PC Gamer Annual - UK (2022)

R

eleased in 1999,
Freespace 2 is
generally regarded as
one of the best space
sims ever made. But
it’s worth bearing in mind that, for
a long time, Freespace 2 didn’t have
much competition. In the 2000s,
space sims almost disappeared
completely, with only a handful of
notable titles like Freelancer, X3,
and EVE Online appearing through
that decade. Freespace 2 was the
last of the great ’90s space sims, and
there appeared to be little new
coming out that could challenge it.

Since 2010, however, the situation has
changed. Space sims have seen a
welcome resurgence, with major
projects like Elite Dangerous, No
Man’s Sky, and Star Wars: Squadrons
careening out of hyperspace

alongside a swarm of indie titles like

Evochron Mercenary, Everspace, and

House of the Dying Sun. Can a

20-year-old space combat simulator

really hack it against these newer,

glossier, more powerful vessels?

I don’t want to spoil the ending,

but the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.

Not only is Freespace 2 still fantastic,

it remains astonishingly fresh.

Playing Freespace 2 does initially

come with a side of narrative

whiplash, especially if you haven’t

played the first game – the somewhat

awkwardly titled Descent: Freespace.

Set 32 years after The Great War

depicted by Descent, Freespace 2

drops you smack into the middle of a

brewing conflict between a

human-alien coalition named the

Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance, a

rebel human splinter-faction called

the Neo-Terran Front, and another,

much more dangerous alien faction

known as the Shivans – the primary

antagonists of the first game.

WTF?

There are more acronyms flying

around a Freespace 2 cutscene than in

an episode of Line of Duty, though

in an age where games tend to guide

you by the nose through every

plot-point, it’s quite thrilling to be

unceremoniously dropped into a

briefing littered with military

technobabble and names of ships and

officers you have no frame of

reference for. It makes you feel like a

rookie pilot, which at the game’s

outset, is exactly what you are.

Frankly though, the why of the

fight doesn’t matter much at first.

You’ll be too preoccupied grappling

with how to fight, while cooing at the

tremendous spectacle Freespace 2’s

combat offers. Thanks to a

combination of a highly active

FREESPACE 2

NEED TO KNOW

RELEASED

1999

PUBLISHER

Interplay

DEVELOPER

Volition

LINK

hard-light.net

Jumping back into the cockpit with the classic space sim. By Rick Lane

OLD GAMES, NEW PERSPECTIVES

REINSTALL

As well as being impressive, large ships are

dangerous to fighters, and should be avoided.