PC Gamer Annual - UK (2022)

of your cluster Hornet missiles. And
while Freespace 2’s ships may lack the
sleek lines and chrome plating of
Elite Dangerous, larger ships like
Destroyers and the GTVA’s Colossus
are still daunting to approach in your
tiny, fragile fighter.
Freespace 2’s spectacle effectively
draws you in, but what keeps you
sticking around is the combat
simulation itself, as well as the
structure Freespace 2 builds around it.
The basics of Freespace 2’s ship
combat are familiar stuff. Every ship
has six degrees of movement, shields,
a targeting and tracking system, and
fixtures for various weapons like
lasers and missiles. But it’s the
nuance with which Freespace 2
represents these systems that makes
it so interesting to grapple with.
With targeting, for example, you
can cycle through targets as you
would in any other space sim. But
there are also keyboard shortcuts for
specifically targeting hostile ships,
friendly ships, the ship currently
hovering in your crosshairs, and even
specific points on larger ships, like
turrets or crucial systems. Similarly,
your shields can be managed in a
range of different ways. You’re able to

shunt shield power to a specific

quadrant, or press Q to equalise

shield power across your ship. Even

movement has multiple shortcuts,

letting you instantly max out your

throttle, or press M to match the

speed of any ship you’ve targeted.

COCKPIT STOP

All this is designed to give you the

tools you need to deal with whatever

scenario Freespace 2 launches at you.

Indeed, the breadth of information

you need to retain can be a little

daunting, but Freespace 2 mediates

your education through several

tutorials in the campaign. Even the

first few missions are also designed

so you can take a backseat if you need

to, letting your AI squadmates do

most of the work while you learn

how to fight effectively.

Inevitably though, there comes a

point where sitting back will simply

result in your ship being quickly

obliterated. Freespace 2 can be

seriously challenging. It frequently

pits you against seemingly

overwhelming odds, often tasking

you with protecting a station or a

convoy with just a few fighters as an

entire fleet of enemy vessels slides

out of subspace. There were several

missions where either my own hull

or that of the vessel I was tasked to

protect escaped with only a few

hitpoints remaining.

This leads onto where Freespace 2

truly shows its quality – mission

structure. Most missions ultimately

involve either attacking or defending

a target, but Freespace 2 has a

remarkable ability to frame this in

ways that make missions thrilling. An

early mission sees you trying to stop a

rebel cruiser before it jumps into

subspace, despite it being too far

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Weapons are mostly split between lasers and

missiles, but there’s a broad variety of each.

SHIP SHAPE

Just a few of the many different ship types

HERCULES

Class: Heavy

Assault fighter

Pros: Extra

weapon slots

Cons: Low

Manoeuvrability

ULYSSES

Class: Space

superiority

Pros: High

manoeuvrability

Cons: Low

armour

GTF LOKI

Class:

Recon

Pros:

Balanced outfit

Cons: Only one

missile bank

OLD GAMES, NEW PERSPECTIVES

REINSTALL

Freespace 2 does an amazing job of creating

galactic spectacle with limited visual fidelity.