Space Flight Sim?

[jgbishop]

The last (and only) space flight sim I've played is the immortal X-Wing, in that galaxy oh so far away, and oh so long ago. Recently I've been hankering for another one, and I'm not real sure why. I mostly play action games (Max Payne 2, Jedi Knight, NOLF, etc.) and the occasional Sim (Sim City 3000, The Sims, etc).

What are some recommendations for space sims? I need a new joystick, and I thought I might buy a game along with one with some of my leftover Christmas money. I currently only have a Pentium III 1 GHz with a GeForce 2 MX (yes, that's a two). But I plan to upgrade my machine within the next month or two as well, so feel free to mention any titles.

I hear that Tie Fighter is as good (if not better) than X-Wing, but something new would certainly be welcome. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jonah

 

[Aftermath]

My favorites ever were Descent: Freespace 1 and 2.

 

[Atlantean]

Ok I really liked freelancer, thats a pretty good space sim, and x2 the threat is the latest one that I have played and it seems pretty good, though havent really gotten into it. I agree with aftermath that the decent freespace games were great.

 

[Racewiz]

I really like Starlancer, one of the best of late. Had its issues but was fun to play.

 

[mundane]

You shouldn't have any issues runnnig Freespace, like Aftermath said. That's my favorite Space Flight Sim to date (discounting classic wing commander)

 

[Descartes]

How about a real space sim?

 

[jgbishop]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. You guys mentioned Descent: Freespace and I instantly thought of the Descent series where you fly around in tunnels and the like. After a little reading, I see that I was so wrong! For anyone who doesn't already know (like I previously didn't), Freespace is an entirely different game. And it's one that I just might check out.

And that real space sim you mentioned, Descartes, looks nice too. I'll be sure to give it a try. Launching off in a space shuttle has to be pretty neat (at least given by the screenshots I saw)! What about Wing Commander 3? I've heard that's pretty cool. Those games are probably in the bargain bin down at my local Best Buy too!

Thanks again!

 

[kursplat]

i've never seen a space sim . they are all space FANTASY games. a modern space sim would get you on a russian rocket and take you to the space station or you would be a martian rover hoping the people who planned the trip were all using feet OR meters for your landing.
X-Wing did rock though...

 

[clicknext]

How about X-Wing Alliance, same idea as X-Wing, but just better! (in my opinion)

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: Descartes
How about a real space sim?

That looks neat, I think I'm going to DL it .. good link!

 

[microAmp]

Originally posted by: TheVrolok

Originally posted by: Descartes
How about a real space sim?

That looks neat, I think I'm going to DL it .. good link!

Downloading it myself too

 

[Confused]

Originally posted by: motoamd

Originally posted by: TheVrolok

Originally posted by: Descartes
How about a real space sim?

That looks neat, I think I'm going to DL it .. good link!

Downloading it myself too

Downloaded already.

Guess I should try to find a joystick, huh?


Confused

 

[microAmp]

Joystick helps when you are on Earth, but had a problem being able to do anything in space, turning one direction or another, I need to look at the keyboard commands.

Better becareful of speeding up the time, I ended up 1/2 ways to Mars before I realized what I did.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

One I liked (old) was Wing Commander Prophecy)

 

[b4u]

For space simulators, I love X-Wing, TIE-Fighter, and X-Wing Alliance. You should check the latter one ...

Freelancer is good too ... the single player is great, it kept me hooked until I finished it. Multiplayer is good too, but has some irritating limitations ...

Oh, and Freelancer doesn't play with Joystick, and that's bad ... considering it's distributed by a big company who makes joysticks ... microsoft itself ... eheheh. Freelancer controls like X-Wing, with the mouse ... but lacks the invert mouse feature ... which (at least for me) is very bad indeed. The game is a little bit more to the arcade side ... but it's a game you should try ... I believe there is a demo.

Now that link for Orbiter looks great ... thanks

Anyone tried it? Any good? Post some feedback (positive and negative ones )

 

[Jadow]

IMO Freelancer sucked. It definitely was NOT Privateer updated. Who's crazy idea was it to have that lame automatic mouse control? They dumb the games down so much, and over simplify that playing freelancer was like having a lobotomy.

 

[Grimner]

Mention of a "real" space sim?
Well, there is old I-War. Good story, but so realistic it was a pain to play. Found it was easier to run with keyboard only...

X-Wing: Alliance isn't too bad either. Upgraded graphics - and you'll recognize everything from the original X-Wing

 

[John P]

The Wing Commander III series was fun - the one with Biff from Back to the Future.

Anyone else remember an old arcade game called Lunar Lander? I wonder if there is a PC port for that somewhere.

 

[b4u]

Originally posted by: Jadow
IMO Freelancer sucked. It definitely was NOT Privateer updated. Who's crazy idea was it to have that lame automatic mouse control? They dumb the games down so much, and over simplify that playing freelancer was like having a lobotomy.

That's the problem with about 95% of today games ... they develop them fast, based on engines of another games (no problem here), but those classical games that we played and still love don't see an updated version ... and if they "remake" them with updated graphics, they almost for certaint will loose some functionality that made them a classic hit!

Take for instance that same example of Privateer ... Freelancer should have been an updated Privateer ... but it's only a good game that doesn't make ANY justice to that blessed classical ... Privateer ROCKS!!!

Another example: Syndicate ... do you see any updated game for that? And that was a great game! But today, we see games based on movies all around, and FPS that are based on the same engines, changing only the graphics and some functionalities ... but basically the same.

I want Syndicate! I want Privateer! I want X-Wing! I want Sam n Max, Day of The Tentacle ...

Man, I want the old games back! with new IMPROVED graphics and features!

 

[Jadow]

I'd like a good Roberta Williams designed Kings Quest ADVENTURE game. IMO the last good one was KQ6

 

[jgbishop]

Does anyone know where I might find Descent Freespace and Freespace 2 for a reasonable price? The more I look, the harder it is to find it at a reasonable price. Amazon has Freespace 2 for $59.00, but it's from an independent seller. And how am I to know whether or not it's a pirated copy?

Any suggestions? Chips & Bits has Freespace for $9.95, but they don't have the second game. :brokenheart:

 

[Aftermath]

I want Syndicate! I want Privateer! I want X-Wing! I want Sam n Max, Day of The Tentacle ...

Well, small bit of good news there is that supposedly Sam & Max II is in the works.
No idea on any release date, but I hope and prey they don't destroy the basic formula that made the first one so great.

 

[John P]

Does anyone know where I might find Descent Freespace and Freespace 2 for a reasonable price? The more I look, the harder it is to find it at a reasonable price. Amazon has Freespace 2 for $59.00, but it's from an independent seller. And how am I to know whether or not it's a pirated copy?

Do you have an Electronics Boutique nearby? Try digging through their stack of used software. I found a copy of X-Wing vs Tie Fighter I was looking for (not quite sure why). They supposedly come with a lifetime warranty. While you're there pick up a copy of European Air War for $9.99 and IL-2 Forgotten Battles for $14.99, great price for some games to "mess around with" at that price.

 

[AlphaNex]

Freespace 2 is a very very very rare game, 59 bucks is a really good price for it. Last time I saw it was on ebay for around 80 bucks. (Hugs his original unblemished copy complete with original paper case).

Its also one of the best games ive ever played. Ever. And its only about 2.3% better than the first one. These are truly great games. It is also now considered abandonware and can be downloaded from certain abandonware sites for free but dont bother. You dont get the cutscenes, music, and voices. Trust me, either buy it or dont, dont get the ripped version because that will ruin one of the best games ever.

 

[b4u]

Is Freespace 2 played online nowadays?