Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:25 pm
Freelancer2: The dream re-kindeled
Now before people start flaming me for getting their hopes up, let me say now that freelancer 2 will almost certainly never happen. I'm just dreaming of what could be.
Since we first finished the SP campaign for freelancer, fans have be praying for a sequel. In all that time, we've always assumed it would be another PC outing. I mean, come on, who wants to pay $30 per month plus broadband fees to play a space sim on a less intuitive platform like the X-box? (X3 anyone?). Or worse yet, have to buy whole new computer becuase the game required Vista to run (sans Halo PC 2).
My friends, I have seen the future, and it features an Italian plumber, an elf with a sword and a pointy green hat, and a pink, ballony, sucks things in and spits them out killing enemies thingie... (ran out of steam). Thats right Nintendo (if you didn't catch those references, get out from under that rock and learn your gaming heritage) has reveaved it's new controller, for its upcoming console system and it is a thing of beauty.
Nintendo has finally figured out what we PC gamers have known for the last 20 years: the power of the mouse. If you haven't seen this thing yet, go take a look, I guarantee you'll be drooling or your money back. Your first reaction will be "WTF is this? How am I supposed to play games with something that looks like my TV remote?". As you read on, the truth wil reveal itself. That feeling of horror and revulsion will give way to thoughts of "Holy S_ _t!!! Imagine playing {insert favorite game here} with a motion sensitive controller".
So what does any of this have to do with freelancer? The answer should be becoming clear by now. The last hurdle has been cleared. For the fist time it will be possible to have a console space sim with the intuitive controll scheme of a PC game. Instead of clunky joysticks and 20 buttons, imagine pointing your controller where you want to fly/shoot. For the first time in history, there may be a console capable of doing justice to the great space sim titles instead of poorly envisioned, throw your controller at the wall nightmares.
Combine that with the low/nonexistent online network fees that Sony and Nintendo have thus far embraced, and Freelancer 2 sounds like a real possibility. Unfortunately, I can't see the corporate vampires at microsoft ever letting go of something that could make them money, especially to a competitor. So I guess we'll just have to go back to dreaming.
Edited by - vorticaldwarf on 4/25/2006 1:27:59 PM
Since we first finished the SP campaign for freelancer, fans have be praying for a sequel. In all that time, we've always assumed it would be another PC outing. I mean, come on, who wants to pay $30 per month plus broadband fees to play a space sim on a less intuitive platform like the X-box? (X3 anyone?). Or worse yet, have to buy whole new computer becuase the game required Vista to run (sans Halo PC 2).
My friends, I have seen the future, and it features an Italian plumber, an elf with a sword and a pointy green hat, and a pink, ballony, sucks things in and spits them out killing enemies thingie... (ran out of steam). Thats right Nintendo (if you didn't catch those references, get out from under that rock and learn your gaming heritage) has reveaved it's new controller, for its upcoming console system and it is a thing of beauty.
Nintendo has finally figured out what we PC gamers have known for the last 20 years: the power of the mouse. If you haven't seen this thing yet, go take a look, I guarantee you'll be drooling or your money back. Your first reaction will be "WTF is this? How am I supposed to play games with something that looks like my TV remote?". As you read on, the truth wil reveal itself. That feeling of horror and revulsion will give way to thoughts of "Holy S_ _t!!! Imagine playing {insert favorite game here} with a motion sensitive controller".
So what does any of this have to do with freelancer? The answer should be becoming clear by now. The last hurdle has been cleared. For the fist time it will be possible to have a console space sim with the intuitive controll scheme of a PC game. Instead of clunky joysticks and 20 buttons, imagine pointing your controller where you want to fly/shoot. For the first time in history, there may be a console capable of doing justice to the great space sim titles instead of poorly envisioned, throw your controller at the wall nightmares.
Combine that with the low/nonexistent online network fees that Sony and Nintendo have thus far embraced, and Freelancer 2 sounds like a real possibility. Unfortunately, I can't see the corporate vampires at microsoft ever letting go of something that could make them money, especially to a competitor. So I guess we'll just have to go back to dreaming.
Edited by - vorticaldwarf on 4/25/2006 1:27:59 PM
