Freespace 2

It's pretty funny that so little of my time with Freespace 2 was actually spent playing the stock campaign included with the game; this is thanks to the multitude of high quality user-made campaigns that have been released for the game since its source code became available to the community. This isn't to say that the core game isn't worth playing; it is, and the space-sim mechanics are second only to the X-Wing games.

From its highly adaptable Energy-Rerouting System (allowing you to tune your shieldings according to your needs, or to bump that freed up energy into weapons Systems or Engines) To it's utterly amazing Story and atmosphere Freespace 2 is nothing short of memorable and replayable, especially considering the V A S T amount of community made custom campaigns.

I would highly recommend Freespace 2 for anyone who is a fan of flight combat, space combat, or just sci-fi. It's a great experience, even better if you have a joystick handy. The missions are varied and interesting. There are plenty of gameplay options, and plenty of action.

One of my all time Favorite games, has yet to be surpassed

So I think I am all by myself on this one, but even though this game exceeds the original in every way from a technical standpoint, I felt that the story was not quite as compelling. This story is not bad, and in fact it is great... I was just more drawn in by the original. Still one of the best space combat sims ever made.