One word describes this game experience. I first played this game on a Pentuim 233 with a 3dfx Voodoo3 card in 16-bit color, and then an early ATI Radeon in 32-bit, and it was still playable when the local area was full of fighters and capital ships. I had cut my space sim teeth on another very capable movie-based title, but this was the first time I felt myself becoming part of a futuristic universe. The ability to map any axis or button to any control, and the general (great) feel of piloting the different fighter craft all become unimportant and secondary to the plot, brought about by great voice acting and believable mission progression.