Starlancer is set in a realistic future where the solar system has been shattered by a war between several older national forces. A large and advanced force known as the Coalition, made up primarily of Russian forces, has made an extremely bold move by seizing the inner solar system. The opposing force consists of pretty much every other national space fleet (USA, Japan, Germany, Great Britain), and in response to the Coalition threat formed, ‘The Alliance’. While the logistics of this mess already sound familiar, (pick either of our world wars) Starlancer puts greater focus on the carrier the player is stationed on. This style is something that wasn’t really adopted by the Freespace series, which chose to focus more on the war and strategies. The effect Starlancer’s story is far more personal, and in some respects more involving.

Starlancer’s visual effects are on par with even Freespace 2’s, however some might argue that the visuals seem somewhat duller in comparison. Yet this is just an example of the style the game employs. Starlancer’s visual style has a subtle, industrial, and very personal style, opposed to Freespace’s style that screams sleek, techno, and sterile. The destruction of a ship leaves potentially harmful debris floating through space, and with larger ships, huge scarred sections of hull. Weapon and missile effects are all on par but their identity just isn’t as strong as it probably should be. The differences in weapons and missiles aren’t that specialized, the only real differences lying in pure power and speed. The weapons also apply to this rule of progression.

The real defining point in ship design lies within the certain features some ships allow. For example the Coyote class fighter comes with a special aiming system that is leaps and bounds ahead of what you may find in the smaller, and even some of the heavier, fighters. Unfortunately the attention to specific strengths and weaknesses was not spread evenly. Although a few select ships have devices that give them a distinct advantage in situations, most of the ships differ only in speed and handling. Most of the differences in handling can be felt in most of the ships, but for the most part a player will probably settle in with a ship of choice instead of finding a ship to real identify with.

One thing I really liked about the Wing Commander series was the physics. Some have commented that the physics in Freespace are better, but I had played a few of the Wing Commander games and both Freespace titles and I just think the overall feel is better. There is a noticeable difference between the inertia, speed sensation, and weapon reactions within the environment. It ultimately comes down to a matter of taste and not execution. Starlancer’s physics engine also accommodates real dog fighting really well. The missiles in this game are created for special use. Fighters do not pack 40 missiles in their tiny little hulls. A player must use them when they know they will land a good hit or else that is one less precious missile. Not to totally knock Freespace, which in its own right does demand some skill, but it wasn’t until I played Starlancer that my close quarters dog fighting skills were tested.

Missions are laid out in the standard pre/post briefings. The commanding officer places a series of multiple objectives, which are usually in conjunction with attacks made by much larger allied forces. Players must work with the objectives and AI teammates to complete mission goals to the fullest. There aren’t any hotshot stunt tricks involved in this game, or at least very few opportunities allowing it. During missions, the Reliant (your command ship) will frequently inform you of changes to your orders. Most of the time these in-mission changes lead to bonus opportunities where excellent performance means a nice shiny medal/ and or promotion. When a medal is awarded a cut scene is played where you are officially given the medal while patriotic music plays. A nice personal experience that instills a lot of pride in the player.

The sound and real-time/rendered cinematics are so well orchestrated there is no way you can forget who helped create this game. It is easy to tell that the viewpoints during the scripted events in-mission were carefully chosen purely for dramatic effect. The music is inspiring and dreadful during many key points during missions. Cutscenes convey the story on a more personal level, with crew meetings, medal award ceremonies, and mentions of your squad’s actions on the Alliance News Network. While the story isn’t quite as epic and earth shattering as many of us space jockeys are used to, what Starlancer does present gives the player plenty of drive to continue playing. Success is a great feeling.

Overall I really think space simulation fans should check out Starlancer. However, I do feel the title lacks a lot of strategic variety in its weapons and a little in its ships as well. This may strongly enforce the idea of close quarters fighting, but it might also limit how a person can play the game. Right now I think this game is easily one of the better ways to polish up some real dog fighting skills opposed to the more distanced fighting we see in this genre.