Honest Review of Freelancer
thought I would write a mini-review of free lancer since i have been playing the marketing beta for a while now. First of all, the mouse control works. The emphasis is on works. Its a good control scheme. But it lacks the immersive feel of a joystick. There I said it. I think the game should have had an option for the user. Sometimes I do miss it. And I think Combat is easy due to the lack of it.
Graphics are beautiful. But on the simple side. I dont know what it is, but somtimes they have the "cardboard" look. But it wont beat unreal tournament 2 or UT 2003.
Gameplay is addictive but REPETITIVE and gets boring after a while. AI ranges from simple to more simple. Numbers make up for the lack of it. I havent seen the AI do anything stupid, but I havent seen it do anything smart either. Missions for a particular class (e.g. Bounty Hunter) are generic and repetitive. Trade routes are fixed and so are the prices. Demand/supply are not dynamic. Your reputation practically determines everything. Trying to remain neutral is impossible.
Single Player is what keeps the game and story interesting. Somehow you have to do the SP missions which forces one to have a negative reputation with the outlaws. It would have been nice if one could choose from the beginning his/her allegiance.
Planets, Stations, Bases lose their appeal after a while, and one struggles to get through the conversation as fast as possible. But exploration has its rewards. The Neural Net gets updated with the current prices of good, weapons , and ships available everytime you land on a new base.
The professions feel hollow somehow. I think they are too open ended since you can abandon it and try another profession without difficulty. You dont get the feeling that you are a REAL bounty hunter since you really dont establish a personal feeling with a group of people like in a guild. Your not awarded for doing what your doing or get any sort of recognition from the Bounty Hunter Community etc.
Overall, Freelancer is a good game, and the size of the game is astonishing. Its a good experience while it lasts. But I think after the Story Missions end, most people will abandon the SP and try MP since there is no incentive to go on except to get the next best ship.
This was my opinion of the game. Some might differ. And that is perfectly fine. Since everyone will feel a different way about it. Just wanted to say I had fun posting on the forums and I hope you enjoy the game.