Played it as a kid, played it some more, played it when I had enough of Homeworld, installed it on a usb stick and played it at work - instead of work, played it when I should have studied for TMA, played it instead of sleep. If you ask me, you should give it a try. I played it a bit over the years, and just about to install it again, and cannot wait to play it again. TMA deadline is 2 weeks away, so I go and play it a bit.
This game reminds me Freelancer very much, although during the 100 hours I have played I came to understand that it is more and in ways better. The graphics is beautiful, simply there is no other word for it. When you fly close to the twin suns and you can see the numerous solar flares arcing up and over you, then a dust cloud envelopes you and the blue and yellow rays of the suns stab into the cloud... The game is primarily played in the Gemini Star system, including 11 planets and over a hundred space stations. Factions rule different parts of this system, as you play your reputation towards the factions is in constant changing according to your deeds: you may become a lawful citizen who gets hated by the pirates, you may become a bounty hunter and need to balance your relations carefully, or you may become a pirate and pillage through the system and get only accepted by a handful of outlaw factions. It is all in your hands. 75 ships can be flown, bought or captured by the player, from the small gunships to the almighty dreadnoughts and carriers. You may also become a miner and get to captain a freighter/freightliner if that is your thing. The ships are not little fighters: they are capital hip indeed so cannot be piloted by the way you do in Freelancer: you need to direct the ship and fire with you turrets on all side simultaneously and also be aware of the state of your shields consisting four parts - so you must be more like a tactician then a cocky fighter pilot. I admit it takes a bit of time to muster, but this part what I enjoy the most. Explore. My, the system is beautiful, I'm many times just flying around in my cloaked dreadnought and admire the scenery. So much to see, so much to learn in this game. I must say the game is under constant development: the developers are adding new contents and polishing the engine as we speak. All-in-all: it is a good buy, I recommend it to everyone, who likes space and space games.
