Mankind has been beckoned by the stars throughout its existence. This is reflected in many aspects of both culture and history. Unfortunately, in the near future, travel to such distant lands is unlikely to become more accessible. In this regard, the thirst for a jump into the unknown darkness called to quench the computer games that belong to the genre of space simulation.
In order to avoid the reproach that there are simulators simulator, it is immediately worth making clear: this is a selection of convenient and beautiful games about space for PC.
STAR CITIZEN/SQUADRON 42
Kicks off the list of space games with a project that needs little introduction for anyone. Over the years of fundraising Star Citizen’s ambitions have grown so big that it’s hard to remember what Chris Roberts promised when he brought his brainchild to Kickstarter. Since then the game has changed the engine, managed to appear in a bunch of alpha versions, and also to get the unthinkable amount of plans for development.
In a nutshell it can only be described as “The most elaborate and lively world in the history of space games”. Exploring space in Star Citizen is just one part of the gameplay. In addition to it there is a planetary part with walks on moons and planets, and story campaign called Squadron 42. But all this is still in development, and the promised release will take place “as soon as possible. Whether to be a skeptic about Star Citizen or believe every word of the developers, holding your breath, it’s up to players to decide. But one thing is for sure – there is no more detailed and elaborated game about space.
X3: TERRAN CONFLICT
It so happens that the series X will be presented in this rating space games even three times. Compared to its later incarnation, Terran Conflict is a universally acclaimed success for Egosoft Studios. Like X Rebirth, its older sister was once impressive in its visuals, being a true flagship of space games on the PC. Today, of course, the graphics are a bit outdated, but space simulators are created primarily for the sake of gameplay, which is still capable of surprising.
It’s all about unprecedented freedom of action and choice. During breaks from the main storyline, the player can trade, hunt pirates, perform many other types of tasks and simply explore space. But most impressive of all is the ability to start your own corporation, right down to managing fleets and building bases. If you are not intimidated by slightly outdated graphics and complex controls, this game is a great way to dive into the depths of space and enjoy the thoughtful and multifaceted gameplay.
ELITE: DANGEROUS
Another “Project Dream” and successor of the legendary Elite series continues our list of space games. Conceiving to re-release the classic simulator in the current realities, the Frontier Development studio has appealed to different publishers, who, having twisted their eyes, amicably denied funding. Not wanting to give up, the authors went to Kickstarter, where they generously gave them the necessary amount.
In fact, the game was “released” a long time ago, but it’s very difficult to call it finished. Yes, it has its own engine, producing an awesome picture, worthy of any modern PC, and yes, in Elite: Dangerous – one of the largest game worlds, repeating our galaxy. But the content is very slow, and objectively speaking there is nothing to do in the game at the moment. Exciting except for the sheer pleasure of the local controls and physics.
NO MAN’S SKY
Long before the release of No Man’s Sky, Hello Games studio promised so much that the most gullible space game lovers dreamed of downloading it for free beforehand. Alas, as is often the case, the reality was much more prosaic. The authors really did a lot of what they promised, but as in the case with the space simulator X Rebirth, it did not work perfectly. As a result, the first buyers of the game for about two days could not even launch it – is it necessary to speak after this about the presence of bugs and quality optimization?
X REBIRTH
The penultimate representative of the X series. A game with ambiguous fate, scores and reviews, but you just can’t let it pass you by. The thing is that all the traditionally deep and diverse gameplay, familiar to fans, went under the knife. But there is a stunningly beautiful picture, seeing it for the first time, you can even forgive the authors for their shortcomings in all other aspects.
The main innovation is the personal presence of the player inside the stations and large ships, with the consequent interaction with the questmakers and simple chatterboxes. Otherwise everything is standard for space games: there is a storyline with the mysteries of the universe, there are side missions and battles with pirates, the ship’s upgrade is also available. Overall not a bad option if you don’t want to wade through the complexities of controls or have never played the X series.