I've been playing the beta of FTL for the last week or so, and I'm absolutely loving it! Don't let the simplistic graphics turn you away: there is a deepness to this equal to many strategy games. As the commander of a lone starship, you have to balance power levels, patch up any holes in your ship and generally keep your crew alive as you run like the wind from a constantly advancing enemy fleet. Gameplay comes in the form of 'jumps' - nodes on a map that generate a random event when you move to them. It could be a shop, an ambush, or nothing but a few rusted bits of metal floating past. One of the best things about FTL is the sense of tension. There is never quite enough resources to do anything - do you have to keep the oxygen system online, or is it worth forcing the crew to hold their breath for a few minutes in order to power up the missile launcher for one last shot? Any sometimes the only course of action is to run, and hope against hope that your fuel will last until you're out of danger! Well worth the purchase!
I lost many a night to this game back when I was growing up! I'd never quite experienced this level of freedom in a game before, and it was mesmerizing! Privateer is an elite-style freeform space game - trading, fighting, smuggling, you name it! There is a story, but t'be honest I couldn't tell you what it was - I always got distracted by the random missions that can be picked up at any spaceport. Those give you money, and money means a better ship! The vast array of weaponry and upgrades, all available from the start but stupidly expensive, keep pushing you to get more and more powerful, exploring the (massive) galaxy and destroying pirates by the dozen! Or police, if you happen to want to play that way... Sadly it looks like GOG haven't included the rather fun add-on 'Righteous Fire', but I'm sure that'll come with time. For now, download and get lost in the Gemini Sector!
