Pirates! Can we outrun them? Damn! Well, would they accept a bribe? What? They won’t even consider it? Okay, well, drop the cargo. No? Give them the ship and they’ll let us live? Oh, they’re not actually pirates, they’re just mindless omnicidal monsters pretending to be pirates? Well… I guess I’ll just reload an old save, then.
That’s how some games treat pirates. It’s stupid, boring and rubbish.
Star Traders: Frontiers is better than that. It’s better than just about everything.
RPS Feature Is There Space In My Heart?
I have always wanted a space game to play. The boundless stretches, galaxies to explore, the awe-inspiring magic of flying a spaceship – the concept sings to me like a siren. And yet, as I wade gleefully into the waters to follow the source of that melody, I drown every single time. Every single time the game is a mad mess of fiddling and worrying and menus and doing taxes and buying ore and achingly annoying combat of flying in crazed circles trying to get to an angle from which I can shoot spaceships that seem always able to shoot at me. Every single time it’s a chore, not a pleasure. It’s space shopping. I flat-out don’t want space shopping.
Yesterday Graham said I should look at last November’s Rebel Galaxy [official site], because it was from some of the Torchlight team. I remind myself of the screenshots, and say to him, “Is it strategy, Graham? IS IT?” He promises me it isn’t. So, is this the space game for me?
