Overview

Developer: Particle Systems
Publisher: InfoGrames
IWar2 official page: http://www.independencewar2.com

Not quite Privateer

Let's get this out of the way first, so nobody gets their hopes up or has different expectations from I-War 2. This is not a Privateer game. The universe is different, the developer is different, and thus it's no surprise that the style is different. We'll get to that in time, first, let's cover the basics.

Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos (EoC) occurs roughly two centuries after the end of the original Independence War. The Alliance government was formed, ruled and collapsed under its own weight. What remained of the government was bought out by the Corporations who took over rule of known space. The core worlds, those that were first settled, are pampered at the expense of the colonists in the Badlands Cluster and other frontier areas. Mining conglomerates exploit and abuse the citizenry, and communication of the conditions is kept to a minimum.

You are Cal Johnston, your father was a miner who owed an unfair debt to the Maas corporation. Its owner, Caleb Maas, delights in dirty work and had your father killed when he refused to make more payments and you were imprisoned for fifteen years before escaping with some friends.

Who's da man?

Girls always look good in computer games

Biobomber base

What do I do?

EoC is far more story-driven than either of the old Privateer games, or even X: Beyond the Frontier. Unlike those games, you do not really have a choice whether or not to follow the story. If you wish to progress at all through the game - such as acquiring a capsule drive, better ships and access to better weapons - you need to go through the missions the game presents you with. Despite the heavy emphasis on story, the writing is very inconsistent - at times brilliant, at others utterly mediocre.

The freedom in the game is very limited and there is really not much to do with it. About the only thing you can do is find suitable areas to stalk around, wait for an unsuspecting victim and pounce. A pure trader route is not only not viable, it's impossible to do.

Those familiar with Independence War will feel quite at home with EoC since the setting and the style are very similar. Controls, combat and even the flow of the story have a certain feel to them that is proprietary to this game universe.