Introduction

This time, it's personal

Following the heels of the hit title Descent: Freespace comes Freespace 2, the latest in the expanding line of space simulators. Taking the heavily-touted Descent engine, which allows you to experience so-called "six degrees of freedom," Freespace allows you to move through space in three-hundred and sixty degrees. What this means is that you get to experience all the wonders of space flight, from the thrill of spiraling through star fields to the thrill of throwing up from spiraling through star fields.

View from above

Escorting freighters

Freespace 2 is set thirty-six years after its predecessor. The imposing forces of the Shivans have surfaced again, threatening the survival of the Terrans and the Vasudans. In this post-war era, rebellion and civil war jeopardize the security of the colonies and the future of both the Terrans and Vasudans. While the rebellion rages on in the remote areas of Terran space, players serve as part of the Galactic Terran Vasudan Alliance (GTVA), monitoring and intervening in the interstellar skirmish.

Staring at the sun

Not so bright

New and/or Improved

Freespace 2 boasts plenty of features. Here's a rundown of some of the cooler ones:

A single-player campaign with over 30 missions. New scenarios include flying with Vasudan squadrons, piloting advanced stealth fighters, and "painting" targets with TAG (Target Acquisition & Guidance) missiles.

Command up to eleven squadmates in battle. Order them to defend, attack, disarm or disable your target.

An in-depth combat system enables players to target and destroy subsystems, disabling engines, defensive turrets, missile batteries, and fighterbays.

Armed with cutting-edge weaponry, new fighters and bombers hurl the player into complex, fast-paced WWII-style dogfights.

Encounter 70 space-faring vessels, including these new ship classes: (?)

With over 80 turrets, Juggernauts span six kilometers from bow to stern and are virtually indestructible.
Stealth fighters are engineered to minimize their EM signatures, rendering them invisible to sensors except at very close range.
AWACS enable allied ships to target hostiles in the volatile environment of the nebula.
Gas miners gather deuterium-rich nebular gas to fuel fusion-powered vessels.

An innovative and immersive nebula environment changes gameplay dynamics. Impaired visibility, communications, and targeting ability create opportunities for ambush and new combat tactics.

Up to 12 players can battle in dogfight, team vs. team (8 players max.), and cooperative missions via LAN, TCP/IP, and modem.

Parallax Online (PXO), a free multiplayer matching service, records player rankings and lists available on-line game servers.

"SquadWar" pits squadron against squadron in a multiplayer battle for control of the universe. PXO tracks the results.

Create and customize singleplayer and multiplayer scenarios with FRED 2, the new and improved mission editor. Exchange missions with other designers in the FreeSpace on-line community.

3D acceleration (required) improves frame rate and generates stunning graphics (e.g., higher polygon detail for ships and "free" alpha blending and fogging for nebula effects).

Supports the latest hardware innovations, such as Pentium III, EAX, A3D, Force Feedback, and Voice Messaging.

One ugly ship

Nebula