Since I quit WoW again a few months ago, I’ve been spending a lot of that now-spare time buying way too many games on Steam and playing them start to finish. At the moment I’m deep into Mass Effect 2 and loving it, but it’s making me feel nostalgic for some of my other all-time favourite and best built games. It’s too early to call ME2 a favourite, but I’m definately enjoying it and despite not having a ‘jump’ function, it’s got a really good control style both in and out of the ship.
One of the games I’m nostalgic about is an old one from 2001 called Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos. It’ll always stand out as the best space-piracy game I think I’ll ever play, with very easy and intuitive controls and a nice semi-sandbox feel to is that you really need in any open space game. You really had to size up the convoy of ships before you attacked and took their cargo pods, and with the space-police and other mercinary escorts around you had to be smart and quick with the controls. I forget most of the story now, but I remember it being pretty great.
Not many people have played it, or even heard of it, so it’s also one of those little gaming gems that never makes it onto any lists or into many reviews. I just wish I could buy it on Steam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_War_2:_Edge_of_Chaos