It's very Hollywood admittedly, but at least it's easily accessible. If you ignore the fact that the voice acting is absolutely rubbish (where do they get game actors, anyway?), you actually have a story that you can get into. It's very basic, yet within this story-telling formula I spy a winning ingredient. No obscure ill-fitting training system here, a couple of basic missions lets you get comfortable with the controls and you're off. One of your Dad's old mates helps you along, providing guidance to get things moving. You are, of course, the best pilot in the academy and, upon hearing that your father's death may not have been as accidental as it first seemed, set out on a mission to avenge him. You play a young, generic all action hero, who's father has just died leaving behind an almighty alien space ship, with lots of cool features. If you want to find out more you can read all the various bits of news, the instruction manual and so on - but it's not integral to enjoying the gamning experience - which I like. Instead of explaining why the aliens are fighting over some complicated nonsense it's just laid out that there is conflict. Gone is the boring back story so common in the genre, explaining political events of the galaxy for the past five thousand years, and in comes much welcomed simplicity. Fortunately, Darkstar One has set off in a rather different direction.Įvery element of this game is aimed at being as simple as possible, from the storyline, upgrading your ship, fighting the bad guys and navigating the universe. Others, like Freelancer, have tried to pack in as many missions as possible, ending up with reptitive and bland gameplay. Other games, like the X series, have used the tactic of overcomplicating everything, blitzing your eyes with data to make everything seem more alive. What's the story?The biggest problem with this genre, in recent times, has been the lack of engagement you often feel with the universe you inevitably have to save. I jumped into the cockpit to find out whether this game could be justifiably uttered in the same breath as the legendary 'Elite'. The game runs on their own, rather swanky looking engine and arrives with the intention of revitalising the 'Elite' styled games. However, Ascaron – famous for RPG Sacred, has popped up with a new space shooter called Darkstar One. Space simulation games have been teetering on the brink of death for a while now - overly complicated, tedious gameplay and tired story telling. Nothing in recent times has ever come close to the glory days: the Star Wars X-Wing series, Privateer and, of course, Elite. Sure there have been a few games, like Freelancer and the X-series that have tried to breathe life into the vacuumous gaming caverns of space, but these games were quickly shunted down to bargain basement level. Since the turn of the century very few top titles have been released and as a result many gamers have forgotten, or quite simply have never known, the pleasures these games can afford. IntroductionVery few people, when asked the question: 'What is your favourite type of game?' would say "space simulation adventure" – and with good reason.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |