Official web page: http://www.microsoft.com/games/freelancer/ Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios.
Developer: Digital Anvil.
Media type and size: CD
Genre: Space Trade/Fight.
Release date: 03/2003.
Experience a vast, open-ended universe filled with an infinite number of adventures. You are the freelancer Edison Trent, an intergalactic jack-of-all-trades. Your mission: whatever you want. Become a smuggler or a ruthless space thug, a naval hero or a trader. Dodge through asteroid fields while piloting elite spacecraft. The action is endless as you make your way through 48 known star systems. Greed, morality, compassion, anger... whatever motivates you, the dynamic universe will respond. Take the first step. The universe is waiting.
Quote:
* Ruthless mercenaries, fanatical pirates and greedy racketeers all battle for political power and influence.
* Explore dozens of different star systems each with unique planets and bases.
* Your reputation will continually change and evolve throughout the game.
* Commodity trading turns the gears of the Freelancer universe.
* Missions offered are based on your reputation, local fiction and local marketplace.
* You can choose from 12 different ships to fly
* Ships can be outfitted with over 50 unique upgrades
Spoiler:
I'm absolutely disgusted that nobody mentioned this - and you call yourselves gamers? *scoffs*
So while it may not be as "classic" as some games, it most certainly WILL be forever. Quite easily one of the best space trader-fighter titles ever, despite having a pretty linear SP experience. It's less complex than the X-series or Elite, but in this case "accessibility" does not mean "dumbed down" It had great combat, tons of commodities to trade or plunder, a vast galaxy to explore, limitless modding potential - and a multiplayer mode that was still thriving up until a couple of months ago, when MS made the bone-headed move of shutting down the central server browser.
If you don't have the time to dedicate to an epic like X, and aren't quite willing to sacrifice your graphics-whore tendencies by returning the to the immortal Elite/Frontier (speak not of First Encounters to me, heathen) - but want an amazing space opera, then Freelancer is most certainly the game for you.
The modding community is still VERY much alive, and old favourites like the total-conversion "The Next Generation" still receives updates.
I've still got it installed right now and I often go back to playing it again. Amazing game, loved it from the moment I first installed -- and I'll love it forever. Amazing how, even after 5 years, the modding community is still going strong. Some of the mods out are LITERALLY total conversions, and it's a shame we've heard nothing about a possible sequel.
*sigh*
Microsoft, what the fuck are you playing at? You buy the rights to Shadowrun then ruin it - and you let MILLIONS of dollars just slip through your fingers because you refuse to make a sequel to one of the greatest games EVER? tut tut tut.
I didn't like the controls. But then again I'm an old Wing Commander fan so mouse controls were always a bit "bleh" for me.
One thing I have to mention (but I don't know if it's positive or negative) is that sooner or later I always got lost. The freaking universe was soo big.
At times too big. Because I didn't feel like flying from New York to Dresden or New Berlin because (at least for me) it took forever to get there.
(Maybe my memory is a bit foggy on this one and it wasn't actually that bad, but I seem to recall that it indeed was quite tedious to get to a system that was a bit further away)
Might get it once again and see how wrong I am on those points ;D
Did you make sure you used the shipping lanes? They were, aside from warp, the fastest way to travel - and would shuttle you across an entire SYSTEM in less than a few minutes. There are also mods that increase Cruise speed, if you don't feel like using the shipping lanes. Default Cruise speed is 300m/s, but there are mods that increase that to 1000 or even more.
Well, it's been a while but I'm sure I used the lanes.
Iirc it was possible for them to "break down" right? Or pirates disabling them or something like that. That was annoying.
But like I said, I might grab it again or see if I have it lying around somewhere and install it anew
Yep! Pirates, or anyone - even YOU if you were into plundering, could shoot one of the lane gates and temporarily knock out that entire section of the lane. Awesome when playing AS a pirate
Does anybody know of a way to skip the cutscenes?
Story cutscenes I mean, because most of the early ones I still kinda remember and it's pretty tedious going through all that bla bla when you know what they're gonna say...
Btw. found a nice mod it's called Discovery and adds a whole lot of stuff
http://discoveryfl.com/html/features.html
The only thing I didn't like about TNG was the introduction (since v1.65) of "Newtonian Physics" I don't care if it's "realistic"-- the handling felt so wrong when that update came
"The 2115 Series mod now encompases many additional things, players new to The Void will enjoy:
Dynamic Economy on all 2,579 Bases
Player Dockable Capital Ships with mooring and equipment
115 Different and unique systems, Each is heavily populated
2,579 Dockable locations each with missions, ships and individual commodity prices.
Clan Bases
271 Commodities
50 "Real 3d" Systems
New Factions
Many new wrecks
Flyable Cruiser, Destroyer and Capital Ships with Mooring
Many new weapons and loadout possibilities
New and different ships
Explore The Void and see what you can discover in far flung systems..."
Gotta admit, it looked fucking awesome. Gorgeous graphics, massive worlds - including space AND terrestrial flight - not to mention a 3rd-person combat system.
Yeah, I love Freelancer. I really wish they would make a second one, or simply remake the first with modernized graphics and a few other gameplay enhancements. Such an amazing game.
Not all freelancer mods are SP in which you can still play the story missions. You can however play MP on servers or create your own server and play the MP mods.
God, just had a nostalgia bomb, Freelancer was a great game and still holds a very powerful formula. If they would just remake the game but with this gen technology and somewhat improved multiplayer they'd have a real hit on their hands.
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This game will forever has a special place in my heart. 
