Living the dream
If the likes of X-Wing, Wing Commander, and TIE Fighter float your boat, then this first class space combat simulator is going to be right up your alley. It mixes intense action with excellent visuals and heaps of detail to great effect, resulting in a first-class experience. You play the part of Jake Logan, a former hotshot pilot who has now been reduced to flying in the outer zones of the galaxy after being fired when civilians were unfortunately killed while he was on a mission. Out here, laws are thin on the ground and a war is brewing between two rival corporations for control of the sector. Your place in this is to sign up for various missions which get posted and then head out into the deep black to earn yourself some credits. Missions are varied and include the likes of escort duties, cargo scanning, recon, and just blowing stuff up. Earning credits allows you to but new weapons and gear for your ship while you can also hire wingmen to help you out while there are around 60 missions to complete, although they are scripted rather than free-flow. For anyone in search of some space combat thrills, this is a great bet. It gets just about everything right, from the superb visuals which really give you lots of eye candy to enjoy while flying around, to the missions themselves which are challenging, varied, and always entertaining to fly. The game has the feel of a flight simulator but without all the excessive detail so it's easy to get into but deep enough to please the hardcore fans so if you want to live your sci-fi dreams, this is the way to do it.
