X2: The Threat Review

9.2

Format PC

Developer Egosoft

Publisher Deep Silver

Genre Shoot 'em Up

Space, as the man said, is big. Of course, until now the accepted wisdom was also that space is very, very black. Or at least whatever that colour is that you get when you remove all light and replace it with dark matter. Or whatever space is made from. Look, don't ask me. I'm not an astronaut. I play games for a living. It's confusing enough just working out why people don't all fall sideways when they walk down the street.

Anyway, space. The inky black void. Except for in the wonderful world of X2: The Threat, where it appears that space has been remodelled by Jackson Pollock. In the middle of a paint factory explosion. On acid. Even Stanley Kubrick would have baulked at this.

Fickle Start
Which has probably given you all the impression that I think X2 is one ugly mother of a beast. The Ann Widdecombe of space simulations. But a single glance at any one of the lovingly presented screenshots accompanying these words will show up that supposition to be wrong. Very, very wrong. In fact, I'll go out on a limb right here, before I've even had time to erect a literary safety net or anything, and state that there won't be a better looking game all year. Unless Half-Life 2 bothers to show up of course, in which case it's the second best.

I mean, look at it! Go on, have a glance around these pages. Flick back and forth. Turn them upside down. Lie alongside them in the bed, caressing their neck and making soft cooing noises. They're gorgeous aren't they? X2 is one of those games that art departments love as it's almost impossible to make it look bad.

Forgive me for going on about something so facile as a game's visuals so early on, but sometimes you have to let yourself wallow in the surface delights before you plunge headlong into the meaty stew at the heart of things. And if that's not a tortured metaphor in desperate search of a linking crosshead, then I don't know what is...

Love, Actually
So, what is X2: The Threat then? Obviously, a platform romp set during medieval Europe. One cunningly disguised, mind you, as a hardcore space-based trading and combat simulation, weaving elements of mysterious alien aggressors, long-lost explorers searching for a way home and the touching tale of a wayward boy discovering the true nature of his father. Sounds a bit like Star Wars, come to think of it.

Before I get started on this extended love letter to X2's developer, Egosoft, I might as well temper it with a bit of criticism. The story aspects of the game are nothing to fax home about. The plot, while fun enough, is one of cliché and predictability. The FMV animations used to further proceedings are distinctly unimpressive (let's just say that facial rendering isn't exactly Egosoft's strongest point). And while we're at it, the interface isn't the most natural in the world, and too often you find yourself accidentally opening the wrong information windows.

Simply The Best
Right, that's everything negative I can currently think of to say about X2, all done in a single paragraph, so as not to pollute the rest of the review. Because putting all that to one side, what we have here is perhaps the finest game to strap on its space-trading boots since the seminal Elite. It's better than Freelancer, better than EVE Online, better than the original X: Beyond The Frontier, better than any number of Privateers, Battlecruisers, Freespaces and Frontiers. Best, best, best. Am I making this clear enough?

Justify yourself then, man. Well, for a start, Egosoft has thought of everything. Anyone that played the first X, way back when, couldn't help but be impressed by the ambition on show. Okay, some found it slow-going at first and as such never gave it a fair shake. But those who persevered long enough to get their first engine booster suddenly found a virtual universe of possibility. Accompanied by a universe of untapped potential.

Why couldn't we buy other ships? Why couldn't we run factories of our own? Why couldn't we control wingmen or order other pilots or this, that and the other? We're greedy bastards basically, and we demand satisfaction.

As Good As It Gets
Which is exactly what Egosoft has delivered. Satisfaction on a great big gaming plate, decorated with gameplay garnishings and covered with game design sauce. Everything we asked for in X: Beyond The Frontier has been delivered - and then some. Want to trade your starting ship in for a bigger model? Earn the money and go ahead. In fact, why not buy yourself an entire fleet, issue them with all sorts of trading orders and create a business empire to rival Richard Branson?

Not content with just shipping goods about? So buy yourself a manufacturing factory, start making high-grade weapons platforms and sell them to others. Or buy a raft of factories, all supplying each other. Or set up a pirate base on the edge of a system, fill it with fighters and hunt, loot and pillage to your heart's content. Or this, that and the other, basically, but ten times as much.

And There's More...
But, and here's the beauty part, the satisfaction isn't just in how big everything can get, but how much small detail has been packed in here. Buy a cargo ship, for instance, and you'll get a basic model that can fly from A to B. Buy its onboard computers some advanced trading software though, and you can get it to make specific deals by itself. Upgrade it even further and you can have it hunt around by itself for the best deals.

All of which costs money, of course. The trading system is just as intricate, with a dynamic economy that constantly reacts to local supply and demand. If you're canny enough (and have enough starting capital), you can even force certain shifts in the prices for different goods, opening up holes in the market that work to your advantage.

The level of detail is immense. It practically never stops. You can fly around inside space stations, for god's sake. And then choose where to park. And then get out of your ship and fly about in a space suit examining other ships parked there. And then find hidden crates with bonus weapons, goods or tools inside.

I don't know about you, but that's the kind of stuff that makes my brain go gooey with delight. It's like putting a feather cap on in Super Mario World and then discovering a hidden level up in the clouds.

It's A-Me
Okay, time for another brief negative. Combat isn't great. It takes a lot of getting used to and the rapid manoeuvring required isn't really suited to mouse controls. In fact, X2 is one of the few games that still work better with a joystick in your hand. And the larger battles do eat up a lot of processor power. However, it's forgivable, and with patience and ship upgrades you can get the hang of it. And with the many, many weapon options available to you, there's a lot of scope for epic battles.

Which are spectacular, it must be said, especially when you start messing about with capital ships. In fact, the final battle in the storyline is very nicely handled, with all sorts going on and genuine tension derived from the plot mechanics. The best thing is that the game doesn't end once the story's over. You're free to carry on and trade away, as chances are you still won't have seen half of what's on offer by this point.

More Pages
Thing is, I'm sure I've still forgotten dozens of other things that I want to tell you about X2. I'll go home tonight after submitting this review and think, "Shit, I wanted to say something about the satellites that enable you to control your property from other parts of the galaxy. Oh, and the multiple monitor system that means you can watch three different things at once. Oh, and the massive size of the universe." And so on. And on. It's that kind of game. The kind you tell your mates about down the pub and have them go, "Wow!" in response.

Some might try to tell you that it isn't that great. Some may cry: "Too slow!" and "Where's the action?" These people are simply showing the depths of their ignorance. X2: The Threat is one of the few examples of intelligent gaming left out there. If you want to waste your brain cells on pointless shooters and dumbed-down platformers, that's up to you.

PC Zone Staff