Posted May 31, 2010
I-War is easily one of the finest, most innovative space simulators ever created. It's been on my top-10 lists ever since I beat it.
However, be prepared for getting into I-War to take a while. Simply, if you're prepared to deal with a near vertical learning curve, you will be rewarded. You will need to learn a new skill to fully master commanding a Dreadnaught class corvette, from piloting and gunnery to managing your power levels and repair teams. Handling all these different aspects is what makes I-War different from all the other space sims out there. The first time you hit F3 to bring up the gunnery controls and see your ship as a wireframe weapons platform, you'll realize this ain't no WWII flight sim with stars.
Above all else, piloting the Dreadnaught is a real pleasure. The bulk of the ship is fully rendered as more than just graphics: you will FEEL physics working on you at all times. If you're not sure what players mean when they talk about the Newtonian physics in I-War, it's basically like driving on ice in three dimensions. After beating the game you sadly will not be qualified to operate actual spacecraft, but the ability to handle slippery curves in n-space is transferrable to the real world (more than once have I been reminded of I-War when negotiating tricky winter streets in my old Volvo station wagon).
The story is a unique and multifaceted take on the usual space opera. Politics mostly take a backseat to a vast conspiracy that will put you in all sorts of unbelievable situations. Here's where the core point of I-War comes up. If there's a difficult challenge at the end of a mission and you screw up, you will be playing the whole mission over again. If you find yourself getting frenzied, I advise taking a break and coming back in a bit. The epic frustration transforms into an epic feeling of accomplishment when you finally figure out The Trick to whatever mission you're stuck on. Sometimes there's one very simple task that isn't immediately apparent, sometimes you have to perfect a difficult maneuver. Missions like Morgan and Metallake will frustrate you, but if you persevere you will feel satisfied. Sometimes bugs will intervene (for good or ill), so you'll need to keep your wits about you.
Surprisingly, the game acknowledges this difficulty. Your banter with the ship's computer can be seen as critical to the trend of handholding in games these days. Be assured: when you get your crew out to darkest space, you will not get to drop your milk and cookies and push a button to make the Captain-O-Matic pop out and solve all your problems.
Make sure you play the game on Simulator mode, as Arcade was an afterthought implemented only later by Particle when Infogrames got a hold of the game and realized how hard it was to play. As other reviewers have mentioned, you will need a joystick with a throttle and a four-way hat switch to get the full experience.
If you overcome the numerous challenges and make it to the end, prepare to be welcomed by a group of old salty dogs who reminisce on those days when we were captains of the mighty Dreadnaught. An exclusive club to be sure, but if you're into space sims, there's no better crew to fly with.
However, be prepared for getting into I-War to take a while. Simply, if you're prepared to deal with a near vertical learning curve, you will be rewarded. You will need to learn a new skill to fully master commanding a Dreadnaught class corvette, from piloting and gunnery to managing your power levels and repair teams. Handling all these different aspects is what makes I-War different from all the other space sims out there. The first time you hit F3 to bring up the gunnery controls and see your ship as a wireframe weapons platform, you'll realize this ain't no WWII flight sim with stars.
Above all else, piloting the Dreadnaught is a real pleasure. The bulk of the ship is fully rendered as more than just graphics: you will FEEL physics working on you at all times. If you're not sure what players mean when they talk about the Newtonian physics in I-War, it's basically like driving on ice in three dimensions. After beating the game you sadly will not be qualified to operate actual spacecraft, but the ability to handle slippery curves in n-space is transferrable to the real world (more than once have I been reminded of I-War when negotiating tricky winter streets in my old Volvo station wagon).
The story is a unique and multifaceted take on the usual space opera. Politics mostly take a backseat to a vast conspiracy that will put you in all sorts of unbelievable situations. Here's where the core point of I-War comes up. If there's a difficult challenge at the end of a mission and you screw up, you will be playing the whole mission over again. If you find yourself getting frenzied, I advise taking a break and coming back in a bit. The epic frustration transforms into an epic feeling of accomplishment when you finally figure out The Trick to whatever mission you're stuck on. Sometimes there's one very simple task that isn't immediately apparent, sometimes you have to perfect a difficult maneuver. Missions like Morgan and Metallake will frustrate you, but if you persevere you will feel satisfied. Sometimes bugs will intervene (for good or ill), so you'll need to keep your wits about you.
Surprisingly, the game acknowledges this difficulty. Your banter with the ship's computer can be seen as critical to the trend of handholding in games these days. Be assured: when you get your crew out to darkest space, you will not get to drop your milk and cookies and push a button to make the Captain-O-Matic pop out and solve all your problems.
Make sure you play the game on Simulator mode, as Arcade was an afterthought implemented only later by Particle when Infogrames got a hold of the game and realized how hard it was to play. As other reviewers have mentioned, you will need a joystick with a throttle and a four-way hat switch to get the full experience.
If you overcome the numerous challenges and make it to the end, prepare to be welcomed by a group of old salty dogs who reminisce on those days when we were captains of the mighty Dreadnaught. An exclusive club to be sure, but if you're into space sims, there's no better crew to fly with.