Subset games did it again, after FTL. A perfect game that makes you think.
Let's start out with the pros: + Totally scratches any Privateer itch you may have. It even has technophobic religious nuts, like the original. + Once you figure out which pieces of gear are important, the game is easy, at least in modes with autopursuit. + Nice soundtrack + Neat voice acting + Pre-quel to Rebel Galaxy Cons: - Buggy. Crashes on exit, crashes occasionally when changing systems. - Terrible controls, even in menus. Yes, that's probably because it was intended for controllers, but equipping your ship shouldn't be such a chore. - Mediocre graphics - Combat consists of autopursuit and knowing when to withdraw, recharge, and come back. Even the unwieldy cargo ships are nimble like Tie Fighters and the real fighters are ludicrously twitchy. - Between the super-twitchy movement and the need to aim carefully, I don't know if I could play this without autopursuit and aim assist. Maybe if you're looking for a challenge, but there are better games for that. - Whose bright idea was it to put missiles on the shift key by default?
I owned the game for the Commodore Amiga and enjoyed it. The game manages to conjure up an epic feeling especially due to ... a certain surprising global event that takes place as part of the storyline. That's enough spoilers. I guess today the game will probably show its age. Party creation offers a lot of options, but most will just result in suboptimal parties. Tactical combat was really nice. The game also has an evil non-standard game over opportunity near the end as a surprise for any inattentive player - yes, I managed to hit it.
I just finished the game. + artstyle and visuals are gorgeous + lots of loot, classes, builds - game is still slightly buggy (it only starts correctly the second time I try to run it) - since only a tiny fraction of the loot is good, you end up sifting through heaps of junk - I didn't spend any time optimizing my party and gear and still had no problem finishing the game. - UI is somewhat clunky The game could have been stellar with a bit more polish. Still worth it if you like the artstyle.
