Freelancer

"A Simple Space Shooter that Gets the Job Done"

Note
Freelancer claims to be a game that lets you do whatever you want; while this is semi-true, I recommend that you complete the story missions first so that you are allowed access to everything available in the game. You cannot gain access to specific ships and areas if you do not complete the story mode first; everything will be accessible when you finish the main mission. Most of this review is based on my experience of the game during story play; I think there is also a multiplayer mode, and I didn’t really explore the rest of Freelancer after I finished the main story.

Introduction
Simplicity is always best. Freelancer presents a space-shooter that gets the job done. You are Trent, about to embark on an adventure that will change the future of the universe. Basically, you travel around doing jobs for Junko Zane and her associates, and gather money for upgrading your ship and weapons. Freelancer is a decent game, and, although it really didn’t entertain me after I completed the main quest, the main quest was enjoyable enough. It’s satisfying while it lasts, and worth playing.

The Basics
Freelancer’s main story is extremely linear. In order to progress at any point in the game, you must do the jobs that Junko (of the Liberty Security Forces) presents to you. You always have the option to do jobs for other people or corporations, but I found straying from the given path was altogether pointless. There were only a few instances during which I ran low on money/credits and had to do optional jobs to get money to fix or upgrade my ship. You gain a reputation amongst the different groups and corporations as you perform jobs for different people. The system is simple; each group has their individual allies and enemies. Perform a job for one group, and their allies will start to like you; their enemies will then become hostile towards you. In case you’re wondering, their hostility means that they will shoot at you on sight should you happen to come across them during your intergalactic travels. In any event, the reputation really ceases to have any meaning before you complete the game. You must advance the story in order to get ahead in the game at all. This means the friendly reputations you make can be jeopardized by the jobs you take with Junko. That's why i recommend you finish the main mission first, so you can ally yourself with whoever you want to later. As you take more story based jobs, more of the story will be revealed to you. You will then by allowed access to new areas initially blocked off, as well as new ships, weapons etc. As I mentioned, the game is linear, meaning that you will basically be doing one story job and then another and then another. There are also waiting periods during which you are forced to do non story jobs to build up your value/worth (yes, you have a monetary value) and your level (you advance levels by doing jobs, increasing your value, but mainly by completing the main quests). That’s basically the gist of the main concepts of the game.

The Eye-Candy
Freelancer doesn’t try to go all out with spiffy graphics and impressive explosions, but the graphics aren’t horrendous either. Everything runs smoothly, even when I have a crap-load of programs running along with Freelancer. There aren’t any glitches or problems because there aren’t too many graphics involved in the first place. You have your ship at the center of the screen, other ships, possibly asteroids or mines, and lasers flying all over the screen, quite possibly enough to induce a seizure. The planets and ships are fairly detailed, and the worlds are crisp and clean. The interactions with other people are done very nicely. There are various cut-scenes that occur during the main quest, and they are flawless, if I remember correctly. Don’t worry about a thing, you’ll be able to see things well enough to get through the game, and there won’t be any graphical problems to worry about.

The Sounds
There wasn’t really much music in the game, but whenever there was any, it sounded great. There are tons of sound effects (mainly explosions) that could have been touched up upon just a little bit more. The repetitive laser fire might sound just a little redundant in a long battle. When things blow up, you hear the same boom over and over. I’m not one to complain, but there are people who might get annoyed at that minor detail. When you’re interacting with people in the bar, things might sound a little funny if you listen closely. There are prerecorded clips that play during your conversations. Here’s an example that may demonstrate what I mean: Hello, you must be new here/Um, yeah/I see. Well my name is (Insert Name Here) of the (Insert Corporation or Association Here). It might sound a little funny, but then again you can always skip the conversations altogether. Other than that, there really are no gripes to be made regarding the sound and music; there’s really not too much to begin with, and as a result, not much to complain about.

The Game
Getting used to Freelancer might take a while; I basically learned everything in a couple of hours. Programming the buttons to your liking is very useful, but tricky. In order for me to not play through the game twisting my hands in order to reach the right buttons, I had to spend about give or take 30 minutes reprogramming the controls, but it was worth it. Take my word for it because as you progress, the more difficult missions will require strategic uses of mines, missiles, and maneuvering. If you don’t know the functions of your ship, you’ll be a sitting duck. The game takes place on one of two different places: you’ll either be in space in your ship, or on a friendly world, base, or battleship in a semi-free roaming area. You don’t actually get to move around when you land in a friendly area. Instead, you are given the choice of going to the landing pad, the bar, the equipment dealer, and the ship dealer. You click on whichever one you want to go to, and voila! You are there, and can do whatever you need to. For example, in the bar, you can get jobs and learn rumors, and the equipment dealer sells you upgrades and fixes your ship for you. Learning how to fly around in space might take a while to learn, but it’s also pretty simple once you get used to it. You have choices between free flying mode and mouse flight mode; one works best for non combat situations and the other for combat. The universe is humongous, and your thrusters, even on maximum speed, can’t get you where you want to go as fast as they should. The main planets/systems/bases have trading lanes that can accelerate your ship to your destination quickly. However, many of the jobs that you take will have you going to places in the outskirts of the main areas, meaning that you will have to sit back and watch your ship get there, slowly. (That’s my main and possibly only complaint of the game; you will be forced to sit and wait for you ship to get to the destination a lot. 30 seconds might not seem like a long time, but you have to wait for those 30 seconds more often than you’d expect.) The map tells you where to go, and your journal makes sure you remember why you’re there in the first place. It’s all pretty simple and easy to learn, and it works. What more could you ask for?

Conclusion
If you’re not a person that will get annoyed with simplistic tasks and a little bit of waiting, then Freelancer will satisfy you during your periods of boredom. It doesn’t require a lot of time dedication, as you can complete a task, and just play a little each day. That’s what I did, and the game still managed to last for over a week. I haven’t tried the multiplayer, and I haven’t explored the world that I opened up after I beat the game. Those might provide even more entertainment, but I can’t back that up. The main story is what I focused on, and it entertained me more than I had initially anticipated. Freelancer might not have spectacular visuals or things like that, but the story has enough twists and turns to keep your mind focused for the duration of the main story. And that’s what makes Freelancer worth playing; it’s just a simple first person shooter that manages to get the job done.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/04