Pros: The eye candy and fx still hold up for an older game. More importantly, the story and semi open-world feel is quite good. And the music definitely sets the tone for a Firefly feel. Wait for a sale as it happens quite often. Oh and it is not 3D space combat rather 2D. But I don't think that detracts from the game. Cons: It's not 3D space. For some space simmers this is a no-go. I do find frequently the combat has an insane scaling. Pirates are EVERYWHERE. Basic tips when starting out: 1. Don't leave systems early. 2.Get upgrades: Engines to run away, Cargo expanders to carry more stuff, secondaries to intercept missiles. 3.Do missions that avoid combat (pick up, cargo delivery) 4.Run away. A lot. The better engines for this are the ones that have a long boosting time. 5.You can steer and avoid red dots (hostiles) also in warp Anyway I still play this now and then. And there is also a semi-sequel (Rebel Galaxy Outlaw) that is a more rpg-style and many changes/enhancements if that is up your alley.
I bought this game when it was new and still have it (the soundtrack was awesome). The story was rich and struck a strong resonance with me. I actually felt for the characters. To clarify this is a separate story and is before Bloodlines. That said the game came with a lot of extras, including Storyteller tools to create your own stories and run your friends through it. The base game and story is compelling. Gameplay did suffer from some camera and UI issues...but they were not crippling. Even given it's age the graphics are remarkably well-done. The music is rich and well paced with transitions from glacial for peaceful interludes to more heavy gothic with a beat for boss fights. Definitely one of the top 10 RPGs you've never played.
First a little about me so you know my perspective: -I remember playing the original BT game on a tabletop with my friends in high school. Yeah I'm that old :) -I have several decades of experience playing variations of tabletop, computer RPG versions (Crescent Hawk's Inception, Battletech), and VTT as well as the first person games. -I still have a soft spot for Missionforce: Cyberstorm. And now my review: ================ Pros: Solid graphics and sound. Stable build. I've played 200+ hours and it has crashed maybe twice. Good at maintaining the atmosphere of classic story. Good single player story mode. Supports multiplayer. Very stable build and will work on older machines (I run on a 4 year old i7 8BG laptop at 1920 and it is not jerky, ever. ) If you don't like the raw #'s and want it to be more true to the tabletop, you can change them easily. If you like base-building aspects, then you will have a bit of fun with upgrading your drop ship. You can headshot or LEG a mech (MW4 I'm looking at you.) Cons: Some performance issues (specifically loading times* but there is a workaround.) Not 100% = to the tabletop version (still you can change just about all the variables in the game.) Not really a con if you are coming from tabletop, but if you like a faster game, then this may not be for you. Though granted you can adjust the speed as well. Only 1 lance of mechs. I get it but want a company ;) *work around for loading times...for often it is too many save files. For faster load times, keep your main save directory to about a dozen games or so. If you really want to, you can always copy the other saves somewhere else. General: I really enjoyed the single player. At times it did seem to jump, but overall the story flow was good. Now the difficulty spikes did catch me off guard...but I went ahead and did some more random missions, upped my game and usually the hard missions I got through on the 2nd or 3rd try. Overall very solid.
