Star Control I & II

Wow!... this onomatopoeia summarizes the whole game, you can buy it now. But( add another ''t'' and you'll have a rear missile launcher :) ) if you need more explanation more than '' it's mass effect, except in the 90' '' or '' it'll blow you mind away'', then I shall provide it for you. Basically, at it's core both games are a masterfully crafted space star-ships combat simulator, where simplicity and strategy are mixed in a whole new fun and wonderful way : you'll have different star-ships, each one unique and perfectly linked with the culture and race you'll play as. However, speaking of the individual games themselves, the first SC ( which in some part is my favorite) is a sort of prototype. Basically, you'll have 2 kinds of melee, which is a simple ship vs ship, and a more strategic one where you'll go on several missions with different objectives, in a star map where you must allocate your resources, by traversing planets, in order to win. Now, the thing that blew me away is that all of them can be played alone or with a friend, no matter what mission or faction you're in : the few commands require to play are what makes this game truly fun to play with a friend using a single keyboard. And then there is SC 2 : the true diva of the series ( and why this game will remind constantly of Bioware's space opera) The second one completely changes the game mode ( although you'll still have the melee one, but it'll take tinkering a little with the .exe file) with a more driven story, where you'll learn more about the various races and explore hundreds of the star system, trying to save everyone from destruction, with no hand holding whatsoever ( sometimes though, due to a time limit, can be a little underwhelming). Speaking of the direction, SC 2 really shines with its beautiful designs, visual and one of the most memorable soundtrack I've ever listen to! So, a must buy, for everyone! and also.. This is Commander Hayes and this is my favorite game on the Citadel.

It didn't have much in it, still doesn't. but this game kept me engaged for a long time as a kid. it really captaured my imagination. the opening music and some spaceship sounds are still stuck in my head. it's a fun game to play alone or with a friend and experince some of this unvierse that they were starting to create and later expanded on. two people playing on a single PC, I miss that :-) playing this game and then jumping into star control 2 is awesome, when SC2 came out I couldn't wait to interact with all of those races I imagined so much about. (sadly, not all of them made it)

One of those rare gems. I wil play this on a 486 with wavetable sound over any moredern RTS games for my free time. That is how good this game is. Game play mechanics, storyline, action, music and stategy. Perfect combination. The best if not one of the best games ever made. Period.

Star Control 2 does indeed have a freeware version, the Ur Quan Masters. There are even fan mods and remakes like the UQM HD version, which even have amazing features like allowing the lander to take only as much as it can hold, instead of destroying a mineral deposit upon acquiring it. So with all that said, Star Control 1 is still worth $6, even though now they're generous enough to only ask for $4. The thing with Star Control 1 is that it's a strategy game focusing on the bigger picture, as opposed to the more combat and story focus of Star Control 2. Star Control 2's story is one of the best, but Star Control 1 lets the player feel like an admiral having to direct ships to not only engage in combat, but also play logistical roles as they build up mines and colonies. Colonies actually bring a significantly different dimension to the combat, unlike Star Control 2 where one can only replenish crew by going to a specific area. In Star Control 1, each colony can allow your wounded ships to recover once the colony is underway. And this involves any ship in your side's fleet. Even Mycon Podships and Mmrnmhrm Transformers can replenish crew this way, though Podships have the luxury of regenerating crew of course. A lot of people prefer the melee mode of the Star Control series and if you are similarly inclined, then sure Star Control 2 is better in that way with more ships and various tweaks to the original Alliance and Hierarchy's fleets. But if you want a game that forces you to consider building an economy and which ships to prepare to counter an enemy fleet, if you want scenarios that make you explore the galaxy snatching any income generating mines and colony worlds you can find, Star Control 1 is your game. This is a bare bones version of a 4X game, but imagine if it was remade!

SC2 is an awesome adventure in (2D) space. Find resources, upgrade your fleet, battle hostile aliens, uncover what happens to the various peoples in the last few decades. Maybe, if you succeed, you can even free earth, reunite the alliance of free stars (or [Your name]'s empire, if you like) and save countless lives from a threat that I won't uncover here, as that would be a massive spoiler. Oh, and be prepared: To say the dialogues are funny or humorous wouldn't do them justice. Even the term hilarious might be an understatement. Nevertheless, I wouldn't play the DOS version of SC2, as there's a "better" alternative: The data files of the PC version of SC2 have been released under a Creative Commons license, and the source code of the 3DO version of SC2 is available under the GPL. The excellent programmers of the UQM developers team have put an enormous effort into porting the 3DO version to modern operating systems (including, but not limited to OS X, Linux, Android, Windows, OpenDingux,...) under the name Ur-Quan Masters. UQM has decent upscaling, so the graphics also looks acceptable on modern monitors, and if that's not enough, there's also an HD mod available. Given the licenses mentioned above, one doesn't need to own a copy of SC2 in order to play UQM, but as it's an excellent game, one should seriously consider paying nevertheless.