Transcript Free Lancer (Ljungman

Game Review by Johan Ljungman
Publisher:
Microsoft
Developer: Digital Anvil
Type of Game:
Space RPG and Simulation
System Requirements:
• Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
• 600 MHz processor
• 128 MB RAM
• 900 MB hard drive space
• 16 MB 3D graphics card
• CD Drive, Sound Card
Price: $19.99
Quick Overview
• 4 Major Governments
– New Liberty (Based on the US)
– Bretonia (Based on the UK)
– Kusari (Based on Japan)
– Rheinland (Based on Germany)
• Outlying Areas filled with pirates with
remnants of what’s left of the Hispania
Story Line
You play as Edison Trent trying to restart your life
after the attack. You get recruited by the New
Liberty Security Force and they give you your
first ship to get you started again. The game has
a main story in which you try to figure out who
attacked you and what’s happening to the
leaders of the nations. The main story is used to
unlock new ships and ship upgrades but once
the main story arc is completed you get full
access to the universe.
Scoring
The game has two ways to measure success.
• Levels are gained by following the main story
line
• Money is gained by doing missions and trading
between planets and space stations.
• The two are linked in the way that some of the
levels in the main story require you to gain a
certain amount of personal wealth.
Artwork
The game itself has gorgeous space
environments in which the player can use
what he can see as visual aids for
navigation in each system. The planets
themselves have a set landscape that ties
into its location in the universe.
Sound and Music
Freelancer using a dynamic sound where things
that happen farther away sound like they
actually are farther away whereas if someone
crashes straight into you you’ll definitely know.
The music is made not by just one composer but
by many to give the game a feeling of depth.
The New Liberty space will have a different
score from say Kusari space.
Manual
The manual has 42 pages and contains a
run down of how to install the game, HUD
layout and the basics to flight and combat.
Bugs
• Because the game has been out a little
over three years most of the bugs have
been fixed.
What’s Fun
The open ended game play lets you choose
whichever path you want to take. After the
main story ends you have the opportunity
to go back into the game and make it into
whatever you wish
What is bad
Game can get a little repetitive if doing
missions and the long merchant hauls are
not very entertaining unless you’re into the
thrill of escaping from space pirates in a
big lug, doing a particularly dangerous
route can be very frustrating
How does it compare
I have not played any game that’s similar to
this one. The open ended game play is
very hard to find in games now and the
space genre is no longer a good market
for developers.
Appropriate Audience
• Any Space Adventure fan
• Players that love a good story
Overall Strengths and Weaknesses
• Strengths:
– Open ended game play
– Great graphics in the space environments
– Great combat sound and interaction
– Mouse steering, no need for clunky joysticks
• Weaknesses
– Game play can get repetitive
– Niche market
Worth buying?
Definitely, it has one of the best stories of
any game I’ve played up to date with many
mods to download to continue the
experience, there’s also multiplayer
servers for pvp and guild management.
How to improve on it
• Adding a better multiplayer system
• Adding a mod creator to the system for
easy modding