, hence it's not the kind of game where you can keep at it with the same equipment forever just because you like it. This is how I previously mean the "emphasis on loot". The game is what I call a "semi-open world" where it's divided into 2 layers : the space map in which you travel at super high speed (not exactly light speed, but close) and it acts as your basic "select where you want to go" kind of HUB. There are no combat in that layer, but as you travel, you will see nodes popping out displaying either new undiscovered area or, now and then, a random-driven small mission like a "Distress Beacon" or a "Unknown Signal" which gives you the opportunity to do small-scale activities like destroying a bandit base (which has a small boss and good combat loot), saving a stranded vessel which gives good income at the cost of a small cheap item, saving a convoy under attack (gives some incomes and some chances for equipment/loot) or just a mining field of asteroids for some resources. When it comes to resources, the game is not a game emphasis on survival or heavy-commercial activities. You can make some good trade with regional values and crafting is about simple component turned into something useful. The game story is interesting, but not ground breaking and I would say that it's the weakest point of the game (though not a bad one). It's predictable and the painting-like view of it kinda breaks the great graphics you got normally.

I did not play the first Everspace so I can't compare this one to it. I come in as someone who has played several space games but am new to this one. The graphics are great and the movement from area to area ok. I have a gaming computer above the recommended level but still experience momentary freeze glitches which last less than a second. I've noticed the same thing on other player's experience posted on youtube. I know it is still in development so hopefully all of these problems will be resolved in time. One issue, I am having as a newbie to this particular game is that jobs and missions which are rated for my level often have enemies of higher levels. The availability of weapons, crafting materials and just supplies in general is low so the difficulty increased very quickly. This could be discouraging to people who are just learning to play it and some may just quit. I am generally more stubborn than that but I find myself somewhat disappointed at the way the gameplay was handled. I plan to keep the game and wait to see what happens when the development is finished.

- Combat is too arcady - Way too much time has to be spent on boring repetitive puzzles - Way too much time has to be spent searching for stuff and navigate tunnels, caves and what not - Missions have zero depth. Good old Tie Fighter game from Lucas Arts had by far better missions at combat IMO. - The story is is severely lacking. - Characters are severely lacking. The "RPG" aspect is just that you can customize your ship, abilities and stats.

NOTE: This review is from Early Access. I played the original Everspace, and kinda hated it in some respects: the 'unlock' system was weird, and although you got a sense of gentle progression, but it was never quite *enough* to keep me engaged. Everspace 2 fixes every problem I had with the original, and comes across (even in Early Access) as a very cohesive experience. First off: there is a storyline, and a more linear experience, but there's a lot of customisation options, and your ability to research and craft is AMAZING (you deconstruct modules for Crafting XP, and then unlock blueprints when you use it). It's very much a process of reverse-engineering, which is terribly clever. Be clear, though: this game can be HARD. The NPCs can be challenging, and with the wrong tech, you can find that the battle you thought would be easy turns deadly within moments. Took me ages to realise that the specific shield type I was using only recharged when using boosters! Oops! On the plus side, weapons now have a separate energy pool from boosters/Afterburners, and because you can have multiple primary and secondary weapons, it becomes VERY easy to switch around when you need to recharge or run out of ammo. Oh, on the ammunition note, you can now repair and restock at every trader and station you come across! The biggest change is the addition of PUZZLES. Whether it's finding a power core and slotting it into an energy node to unlock a gate, or manipulating reflector panels to channel a mining beam into a large ore node...the puzzles are challenging, but a hell of a lot of fun, and they add a lot of depth to the game that was missing in the previous one. The game very much feels more like an RPG than the original, but it's all the better for it. It's very much a spiritual successor to Freelancer, but you've got a lot more freedom and versatility. AND THIS IS JUST THE EARLY ACCESS. The final game will be really something else!

A fun space fighter action game that lets you take out bad guys, mine space resources, hunt for loot in the cramped corridors of broken down capital ships and trade with various stations scattered around the area. As you fly around in FTL, random signals or distress calls offer you a chance to jump in and possibly save some freighter or blow up a bunch of outlaws. I have only played up until the first attempt to hack the jumpgate, but so far the story, character writing and voice acting have all been really solid around 95% of the time. I especially like Officer Shaw during the quests surrounding his station. The game looks visually stunning in many places, even if it sometimes causes my 6800 XT to peak at around 300W according to MSI Afterburner. The out-of-ship cutscenes feel a bit like watching panels out of a narrated comic book, which works pretty well. My only minor gripes are with how there could have been a bit more variety for the random signal areas, and how one particular story event felt a bit forced. Other than that, this is basically how I had originally hoped Rebel Galaxy Outlaw would feel.