Page 3

Look, ma, no joystick!

Also unlike other space sims, Freelancer has an easy interface that gives is a uniquely accessible learning curve. The controversial interface eschews the joysticks that have traditionally been the control of choice for space sims in favor of a bold mouse-driven system. The mouse is used almost like a cursor in a first person shooter. You move it around the screen to point at your target, firing guns mounted on swivels, while your ship's nose follows the cursor like an obedient pet pulled on a leash. There's no radar or situational awareness to keep track of and no real “flight model” beyond the fact that some ships turn more tightly than others. In a dogfight, you just follow the arrow at the edge of the screen and then point your cursor at the lead targeting indicator in front of the ship you want to shoot. Hold down the fire button to chip away at the enemy’s hit points and enjoy the explosion when he’s dead. It's simple point and shoot combat; with only a minimum of effort, things go boom in a very satisfying way.

Get the fire extinguisher

You vs. a battleship

Rooooocks...in...spaaaaaace

But there's also quite a bit of depth here. The keyboard can be used for weapon groups if you want to finesse things like missile fire, mines, and countermeasures. There are afterburners to give you a burst of speed. There are hotkeys for the equivalent of potions to heal your hull and restore your shields if you get in a bind. You can jink left and right with strafe keys. You can cut the engines to do drift maneuvers. Although most of this is unnecessary, it's there for players as they get more comfortable with the basics and want something more than pointing and shooting.

OK Computer

When you're not fighting, your mouse cursor is used to click on icons to open screens for navigation, information, scanning, and reference. There can be quite a bit of down time as you're traveling from point to point, but there's still something satisfying about smoothly gliding through space with a mouse click here and a key press there, as screens slide open and shut with the beeps and whirrs and chirps that give computers of the future their flavor. Think of Harrison Ford with his home computer in Blade Runner, giving it simple commands as it clicks away, doing fancy processing with a minimum of input. Freelancer offers this same sense of being synced into something futuristic as your ship jumps obligingly from planet to planet under your guidance.

Burning chrome

Trailing fire

Great balls of fire

At first glance, the technology that drives Freelancer might seem a little disappointing. For better and worse, this definitely isn't one of those games that pushes your hardware to the limit. Even with a lot of activity on the screen, it'll run smoothly on the minimum system requirements if you're willing to dial down the details. But even at a reduced level of detail, it still manages to maintain its aesthetic appeal. Perhaps because the game has been in development for so long, the emphasis in the graphics is on artwork rather than technology. In contrast to something like Unreal Tournament 2003, what makes Freelancer look good is the fine work the artists have done and not the engine they used to do it.