"GGGUUUUURRRR!"
"I don't care what [the review] smells like, GET IN THERE!"
Welcome Back to FBGR, I'm your less-than-humble host, NoCashReq, and this is the first portion of the review for:
BLUF: Having not completed the whole review, I will caveat my Bottom Line Up Front by saying that I will likely change my opinion, but for now: The Physics on this flyer suprised me, as there is so much drift in the ships (which is appropriate to space flight) that I pulled a "bootlegger" without even realizing I could. without a tutorial or any training, it was frustrating the first few tries out, but I soon got the hang of flight, and have enjoyed the last few forays.
SCORES
Playability: 3/5 The controls are fairly intuitive, but with no tutorial or training, being thrown into matches straight against anyone in the same server group (including some very skilled pilots) will leave you frustrated early on.
Atmospherics: 3/5 The look of the game is nicely balanced between space opera and Space: Above and Beyond's attempt at realism, but does come off a little generic and hard to tell the difference between the classes of fighters. Not being able to rework your ship's paint job/build/design is a let-down though.
So jam the tractor beams, get your coolest helmet out of storage, and let's get to flying!
FEELIN' THE NEED FOR SPEED (BACKSTORY)
In the future, two sides fight for control of the only thing that matters anymore, Helium 3. This resource is fuel and currency both, and the government forces and pirate rebels battle to control it.
AAAaaand, that's all she wrote. The backstory information says the game is based off an alternate WWII history, but never explains more than that, and leaves you feeling that it doesn't really matter who wins. there are no cutscenes, no lore or major characters, the only voices you'll hear are either a snarky control tower radar jockey, or the ones that live in you head (at least I think they do, they might just be sending thoughts across the alien device the government stuck in there).
JUST LIKE HITTING A WOMP RAT, IF YOU'RE THE RAT
After one of the quickest downloads I have ever had, I fired up my game, made an account, and went to find the tutorial. Umm, hello? helloo... helloo... hello... Anybody there? There... They're... Their... I was as shocked as a Droid in a Jawa transport to find there is no tutorial. OK, no one panic, then they must have a good level-based system of matching people up, right? RIGHT? Nope, the computer balances the teams as best it can, but expect there will be a space shark in your asteroid field, waiting to gobble up the newbie chum. I died almost without fail as soon as I made contact with the enemy forces. More specifically, their missiles.
Needless to say, I did find my balance in the game, and after having watched the pilots who drove me to distraction drift turns better than the bootleggers they were named for, I realized that the physics of this game were actually impressively thought out; contrary to several iterations and attempts by Star Wars games, in space your inertia and the direction of your thrust will make radical changes in direction possible, bombs do not make any sense as a weapon since they won't fall, radar would only help in a spherical display, and leading your enemies is not just recommended, it's required. The first couple of days playing you are allowed to test-pilot any of the several ships in all four of the classes:
1. Light Fighter: Swift, agile, and really light on armor, these puppies are great for capture the flag or defending your carrier, but don't get too cocky, kid, these things blow up real nice.
2. Medium Fighter: The workhorse of the fighter fleet, these bad boys are interceptors, designed for drawn out combat away from the cover of carrier cannons. Still maneuverable enough to leave the big boys in their wakes, but armored enough to take a few hits without becoming a smoking wreck.
3. Heavy Fighter: You wanna mess with the bull? Here's the horns. These things are as armored and armed as you can make them and still call them fighters. Nowhere near as maneuverable as the smaller crafts, these things are designed to take out enemy ships AND be able to take a whack at carrier cannon mounts, without much more than a scratch in the paint.
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| Flying by the seat of your pants only works if you have rocket pants. |
Once the free trial is over, you have access to one light flyer and one bomber, but fear not! Additional ships can be bought, with or without cash, and all ships are upgradable with earned in-game currency. The only thing that you can't do is build your own ships, or at least repaint the ships you buy. But hey, if the only thing missing are aesthetic changes, that's fine by me.
TALK TO ME GOOSE...
Flying by the seat of my pants, and doing fine, be here next time when we pick up again on the review of Moon Breakers. Liked what I had to say, got more to add or want to disagree with me? Leave a comment! Till next time!
[NoCashReq has left the room.]
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