Starflight™ 1+2

Please add the Sega Megadrive/Genesis version of Starflight. I.m.h.o. the best version! Partly because it is the newest, so it has been limited the least by technological barriers.

The original Starflight was a unique CRPG for its day, and it's still great now - it involves taking a crew of humans, mechans and aliens through a large galaxy as you gradually uncover the mystery of why solar flares are occurring in solar systems with inhabited worlds. Along the way, you mine minerals, encounter alien races, look for worlds that can be colonized and search for artifacts that can give you an edge in your exploration. The story's climax is intriguing, and even though the game never technically "ends," there is a definite conclusion to the central mystery. Starflight is rather well-known for being a game that offers little in the way of direction; you really have to piece together a lot of pieces of information and keep careful track of coordinates given to you in messages, diplomatic endeavors and cryptic ruin remains. The game's star chart (originally packed in the box) also has some clues. Starflight 2 is a lesser game than the original in some ways; it's a little bit more focused on the series's odd sense of humor and also feels less epic than the original. But it improves on the concept by focusing on trade routes (rather than mere mineral mining) and adding inhabited worlds to the fray. It also features 256-color graphics, which makes it look less primitive than the original. Both of these games are fantastic and well worth the dozens of hours required to fully explore them. Don't cheat yourself by using a walkthrough that will tell you all of the flux locations, colonizable worlds and artifact coordinates; you'll enjoy each game so much more if you keep a notebook handy and let the stories guide you on what to do next. Both of these games have influences that can be heavily felt in the Star Control, Mass Effect and Space Rangers games. But Starflight is also an unparalleled experience that has yet to be exceeded by any of its offshoots.

I wanted to play this game so bad, back in 1994, when I first got my hand on a computer, that I actually set beside my computer playing this, with a dictionary open on my desk. Just think about it. I still can't find an equalent only poor imitations, even though today's technology could surely provide all the necessary codes to see this game in a 3D world with amazing galaxies and planets!

When I submitted a "thank you" to Hello Games a couple of years ago in a photobook signed by me I referenced this very game - one of the first sandbox space exploration games that I could remember. Created when I was 11 years old, this game absolutely captivated me in my formative years. I can remember forming different varieties of crewmembers from the six selected races, visiting the various planets throughout the Milky Way, and getting ever-so-frustrated when my ship was destroyed and I had to start all over again (because if I turned my computer off, the game would not save properly and I'd have to start right from the beginning again). Nevertheless, it wasn't until my Commodore 64 version that I finally discovered the ever-elusive Black Egg (spoiler alert) and saved the galaxy from certain destruction. Discovering the various planets, learning about atmospheric complexities, geology, hydrology, harvesting elements and selling them or using them, and of course scanning and even capturing indigenous lifeforms for study all came out in NMS. Even harsh weather played a role in this game, much in the same way as dangerous weather plays a role in how your character survives in NMS. Heck, you can even negotiate with potential enemies and avoid combat if possible, and if your ship is strong enough you can destroy your enemies and obtain the debris from their wreckage (just like in NMS)! There are so many similarities to this game as NMS I wonder if Sean Murray knew of its existence when he created No Man's Sky. To that end, anyone with a mind for nostalgia or a curiosity about how one of the biggest space exploratory sandbox games got its humble start, please download this game and give it a whirl. I guarantee you won't be sorry.

Starflight 2 was one of my favorite games of all time. I can't tell you how many hours my brother and I spent exploring the Cloud Nebula, collecting alien species, and trading with the local space freaks there. I'm buying and downloading it tonight so I can play all night in my Thanksgiving Turkey coma.