2008 Woodie Awards
"Freelancer": Freedom in the final frontier
Video game review
Paul Davis
Issue date: 4/24/03 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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"Freelancer" is one of the greatest multiplayer games out because of its great features.
The basis for the game is that several centuries in the future there's a war, and one of the groups leaves the solar system to find a new home instead of being completely destroyed. They have five life ships and each is from a different country.
The game offers totally free online play. Each server has you start a new identity, so you may be famous in one, but a rookie in another. I believe this allows everyone to have a chance. They do have several continuous servers so that you can keep going with your character, instead of having to start over every time you want to play.
When you start the game you are on New York Planet. The names of several cities are given to planets and the regions of space they are in mirror the country. The entire region is called Liberty System. You start off with a tiny ship and a bit of money. You go around to different planets and taverns, looking for work that the different organizations are willing to give you. There are countless organizations that you can make friend or foe, including law enforcement, trading companies, or even pirates and smugglers. Your group of friends decides, by contrast, who your enemies are. In short, it's like the way there are gang wars in "Grand Theft Auto."
The flight is done without a joystick so players are on an even playing field. This does slightly limit the dog fighting, but it's still fast and fun. The action happens in a third person view instead of a normal first person cockpit view of most flight simulators. The technology is excellent for the era as well, having jump gates and landing dock portals that you have to navigate. The only down part is that if you are trading items, the routes take a great deal of time. One smuggler had a run that took about three minutes. Each jump point takes you about 15 to 30 seconds to enter and exit. They do make this exciting now and then, as you never know when space pirates will disable a gate or when you will jump out and there will be rogues all around you.
The basis for the game is that several centuries in the future there's a war, and one of the groups leaves the solar system to find a new home instead of being completely destroyed. They have five life ships and each is from a different country.
The game offers totally free online play. Each server has you start a new identity, so you may be famous in one, but a rookie in another. I believe this allows everyone to have a chance. They do have several continuous servers so that you can keep going with your character, instead of having to start over every time you want to play.
When you start the game you are on New York Planet. The names of several cities are given to planets and the regions of space they are in mirror the country. The entire region is called Liberty System. You start off with a tiny ship and a bit of money. You go around to different planets and taverns, looking for work that the different organizations are willing to give you. There are countless organizations that you can make friend or foe, including law enforcement, trading companies, or even pirates and smugglers. Your group of friends decides, by contrast, who your enemies are. In short, it's like the way there are gang wars in "Grand Theft Auto."
The flight is done without a joystick so players are on an even playing field. This does slightly limit the dog fighting, but it's still fast and fun. The action happens in a third person view instead of a normal first person cockpit view of most flight simulators. The technology is excellent for the era as well, having jump gates and landing dock portals that you have to navigate. The only down part is that if you are trading items, the routes take a great deal of time. One smuggler had a run that took about three minutes. Each jump point takes you about 15 to 30 seconds to enter and exit. They do make this exciting now and then, as you never know when space pirates will disable a gate or when you will jump out and there will be rogues all around you.