Star Control III

The plot is okay, and like most people said it's predecessor Star Control 2 was better. With that being said, no one ever focuses on what it is that makes this game truly amazing. The puppet animation that was far beyond its time. I'm not joking, when I played this as a teenager the one thing that struck me above else was not only how well done the ridiculous view screen animations were, but also how unintentionally hilarious they were as well. That being said, while this isn't the best star control game, it is certainly an enjoyable one. Don't let nostalgia goggles tell you otherwise.

If there had been no StarCon 2, StarCon 3 would probably have die-hard fans instead of die-hard detractors. StarCon 2 was a truly great game - and #3 carries on some of its best parts: good range of aliens with a decent level of depth in their structures and cultures, good plot development, great exploration as the world and sub-plots unfold and ultimately intertwine and (of course) fun and varied ship combat. It also removes two of StarCon 2's annoyances - the tedious ship travel and resource-gathering (which was only fun in short bursts). Unfortunately it adds its own problems, which ultimately make it worse than #2. It introduces its own resource-gathering mechanic which feels underdeveloped (and is even more tedious), and the new exploration mechanic can be both confusing and annoying (you click on a star system to go there, but the star systems are whirling around in mock-3D simulation, which really doesn't work when the screen is a 2D plane). It's also rather prone to "now what?" moments so common in 90s adventure games (although this game was early 2000s). But overall, if what you liked about StarCon 2 was finding and talking to aliens, an interesting sci-fi plot and ship combat, then StarCon 3 has got you covered. Oh - and (1) Yes, Mass Effect 3's plot is almost entirely a Star Con 3 rip-off; and (2) Star Con 3 obviously ran out of budget at some stage. I suspect that's why the resource-gathering is so poorly implemented.

While there are a very brief few moments where you can almost see some bits of SC2 goodness buried in here, for the most part everything is a let down. The bright ship sprites have been replaced with dark, washed out looks. The puppet work for the aliens was designed to look good for box/ad screenshots, but it looks VERY clunky and cheap in motion. The colony management system is a huge pain and only serves to top off your crew and fuel. It was meant to replace the lander in SC2 but it's a much bigger pain. The music is forgettable. Literally. I can't remember a single track, but I can remember a dozen SC2 tracks over 30 years later. Finally, the story. Woo boy Remember the imposing threat posed by the Ur-Quan and Kohr-Ah? Well now you're just dealing with a collection of goofballs and main villains whose primary trait is being lazy and making their underlings do all the work. This is concluded by one of the most anti-climatic endings in any video game I've seen. Picture the ending to Mass Effect 3, except the Reapers never even show up, and everyone forms a Care Bear Stare to save the day. It's THAT lame. I would say only buy it at a large sale, and only if you're morbidly curious and want to poke around for the small pieces of good ideas floating around in a sea of disappointment.

Yes, it has its flaws (a terrible, rushed and silly ending). Yes it borrows too heavily in some instances from the superior predecessor. But in its own right, this is an excellent game. It's innovative, it takes big swings that sometimes land brilliantly and what is often overlooked; it has a fantastic central premise and story (that clearly influenced Mass Effect years later). Fans hate on it far too readily. There's a largely excellent game to experience here and if you're a fan of SC2, and can temper your expectations on some elements, there's a lot to love.

I can see you enjoying this game if you've never played SC2. But if you've played SC2 and you enjoy good writing, you'll be sorely disappointed.