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Space Race: Starlight Inception's A Kickstarter Space Sim


I'm amazed that no-one's managed to really nail the space combat genre since Freelancer. Ships and explosions, then more and bigger ships and bigger explosions. It's not astrophysics... okay, a bit of it is astrophysics. So hire an astrophysicist, but one that allows you to have fiery explosions and lasers. Sheesh. Newly Kickstartered space combat sim Starlight Inception probably doesn't have an astrophysicist working on it, and for that we'll have to give it some slack. But at least it has a heart-shaped crosshair pointed at all the right inspirations: Freelancer, X-Wing vs TIE Fighter. The now traditional self-deprecating Kickstarter pitch is hovering below.


It has potential, and you can see the twin towers of Freelancer and X-Wing vs TIE Fighter poking up. I'm starting to wonder about Kickstarter: is it the game or the people behind it that gets you interested? Garry's pitch relies heavily on his Lucasarts past, but I'm only really interested in the ideas present in the game. I'd give money to anyone capable of pulling off a decent space blaster with a bit more to it than holding down the laser button. Do the developers even need to tell you if they're new or old, or do they just need to have a workable concept and smart ideas? Tim Schafer is a bit of a combo-breaker in this line of thought: it was all about him and his studio, no?

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