Da`Hitch

Freelancer

A New start.
The story of Freelancer seems to begin 800 years after the ending of Starlancer, but a lot has happened since then. A little summary: after almost a hundred years of war between the Coalition and the Alliance, the Coalition gains the upper hand and the Alliance in its desperation, decides to launch 5 Sleeper Ships, hoping that the crew may find a new, peaceful life, somewhere in the Sirius Sector. Out of the 5 ships that were launched (The Liberty, the Rheinland, the Bretonia, the Kusari and the Hispania) only 4 ships seem to have made it to their final destination. Out of those 4 remaining ships, over a period of 800 years 4 grand societies arose, Liberty, Rheinland, Bretonia and Kusari. The Hispania was never heard of again. 800 years later, there you are, Edison Trent an adventurer from Planet Leeds in Bretonia, after the station you were on blew up because of a terrorist act, you end up in the center of the Sirius Sector: Planet Manhattan, since your ship was destroyed and you only have 500 credits left, you have no choice but to become a freelancer. And that’s were the story kicks off.



Edison Trent, totally oblivious to the fact that his life is about to get a whole lot worse.

Complete freedom
Freelancer is a space-simulation that promises you complete freedom, to do as you like, however there is a storyline and a quite intriguing storyline at that!
In the first mission, you get a ship from your employer, Ms Jun’ko Zane. After this mission you are free to go. So there you are in a universe of opportunities, what do you do? Well, you can choose to take a job from one of the many employers in the system, or you can try to make your fortune as a merchant, trading all sorts of commodities from one part of the system to the next. But sooner or later you will be contacted by Juni to take on another one of her missions, because while the other activities are ways to help you “get ahead” (be it to buy yourself a news ship or upgrade your weapon systems) the missions from Juni are the only way to get to other parts of the galaxy (outside the Liberty system) and of course, to get on with the story!!!


There you are, in a universe of possibilities...

Although the storyline is very impressive, the missions that bind the story together tend to become a bit of the same over and over again. Fly to point Y, destroy attacking fighters, land on planet/dock with station, and fight your way out again. Nevertheless, you can choose not to follow the story, but that means that your personal level will not go up, therefore preventing you from buying better/stronger ships, weapons and other equipment.


Point, Click and get yourself shot at!!!

Game play
The way you fly your spacecraft is quite ingenious, no joystick required, a simple mouse will do. You just point in what direction your ship should fly and your ship will go in that direction at the same time, the place you point your cursor, is the place where you will shoot. That is if and when your cursor is in range of one of the guns mounted on your ship. The HUD placement is clear and well balanced; you can see an oversight of all the ships, stations and other items of interest in your vicinity in a small box in the lower left corner, and an oversight of your weapon systems in a box in the lower right corner. In the middle you see how much Energy your ship has left to power its weapons, along with the status of you Shield and Armour. Now, when you get into a combat situation, those 2 boxes might get in the way, just press “backspace” and they’ll be out of your hair, a nice touch in my opinion. However, when you land on a planet/dock with a station, you get an entirely different HUD and the game play kind of shifts more to a “point-and-click” system. At the top of your screen you can choose whether you go to the bar (to obtain jobs and or hints), Commodity Trader (to purchase or sell your trading goods), the Equipment Dealer (to buy or sell weaponry or other equipment), the Ship Dealer (to buy a new ship) or return to the landing pad, from where you can launch back into space. Now, the bar is the place where you’ll find the jobs you want when you’re not on one of Juni’s missions. But this is also the place where you can get all sorts of hints & tips, some just being tips to help you find a profitable trade route, or others will give you some combat tips, but there are also hints related to the storyline, which will give the player a better insight to what is going on (and believe me, you’ll need it).

One of the con’s about this game is, that there is only one way to solve the missions, if there is a fight going on, you must fight, and cannot choose to flee. So in that aspect, the missions are fairly linear, in spite of the fact that the game promises you complete freedom.


That's what you get when you try to take on a ship that's out of your league...

Sound and Vision
The scenery in this game is truly amazing and it is different in every system. Sometimes you just won’t feel like fighting and will just want to enjoy the nice background you are presented with each and every time you’re in space. But when you enter a planet/station, all that changes; although every station looks different from outer space, once inside it looks like every other station you’ve been to, It seems like there are only 5 variations to the bars in stations, a few more for bars on planets, but still, knowing that there are over 160 stations/planets to visit, you can imagine it might become somewhat repetitive. Same goes for the people you meet in these bars, there are a few “base models” each time dressed differently, with another hairdo and another voice, but mostly the same person over and over again.


An interior shot of one of the many bars you'll encounter. (and still you manage to stay sober all the way!!!)


Beautiful, isn't it? Now just imagine that you can also see it from the other end, but it'll take you about 15 to 20 minutes to get there!!!

Conclusion
I could discuss this game all day long, but in the end I would just have to come to the conclusion that this is a good game. It has a good story, decent graphics and partially what we’ve all been waiting for: Freedom to do as we please.

Pro's
- Compelling Storyline
- Freedom
- Multiplayer

Con's
- Repetitive (conversations, stations, missions)
- Partial Freedom

Score
Graphics: 19/25
Game play: 22/25
Sound: 20/25
Fun factor: 23/25
Total of: 84/100

Random Screenshots

Darkstar

nice review, freelancer ruled imo, but after a while, it gets a bit too repetitive...

Zoxmud

www.medievia.com
Reviews of Medievia
" This game is pretty much a genre breaker " --MeccaWorld Review www.meccaworld.com

" Medievia is truly the best game out there. I have played Medievia for over 4 years and it just keeps getting better and better. New code such as the clan wars, clan castles, dragon flight, medlink, and the smaller code that is put in almost every day staggers the imagination. Medievia also has very skilled and friendly players. The clans are also an amazing system. This game has the best code I have seen anywhere. " --Ragafin


" Awile back I left Medievia for a Graphic Role Playing Game. I thought it would be all cool and Id like it a lot better then Medievia. But you know what, after I got though all the graphics the game got boreing. There wasn't any realistic battles, trade runs, quests, original equipment, dragon flying, backstabing and many other things Medievia has. I missed Medievia and went back and Ive been happy here again. More or less I think this game is a whole lot better then those fancy graphic games and I hope you keep up the good work. " --Tristar


" You just can not describe the wonderful and truly Awe-inspiring Medievia really is. It has to be experienced at every level. Every time I play I see something new, some new piece of code, some feature I had never seen before. There are players in Medievia who have been here for years, and bigger and better things always come along to keep the excitement alive. Try Medievia for a week, I promise you, you will never play your old game again. " --Essej


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" The most notable thing about Medievia is its clans. There is no other game anywhere in the world that has shown the high level of creativity that Vryce has in his implemetation of clan wars and castle control. Try it for yourself, you will never go back to your old game again. " --Xin

" Medievia society is amazingly rich and complex. At all hours of the day, this game is teeming with people from all over the world, most of them friendly and helpful, each of them helping to add to the personality of the game. " --Asha

" Medievia takes the gaming world to a whole new level. Never before have I encountered a game that not only encompases intense combat, but through the new clanwar system allows a unique opportunity to roleplay in a feudal system. " --Gradan


" Medievia is a complex world in which you LIVE. You will find many people on Medievia who are more than willing to help you in your search for the ultimate HERO role. Trading adds realism to the game, along with the clans (clans like no other game anywhere!) If it is knights, castles and such on your mind, Medievia has the newest innoventions of each. Vryce is constantly working on Medievia to make it the best game ever and has succeded, more than your wildest dreams. So if you like gaming or just having fun, come LIVE in medievia. I'll be there!!! " --Zorn


" Medievia is not just a game - it is an ever changing world full of adventures, perils, pitfalls and fortunes. Join forces with people from all over the globe in quests for better equipment. Clash in heavy battles to gain or defend a castle. Always moving forward, always a step ahead... there simply is no other game. Medievia - no contest, hands down winner! " --Krasan


" By far, Medievia is the best game ever created. By combining teamwork, stragedy, friendly people, thousands of monsters and more than 4 million rooms, Vryce has created a masterpiece that will always be the greatest. " --Iskatradeethy


" Medievia ... Come try it, once here you may never leave. The foremost game in code technology. Best clan concept and constantly improving. A really awesome wilderness to add realism to your journey which lends itself to a trade run code not found anywhere else. Dragon flight, Herobattles, Clanwars... and so much more. What else is there to say but: Come for a visit and stay for the rest of your gaming life. " --Garrish


" Medievia IV is the most exciting game on the internet! Equipment building, Dragon Mounts, Dragon Hunting, Clan Castles, Clan Wars, truly something for everyone! Better yet, no spell memorization hassles or nasty 'single quotes' to cast, instead of time consuming runs to a motel to rent, CAMP in the wilderness right where you are. In a form? Position the other form members right where you want them. No generic zones either! Every zone is custom designed by people who are excellent at this craft. Excellent Player Quests. HeroBattles that you can bet on. WIN BIG!! A MEDLINK socializing area. Even a New Player Clan so begginers don't get left behind. A game that you will be glad you came to and you will not want to leave! " --Kodi


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" There are games and then there is Medievia. There is a difference. Visit a multitude of zones, each far different from the others. Fly on dragon back, to join others in glorious conquest. Work your way through all four player classes to become a hero and engage in mortal combat with other heroes. Rush to the front, to defend your clan castle from a rival clan. Sneak swiftly through designated player killing areas to plunge your blade into the unsuspecting backs of others. These are the thing which make Med a truly great game. Come join us and see for yourself. " --Aavin Runesong


" Step out of blah and into the magical world of Medievia. So descriptive are the zones and rooms I can feel the wind on my face as I look out over the ocean, or hear the chatter of townspeople in the busy cities. You will find friendship among the many players and plenty of challenge in the numerous zones. " --Pendorra



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jmke

thanks for your input!

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BamBam

sweet nice review.....bit repetitive though