After Space Rangers 2 (damn that addiction), I've gotten very interested in space RPGs. I've yet to try Nexus, but I will once I've conquered Space Rangers. Anyway, what other space RPGs are out there? I've tried Star Wolves 2 before, and I kinda liked the gameplay mechanics and tech tree, but I'm avoiding it due to Starforce. Any other recommendations?

Mass Effect?
Kotor is kinda spacish. but it is star wars so more fantasy.

Nah. I'm looking for games that are more umm...freeform. Also, games that take place in space, rather than in space-age. I'm a huge fan of EVE, so to speak. Too bad no singleplayer RPG has been ambitious enough to replicate the complexity of EVE yet

You might want to take a look at Space Force - Rogue Universe, however I strongly advice to try a demo.
While it seems to have some interesting features, i gave it a try myself but found it an incredibly confusing game, i'm used to some of the X series games, so i don't mind a little bit of complexity, but i couldn't get the hang of SFRU interface... however your mileage may vary

I think Star Wolves is better than its sequel, though it's not as free-form. I liked it a lot. Starforce would still be an issue, though.
Other than that, I just wish this genre was more popular. You should probably give X3: Terran Conflict a try, though it's not really an RPG (more an open world trading game like Elite, only with tons of extra features and possibilities).
Parkan 2 might also be worth checking out. I haven't done so myself, but I wish to try it. There's also the forthcoming The Tomorrow War.
Also, The Ur-Quan Masters is an obvious game to try. It's an open-source version of Star Control II, and AFAIK the Space Rangers-games were inspired by SCII to begin with. Again, it's not really an RPG, but it's definitely an epic game.
Going further back in time, you have the Starflight games.

You might want to check out & [url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/starflight-2-trade-routes-of-the-cloud-nebula]Starflight 2, they're sort of RPG & sort of trading game, think of it as less action & more tactical & negotiation themed version of Elite. There's some really interesting races in there, never seen anything like the Tandelou or the Dweenle in any other game. Oh and the Ng-Kher-Ahla, a species that takes "that time of the month" to extremes...

Zeewolf: Thanks. I really enjoyed Star Control II, and was very sad when I completed it. Like you said, although it's not an RPG, it definitely has its moments. More like an adventure game than an RPG.
Alias: I tried Starflight 2 last time when HOTU was still up, but I didn't like DOSBox back then (very buggy), and VDMSound refused to run it with sounds, so yeah. But I've heard a lot about this, and I'd really like to give it a try sometime soon, hopefully when GOG gets it
Antan: As for Space Force, I didn't like it. I tried the demo sometime ago, but it felt like a sub-par space action game. But I only gave it 5 minutes of game time before dismissing it - I didn't even know it was an RPG lol. But since you mentioned it again, I think I'll give it another try
On the sidenote, I think Russians are the future of PC gaming. Looking at the other side of Europe's catalog of games, you really find a lot of strange and innovative ideas, even in flawed, unpolished games. Space Rangers is one of them, I dare say, even though it got me hopelessly addicted

Freelancer is a quite good "RPG".
Dunno if one can call it a RPG, it's excellent though, freeplay and all.

what about space seige form the makers of dungoen seige? def agree with free lancer

I recommend Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday. Its a really old dos game, but it seems to work flawlessly in Dosbox. It was ported to the Genesis as well, but was dumbed down in the process.
If your just looking for space combat, this game is probably not the best choice. Its there, but most of the action takes place on foot.

X3 and its expansions are decent space RPGs. Or st least they seem to be basically the essential idea of EVE but in single player and of course without the political intrigue posibility.
I heard a lot of bad things about space siege though. So I'd recommend trying the demo first.

You could always give Spelljammer:Pirates Of Realmspace a shot. It's in space and has RPG mechanics. It is a wee bit old, but figuring you are on site all about OLD games, that shouldn't stop you.

Something freeform? You would LOVE Protostar: War on the Frontier. You may be able to find it on Amazon or eBay. Hopefully they bring it here soon.

I heard so much about the so-called "free play" of Freelancer. Then I bought it and got thrown into a completely linear series of missions that forced me into progressively more difficult battles, with no possibility of upgrading my ship. After a short while I reached a battle that I flat out could not win, because my ship was grossly inferior to the enemies I was up against. It was too bad really, because I quite liked the gameplay, but I simply couldn't bother to play it anymore after that.