Where's the next part or expansion?!

This game is one of the best space dogfighting games around, it's a great mix of space battles, exploration and trading. The story is good actually, it won't blow your mind but it has enough twists and turns to keep you interested and the end game is interesting and amazing ( that last battle you will NEVER forget). After you finish the story missions( in which i recommend that you use fighter class ships in them) you can do whatever the hell you want. Want to trade commodities? Do it, want to smuggle drugs and illegal artifacts? Do it. You can also hunt bounties but they are a bit dissapointing,the bounties ( which ranges from killing someone, destroying an enemy installation and more) get stale after awhile cause your basically doing the same missions over and over, but it's a great way to earn some money when you in the middle of the story missions.

It's an amazing experience playing this game ( especially if you love everything related with sci fi or space) the different systems and sectors are filled with secret pirate bases, destroyed ships which you can earn some experimental weapons from them ( think of them like the legendary weapons of some other rpgs) and there are even secret systems which you can discover after you finish the game, great stuff. You also deal with different factions, and when you finish the story missions, you can join whoever you want, do missions for them, trade with them and buy ships and equipment from them. The story missions are a blast to play, they have so much variety in them that you won't be bored with them.

Graphics: The environments look great, obviously it's an old game, but there are amazing vistas to be seen, an space enthusiast dream come true. Ships look great and explosions look great.4.75

Sound: The eerie nothingness of space, laser cannons, your ship's engine, and the great dialogue spurted from people when you take them down or force them to retreat are a great experience. 4.75

controls: The ships feel different from one another and the mouse flying controls are great i never had the temptation to buy a joystick. Great customization of the controls for easy access for the different functions such as shield recovery and hull recovery.4.75

This game is definitely for gamers that love complex games, and this game is going to be enjoyed a hell of a lot more by people that love exploring every nook and cranny, i can't recall how many hours i put in this game JUST exploring the secret systems, finding marooned ships and more. You'll have a blast from the great ( and sometimes intense) combat, exploring everything, figuring out where to buy and then sell commodities, figuring out to get to wherever your selling said commodities faster and safer. The only bad things about the game is that i wanted more content, an expansion of some kind, more ships, weapons and missions but that's just nit picking, enjoy!

Freelancer

Freelancer is expansive and fun to play, with a great musical score and combat system to boot, the mouse and keyboard combo felt completely natural to me since I've never even Seen a sidewinder pro let alone used a device like it. A large amount of systems to explore and dozens of factions to influence make Freelancer a very enjoyable and replayable experience, there are a few downsides and a few gripes, the repeating voices seem to annoy other people but I dont acknowledge it. The mission system is just too small and repetitive for such a huge Syrius Sector, with the biggest missions being those that allow you to destroy random enemy installations, the others are either assasination, killing ships, cargo destruction, loot tractoring, or capturing certain people. This limitation will become very repetitive when traveling through all of the flashy and cool space that there is to explore, being a Merchant is far more rewarding than actually taking missions, as you're reputation remains un-affected by it. People griped about not being able to immediatly go off into the open-ended universe and being forced to go through the Very well planned and interesting plot,and quite frankly they can just shut up. I flew most of the hardest parts with an inferior ship and only got killed 2 times due to my own stupidity, Hopefully these small limitations will be addressed in perhaps an expansion pack of some kind or online content provided by the wonderful Microsoft Game Studios who dont have to do so but probably will because they are cool that way. Once you reach the top it gets somewhat boring, but because of all of the factions and reputation you can get, it leaves it wide open for some very elaborate experimentation, I recommend this game to all those who love fun games.

A 1 Disc Surprise

I recently picked up Freelancer after reading the Preview in GamePro, and was a bit surprised when it was only 1 disc, seeing as most of the better games of today are 2 - 3 long. But I was pleasantly surprised when I installed it and started playing, it takes a bit to get started but once you do, it's pretty intense action all the way through. The dogfights are awesome and well animated; Enemy AI is challenging but not overly so. There have been mixed feelings about not supporting a joystick but I see no problem with the mouse/keyboard combo. After the first mission its second nature, although, I think joystick options might have been nice for other who are used to them, as well as those looking for force feedback. Game music isn't amazing but keeps up with the game, Melodic at times of travel, and upbeat and fast during combat. However my voices drop out half the time, so I think I'm missing important dialog. The graphics are what impress me most since this is a single disc game. The character models are crisp and well shaded, the ships, though a bit modular, are well designed and look good overall. Graphics are where this game shines. Overall, it's a great game, even if the mission structure is a bit repetitive.

Privateer super clone?

I will definitely be buying this title. Finally a newer version of "Privateer". Am I right? I was a big fan of that series... and prayed day and night for someone to embelish on that idea...trade routes...dogfights... illegal goods.... I felt like Han Solo in the millenium falcon smugglin spice for Jabba. Runnin from the popo. Super clone of Privateer is what I say... A good thing.