There are only a few space sims out that i enjoy alot. This is one of them. Unfortunately I have not had the pleasure of playing this games predecessor Freespace (and its expansion) however i am planning on looking into that myself. If you have ever enjoyed any space sim, this could arguably be the best. Personally it is not my favorite space sim (my favorite would be tachyon), however I would say that this space sim is the best in existence, if that makes any sense to the people who read this. Buy this game here and now. I remember looking for a retail version on amazon and it was over 40.00 bucks (only 6.00 here at G.O.G).
Bottom line: BUY THIS GAME (even if you dont want to).