![]() ![]() They'll work in teams, and aim for specific objectives. Enemy AI is aggressive but not infallible. It's this kind of chaos in space that Freespace creates near seamlessly. For a few seconds, you savor the thrill of narrowly escaping a swift death, before you realize that the guy who missed, is still on your back, and he's brought friends. The ship rumbles and lurches away from the missiles that would have pulverized you a half second sooner. Pulling up hard, you launch your LAST countermeasure, and slap the afterburner. The incoming missile alarm goes off and you think, "NO NOT YET!" You get your lock and dump a spread volley of missiles after the bogie. Your proximity alarm is going off wildly and your wingman is screaming, "Watch your six! YOUR SIX!". Your HUD is perilously close to giving you the weapons lock that you so desperately need. You're streaking through the middle of an enormous dogfight, hot on the tail of a bogie ace. When a developer does it, and gets all of those puzzle pieces in right, there's nothing quite like it. It's a difficult mix to strike, it's like a puzzle, but it can be done. Space sims, much like many different kinds of games, thrive on chaos. It's difficult to explain the thrill of this particular brand of game if you've never experienced it. Freespace2 doesn't pretend to do everything, but what it does do it does EXTREMELY well. Very little is actually known about them, however, they sure now how to operate cans of wupass. Like it's grandfather (Wing Commander), Freespace2 has formidable enemies that are both distinctive and a joy to lock horns with. Though it does contain well-crafted cinematic sequences Freespace2 doesn't follow individual characters, it follows a war. Those who liked Wing Commander's individual character approach will be disappointed. (The real war is fought with cap ships you're just trying to keep the enemy fighters occupied so the cap ships can concentrate on each other.) God help if you get caught in-between them. The capital ships are the enormous powerhouses that they appear to be, and they are not to be messed with lightly. I would go so far as to say that Freespace2 takes that emphasis one notch further. Much like its father, (Descent: Freespace), Freespace2 places a HEAVY emphasis on the role of capital ships. There are exceptions, for example, a number of missions take place in a nebula, placing a new set of challenges squarely on the player. Players fly a series of missions with varying objectives, search and destroy, defend, recon.etc. ![]() Freespace2 is a pure blood member of Wing Commander's extended family. (mmmmmm.pudding)įreespace2's game play, much like Descent: Freespace, is relatively derivative. Let's face it folks, it doesn't get a whole lot better then this, but what about the game play? After all, the proof is in the pudding. Make no mistake, Freespace2 is a workout for your speakers, and you may want to use headphones if you don't want the family thinking there's a war in the living room. (Trust me, you'll know.) All of the usual special effects are present (afterburners, missiles, flak, warp gates.etc.), and virtually all done to the same high standard. If you fly within the range of a flak cannon, you'll know it. Weapon effects and explosions are excellent, especially capital ships. The nebula missions feature some visual effects and fade in techniques that make the whole thing feel like flying through low-grade pea soup.įor the most part, Freespace2 sounds as good as it looks. backgrounds look like they might well have been lifted from Hubbell photographs of parts of the galaxy that we didn't know existed. Bombers and fighters trade massive volleys of ordinance with smooth vapor trails that look like hornet swarms. Awesome, enormous, massively detailed capital ships trade giant energy beams in light shows that make the fourth of July look like a bike ride. Gorgeous ship models zip around the screen with smooth, fluid animation. Virtually the entire game is a graphical tour de force the likes of which I have never seen. "Your nemesis has arrived, and they are wondering what happened to their scouting party". Freespace2 occurs some thirty years after the events in Descent: Freespace, which are now known as "the Great War." (It's hard not to appreciate the irony in that.) What could I say about Freespace2 that the box copy doesn't already say better? Descent: Freespace was perhaps a tad derivative, but it was most certainly a good time, and a solid addition to Wing Commander's extended family. In the fall of 1998, Interplay and Volition made their entry into a market that was largely dominated by Origin & Lucasarts. ![]()
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