"An amazing flight sim"

Before I knew Independence War, the only space flight sims I knew were X-Wing and Tie Fighter. While these were fun to play, they didn't have the challenge, like most flight sims of their time; they were too basic. Then came along Independence War, a beautifully rendered space sim with the complexity that should have been in X-Wing and Tie Fighter.

Gameplay
10/10

Ah, the most important part of this review...also scores the highest, and for good reason. I-War offers some of the most complex gameplay that I have seen in a game. You are the Captain aboard the Dreadnought, a Corvette-class starship. Inside the ship there are four stations - CMD, NAV, WEP, and ENG - each with a different but important function. The CMD (command) station's main function is to show you your objectives, show you a 3-D map, and allow remote control access. The NAV (navigational) station does just what the name implies, flies the ship. This is the most used station, because in it you can also shoot, aim, and do most everything that you need to. The WEP (weapons) station obiously, takes care of the weapons and firing stuff. Although this may sound like a useful and much-used station, most of the shooting will be done through the NAV station, and the view in the WEP station is rather cruddy and much less useful than that of the NAV station. The ENG (engineering) station is used to distribute and shift damage control. This is easily the least visited station - all the officer here does is look at a screen and control repairing the Dreadnought. As you can see, the gameply here is complex and, at first, can seem like an impossible task. Luckily, the game eases you into the working of the ship, and before you know, it, the game handles very easily.

Storyline
9/10

This is perhaps one of the coolest storylines I have ever heard in a game, and it isn't all that hard to understand. The game doesn't just throw you into the middle of a huge battle, but rather starts you out in a salvage mission where you actually get the Dreadnought. Then it gets more in-depth and understandable, and ends up being a very cool game in the end.

SFX/Music
8/10

There isn't much music to speak of, but the sounds here are amazing. For instance, when you engage the LDS drive, there is a loud whooshing and then a hum as you move through space. When you shoot a PBC, there is an energy type sound.

Graphics
8/10

The graphics must have been good for their time...but nowadays, they aren't so hot. The edges of a lot of the objects are jagged and unappealing, while the planets in the distance look so 2-D, it's pathetic. But there are still good things about the graphics. One is that there are beautifully designed ships, and the explosions look pretty cool. The graphics here could use a little work, but otherwise, they aren't all that bad.

Replay
8/10

The game is fun to play again and again, though some of the missions are boring and not fun to reply. There is the Instant Action mode, which pits your single Dreadnought (with a few reinforcements along the way) against an unlimited (literally) amount of enemies. It is, to say the least, hard.

Overall
9/10 (NOT an average)

This is a must-have for space flight simmers that have a lot of experience, but for the newbies to the genre, a very difficult game. For the cheap price they make you pay (roughly $20.00) it is a good buy. Although at first the game may seem daunting, it is definitely a great game for those familiar with the genre. For those that don't have much experience, leave it 'til you get better.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/07/02, Updated 06/07/02