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Robots need not apply
By Tilted Kitty
Elite. Independence War II - Edge of Chaos. Homeworld. Freelancer. X2 - The Threat. UFO - Interceptor. Some of the best games I've ever played have been set in the timeless expanse of space. So when I heard about DarkStar One, I wanted it. Oh, how I wanted it.
X2 - in the beginning.
The blurb on the box promises so much. An epic storyline, play the game the way YOU want to play it (bounty hunter, mercenary, trader), a ship you can upgrade however you want to. The list seems to go on and on.
It's a shame, then, to install the game and start playing it, only to discover... a clone of Freelancer. Ok, so the storyline is different - in DarkStar One you start out by trying to find out who killed your father - and there are subtle differences in the interface and the way certain elements of the gameplay work. But as soon as you start flying, the game is recognisable as being just like Freelancer. The controls are more or less identical. When you dock at a station, the interface is more or less the same. As you're flying around, pirates attack in pretty much the same sort of way, at the same sort of times, and die in the same sort of manner.
So why, then, am I enjoying it so much?
DaaaarkStaaaaaar Oooooonnnnnneeeeee.
Well, lets start with the ship itself, the DarkStar One, as you're stuck with it throughout the game. But that's not as bad as it sounds, since you can change the way the ship looks, and acts, using the upgrade system. Find artefacts scattered around the galaxy, and they allow you to upgrade the ship's hull, wings or engine, each with different effects. Upgrade the wings, and you can add more front facing weapons, and the agility improves, turning the DS1 into a fighter. Concentrate on the hull, and you get turret slots and become tougher, turning you more into a kind of frigate. Upgrade the engines and become more like a tug, making it easier to transport goods. Combine the above and you end up with a fairly customisable ship.
Mmmmm... custom...
This does lead to a slight gameplay issue though. Once you get quite far into the game, you'll be fighting extremely tough pirates and the like. If you go down the route I chose, of using turrets (which incidentally are self aiming and firing), you 're in danger of making it almost too easy to continue. If you upgrade the engines only (i.e. go for trader) you end up with little in the way of offensive or defensive weaponry. And if you only upgrade your wings, you become a pure fighter craft, agile and good on front facing firepower, but if you're up against multiple ships, often with many behind you while you try to destroy that one ship that avoids every shot - well... you get the picture.
What say we take this ship, lads, hmmm?
But despite this, the game remains enjoyable to play. Why else could that be? Well, the storyline seems a bit better done than Freelancer's was, being a little more relaxed - you might get a message saying to head to a particular station, but if you ignore it, it won't continually remind you to go and do it. On the other hand, if you want to eventually progress, you'll need to follow the story - you won't get access to the vital long-range jump drives unless you do. That's not a huge problem, but it's worth considering.
If you enjoyed Freelancer, you'll love DarkStar One. If not, you'll despise it. But if you know what you like out of your space combat/trading games, you know what you're getting into, and if this isn't your thing, you can't say you haven't been warned.
October 2006
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