Freelancer

"A fresh look into space sims"

When I first heard of Freelancer, I was intrigued by its promises of freedom of movement and action, about being anything or anyone you'd wish to be, since a pirate to a goody-two-shoes police officer, a trader, etc. After playing the game for a while, a big while because the darned game is very addictive, I realized that there was no absolute freedom, at least until you finish de SP storyline, but there were a lot of good topics about this game. Purists of the space simulations might tone them down, because of the simplicity, but it has been a while since a game of this kind captivated me so much.

Controls - 10/10

Sick and tired of those space sims where you are required to have four hands and 8 fingers in each to one to properly command your vessel? Ok, then, Freelancer is the game you seek. It has a simple mouse+keyboard interface that will allow you to effectively command your ship through navigation and battle without having to do many gymnastics. Absolutely brilliant.

Gameplay - 9/10

Gameplay is very good, but it has small faults that could be corrected. Namely, all ships have the same top speed, which is not very accurate. They differ only in turning speed. It is also impossible to spin your ship, due to the simplicity of the controls, but this is something you won't be needing to do, as you can always find a way to dodge your opponent's shots. Besides this, the game runs very smoothly, the travels are based on a system of trade lanes and jump gates/holes that could prove themselves a little tedious, but gives the game a nice dose of realism and peace after that tough battle against 6 enemy vessels on your own. The combats range from extremely easy to extremely tough, depending on your ship, weapons and skill. All in all, it is well balanced.

Storyline - 8/10

Ok, nothing very extravagant here, it has a little political foul play, a powerful alien race, deceit, and treasons. You'll find yourself roaming the space chasing bad guys or being chased as one of them. After you finish the well designed SP campaign, the real freelancing commences. From here you will be able to take every mission you want, gain levels and money, get new ships, more powerful weapons, and discover the many secrets scattered around the systems. And remember that the SP shows you about half of the Sirius Sector!

Graphics - 9/10

All the systems, planets and bases are very well done. Some of the space sectors are quite breathtaking and you will find yourself dazzled while cruising through asteroid-filled ice clouds or caught in a dozen ships' firefight. The only downpoint of the game may be the fact that the bases and capital ships' size are not so big as they could or should be. It is not that much of a problem, but it affects the game impact a bit.

Sound - 7/10

The music and sound effects behave themselves nicely, you get the typical ''swoosh'' of the engines, the zapping of lasers and stuff. The voice actings are pretty regular, not too good, not too bad. The random radio chatter is also well applied, except for the fact that Rheinland (german), Kusari (japanese) or Bretonian (english) staff and pilots all speak with the same american accent. Globalization issues, perhaps.

Replayability - 9/10

This game as a wide lifespan. And why? Well, after you finish the SP campaign, you get the so promised total freedom. And you can even reverse your deeds so far, by allying with criminal groups via bribes or attacks to police bases and convoys and become one of the galaxy most feared terrorists! Of course, all takes its time, but the idea of being able to roam around through space freely, doing whatever you wish, does really exists, and it is quite gratifying. In addition, you have a good multiplayer mode, with a lot of servers, and in some of them you can even start in different factions rather than the Liberty Navy.

Overall - 9/10

Despite what many people say, Freelancer does live up to most of its promises. The point is, you'll take time to reap the full benefits of the total freedom system. Sure, there isn't much of it in the Single Player campaign, but I'm not sure if the game could have been in other way. If you want freedom from the start, though, you can always log on into multiplayer mode. The easy control system also guarantees that, even if you are a newcomer to spaceflight simulators, you can easily get the handle with Freelancer. A very well made game, a very good pick for your gaming collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/04