STARLANCER
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Brilliance that's out of this world

By WILL BARKER

When the words 'Chris', 'Erin' and 'Roberts' all appear in the one sentence, let alone document, you know things are going to get deliciously out of control. It is these two kinsmen who have split from their once dominating development house, Origin, to start anew with Microsoft. And what a start it has been. With only a video shown of Freelancer at E3, the sequel to Starlancer is already getting the media sweaty under the collar. After playing through numerous builds of Starlancer with more than a twinkle in my eye, I took to the final retail version with aplomb, knowing that this game was going to be memorable.

The Roberts brothers have incorporated a few of their old school story-telling techniques into Starlancer, not seen since the likes of Wing Commander 2 - the story isn't what you'd call a separate body from the game. It's the fusion of themes, a seamless voyage, which will see players caught up in this epic tale, because it is just that. Epic.

The intro describes a future where technology and the strange void we like to call space play a huge role in society. The intro is impeccably produced, showing how the Russians and Chinese plan a huge ambush just before a peace treaty is about to be set in concrete. Consequently, a whole planet is levelled, with all its inhabitants murdered. Always the Russians...

You come into the picture as part of a volunteer squadron, the 45th, and must essentially prove your worth to your new family - the Navy.

Kudos goes to Digital Anvil for seamlessly integrating cut scenes and pre-flight options - it's more interactive entertainment as opposed to vanilla flavoured game. When you see this title in action you will realise just how far ahead of the competition this title is. After wandering around HQ for a while - where you can listen to any music CDs, shine your medals with Brasso, or even watch the news for updates on the war - it's off to the debriefing room. Here you will be updated on all you need to know about the coming assignment; in addition, you can equip your ship to personal tastes.

When the time comes to head out into the (digital) world, you'll find that it is a remarkable sight to observe. To call the visuals in this game anything but tremendous would be a crime. Complete with fully 3D planets, amazing nebulae effects and space debris, the environmental effects alone are enough to leave you slack-jawed. The ship models are of a high poly-count and combined with some fantastic spherical shielding effects, the illusion of first penetrating a foes outer defence, then his hull, is remarkably convincing. Weapons fire is quite special too, but the piece de resistance is when you see a capital ship go down. Instead of simply exploding here and there, the larger vessels see a sequence of explosions running down the ship's spine or hull. Watching the big boys lights go out is profoundly rousing.

Mucking around in space taking out enemy ships, destroying torpedoes and defending space forts has never felt better, as both the control scheme and physics engine are perfect. Missions evolve from the getting-your-feet-wet search and destroy type to capturing secret R&D data-disks from the clutches of your enemy. It's all very compelling and the bigger picture (war) always leaves an impression on the missions you'll find yourself fulfilling.

The difficulty, however is my one main gripe with this game, as even on the medium setting things are pretty simple. In hindsight though, this is a good thing as if the game were overly painful, it would be fair to say that gamers might possibly turn away. Taking out enemy fighters is a fairly straightforward task and lots of fun too, plus busting capital ship-arse is a real hoot as well. First take out their shield generators, then hit the comms, engines and finally defences. After this your once mighty foe is now simply a metal hulk worthy of only a few well-placed neutron torpedoes.

The sound in Starlancer is very memorable, with just the right mix of orchestral tracks and modern tunes emanating from the background. Hitting just the right timbre are the weapons effects, which if executed crudely, would have resulted in annoyingly repetitive chimes. As it stands however, pretty much all aspects of Starlancer have been accounted for, and the best part of all is that every departments is of a high quality. Right on Digital Anvil!

As a casual gamer, a core gamer or even a part-time janitor, this game will rock your world. Some of the most dangerously exciting times are yours to look forward to if you play this game - it's tense, playable and above all fun. Just by looking at what has been achieved here, it is heart-warming to think of what's to come in the form of Freelancer. Highly recommended.

ORIGINALITY 70%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 90%
PLAYABILITY 90%
ADDICTION 90%
ENJOYMENT 95%