Genre: Space Simulator
Developer: Microsoft Game Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
# of Players: 1 Offline or 1-30+ Online
Memory: About 1 gigabyte.
Released On: PC
Also On: None
Take part in an online world in space, where the years have caused the migration of all humanity to stake safely in multiple galaxies, stretching on in a huge, fully-explorable universe. You, as the title suggest, embark out as a freelancer, one who takes any odd job for a quick buck. You can become a hitman, a merchant, a pirate, a pirate hunter, or just a plain old jerk if you want. That’s what this game is about, freedom. You go where you want, when you want, and do what you want on your way. Welcome to the world of Freelancer, how may I take your order?
Presentation
The game starts out with an FMV displaying the game’s story, how the universe got the way it is, and why mankind is scattered across planets. The main menu is very nice (in full 3D), great options and explanations of how things work. You’re dropped into the game nice and easy and can set any command to any button you wish. Flying is a breeze and it sucks you in like no other. You become addicted in moments and want to learn all the controls and commands, as everything is slick looking and smooth.
Visuals
Freelancer is no super-realistic space simulator based on NASA technology, or a space game with a huge budget based on a
highly acclaimed series, ala Star Wars, but it most certainly gets the job done. It plays very smoothly on any semi-modern machine and looks mighty fine to boot. The details on the ships look good, along with as the special effects, which are typically lasers or a "plasma" effect of sorts when going through certain warp gates and trade lanes. As stated earlier, the framerate remains constant and high, so when turning and shooting, you’re going to have a much easier time than say, if you were to get a huge slowdown due to over-bearing graphics.
It has the normal settings, from the ship detail and lighting, to planet and scenery detail. So as a test I installed the game on a fairly low-end machine (1 GHz, 128 Megs RAM, and a GeForce 4 MX 400) and set everything to max. Amazingly enough, the only time I experienced slowdown was when there was 11+ ships on screen all delivering a heavy payload unto my ship. So even if it doesn’t run all that great for any of you folks out there, be aware that lowering the settings will lead to a huge performance leap on an old machine.
Gameplay
To my surprise, a game being labeled as a "Space Simulator" didn’t exactly spike my interest. But, being fair, generous, and a sucker for free trials, I downloaded the short trial from Microsoft’s website. I was stunned. I immediately went and purchased the game after a few hours with the trial. At first I thought this was one of those "point-and-click" games I despise so much, but once I got through the first scene to get my ship, I learned the brilliant truth. Flying the ship is a breeze, and there are so many options it’ll make your head spin. You can sail through space in cruise mode or set a waypoint on your map to an exact point anywhere within Freelancer’s gigantic universe. Going from jump gate to jump gate, I estimate it would take at least an hour to get across the entire universe, if you have the best way set and are lucky enough not to get distracted by enemies or an unexplored planet. Your navigation map will probably be your most-used feature in the game. From the get-go you can plot a destination across the universe down to the space of your ship, AND have the best route set out, instantaneously. It’s a VERY slick map, with a good amount of options, and feels like it’d really be something you could use. But the features don’t stop there, oh no, we’re just getting started. Aside from the obviously huge array of different space-elemental weapons, such as plasma and positron, you also have different types of missiles, ranging from heat-sinking to all out destruction warheads, as well as shields. Shields are more vital than weaponry here. You can’t take out a pack of bogies if you don’t have a good shield, despite how all-powerful your lasers may be. Sounds easy, right? Just earn some credits and buy a super-strong shield? Wrong.
In Freelancer, each "sector", or galaxy, has a different element behind it. Getting the most powerful positron shield is useless if your foe is equipped with the opposite lasers. So why bother? Simple, you have to plan out the route you want to take. You can either go to a sector where the enemy’s guns are least effective against your shield, or you can risk it and go for an all-out fully-decked space machine. Which I would advise against; some of these guys are tough. So, you may want to practice your escape skills as well, they come in handy. Purchase the most advanced thrusters and countermeasures you can and high-tail it if things get too iffy. This brings me to my next case, your engines. You can’t directly obtain new engines, as all have a limit of 79 (I’m not sure what, though, as all you’re given is a number), a thruster speed of 200, and a cruise engine speed of 300. But what’s most important for escape methods, which you will use, is the thruster. You can only use it for a limited time, so buying more advanced thrusters can extend this time (which you will soon find out is extremely vital). Why not just throw on the cruise engines, you ask? Well, Microsoft got clever here - the cruise engines disable all weapons, leaving you with few options. So not only are you open to any attack, you’re also prone to cruise engine disrupter missiles, which kills your cruise engines for a limited time - time you don’t have. Activating the cruise engines requires about ten free seconds for charging them, and then you take off. You’re only defense here is countermeasures, which use EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) to throw off any incoming missiles, but you’d better scatter them like mad, because as soon as you flip that cruise switch, you’re being hit with every gun and missile there is.
What I haven’t mentioned yet, however, is ships. There is a wide array of these at your disposal, but of course, they’re going to run you a pretty penny. Different ships are made for different purposes. If you buy a freighter, you’ll want to be a merchant, since they have a very high item capacity, high defensive power, and are perfect for transporting exotic goods. They also come equipped with lots of room for turret installation, to fend off small amounts of foes. If you get yourself a nice little fighter, your best bet is doing missions, available at almost any planet or space station. One thing you may be wondering about now is the speed issues. I did say that all ships have the same speed capabilities, possibly leading you to worry that some people may just deck out a freighter and blast everything in sight because a fighter can’t escape. Well, worry no more, because while they all can go the same speed, the smaller your ship, the more agile, meaning much faster turning, ideal for getting behind any hostiles. One other key feature is trade lanes. If you dock with these brilliant little devices, you get hurled through space at an immeasurable speed, but during this process, lane hackers can attack at any given moment, meaning an unwanted fight.
It’s an all-around fun experience offline. You get lots of options, tons of space to roam, and virtually unlimited freedom.
What could be better?
Online/Multi-player Gameplay
My expectations were a huge, extremely laggy server, maybe two, hosted by Microsoft. And to my pleasant surprise, I was wrong. Players host their own servers, and others simply join in and begin the fun. Most servers hold about 15-30 people, an almost disappointing number for me, but good enough, since these people aren’t all on OC256 Fiber-Optic lines. So, I scroll through the server list and scope out the place with the lowest ping. A downside to playing online is that any lag is very, very bad lag. Shooting takes precision and speed, something which can’t be accomplished by Microsoft’s poor attempt at lag reduction. When a server lags, the enemies, for some odd reason, just speed off faster than anything else in the game. You will still take on damage from "unseen" foes and since you’re lagging, you can’t use nanobots or shield batteries (the game’s version of healing, to repair damage). So you can either frantically zoom about, or try to wait it out and risk dying.
On the upside, however, players are generally very generous and friendly, on my first server I met quite a few gracious people and now we talk daily, which is rare in online games these days. The chat system was a bit confusing at first, but it’s pretty simple. You click open the chat window, and it displays all said chat to your channel, or to your current system. There’s a playerlist, which, if you click a name, will put you on that individual’s frequency, along with a few other options. Whatever you click on you are now speaking to. Typing to your current system will display your chat to anyone in the same large area or “system" as you. You can send a message to anyone no matter where they are, or you can form a temporary group and only have messages sent there. Once you form a group, anyone within it will be displayed on your map, and can help you on missions. They will also receive pay.
So, although having private servers is good compared to say, a huge server filled with thousands, it’s downsides are, in this case, very few people, server crashes, and file back-up loss. Your game is saved serverside automatically, so if they lose the info, you lose all yours. Choose a server with a low ping that is respectable, and it should be all good.
Story
Online, there’s really no story. Offline, there’s a pretty good one, and it’s also simple. You are a freelancer that recently escaped an attack on Freeport 7, a military owned ship. You do jobs and gain cash as the story unravels about a big-time pirate-type organization with a dark secret. Your friend King leads a lot of your missions. As you gain levels, you can purchase better merchandise, it’s a long offline game for what it is, and it’s also very intriguing. While you go around, you can see news about the latest happenings in the universe, ranging from "Manhattan," a planet formally known as Earth in a galaxy formally known as the Milky Way, to the prices of items in Berlin, a planet similar to Manhattan in a faraway system.
Audio
Basic voice acting, typical laser blasts, blips and beeps from computer systems, and robot voices. They repeat a lot, but aren’t annoying at all. You’ll probably turn some music on and just sit back and relax. There’s really nothing too special to mention, and really nothing so horrible that I feel the need to make a bad joke about it. Let’s just say basic space sounds.
Final Thoughts
The only game to pull me away from this gem was The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, which is saying a lot for Freelancer. I’ve been hooked since day one and don’t plan on quitting for a while. You’ll often find yourself chatting the days away or going out and killing other players just for their cargo. Whatever you find yourself in, you’ll always be having fun and enjoying the grand scheme of it all. This is the brainchild of Chris "Wing Commander" Roberts, Freelancer’s creator. No wonder it was in the making for so many years. It’s huge, it’s fun, it’s addicting, and it’s gorgeous. What’s not to like? The only advice I have for anyone reading this is, if you’re not already getting ready to buy it, go on out and download the trial. You won’t regret it.
Grab the trial version here.
