[Stargazer_2098]

I have presented you to Noctis and Orbiter, the two best and most realistic freeware space-games for the time being; now here is a freeware game I would like to add to that list, and which I belive this community will actually enjoy:
StarFight VI - Gatekeepers.

Now this is a professional freeware sci-fi game, created by JP-productions and GDU (Game Developers United).
The game is actually several genres in one package: adventure, strategy, freelance and pure space-fight action.
The graphics are extraordinary for being a freeware game.

The adventure part has an interface similar to the classic Gateway-series, but also resembles The Journey Man project in several ways.
The carracters in the game is hand-drawn (not models), but they are actually quite well created.

Where the game truly shines, tough; is  
the space-combat parts, where the grapics are put to full use, producing some high quality atmosphere.

The same goes for the cutscenes (yes,   there is many of those) which is also very well created and modeled (must have taken days to comply all of them).

The game weigths in at a stunning 180 MB compressed download! The fully unpacked version is about 286 MB!

This freeware game has seen several months in development, and realy deserve a place in the list of the best freeware space-games to date.

For more information and download:

The Home of the Underdogs review

The Official StarFight VI Homepage



The updated top list of freeware space-products:


1) Noctis
- A unique space exploration game, tough the graphics may not be the best around (untill the release of the new Noctis V, that is); the game shines as a crystal in the freeware space-game collection.
For its atmosphere, its revolutionery technology, and its original and mysterious plot; Noctis gets the 1st place for being the best freeware space-game to date.


2) Orbiter
- The most accurate space-sim that exists, Orbiter sports the best nevtonian physics engine ever released to the public.
The grapics are perfect, and so is the atmosphere.
This simulator is also highly open and modifiable for any addons and user development.
Orbiter is an actual candidate for being the Best Freeware Game of the Year.


3) The StarFight VI - Gatekeepers
- This game is described above, and deserves the third place for its excellense.


4) Celestia
- This is not an actual game, but an highly-revolutionery 3D-planetarium package.
Since its freeware, it deserves as a place in this list as one of the best Freeware space-prodcust that exists.
With Celestia, you can go to any of the planets in the Sol-system, and beyond into almost 30,0000 stars, some of them with more fictional worlds.
You can even zoom all the way out from the milky way, and view some of the closest galaxies.
All orbits are of course Keplar-correct, and with internet accsess to astronomy and space-pages, Celestia can give you lots of usefull informations.
Ever wondered how the sky looks like from Proxima Centauri? Now you can find out...


That's the end of the list, for now.


I hope you will like SpaceFight VI!


Stargazer.

[Stryke 9]

Posted that about a month ago.

Game's buggy, too. ANB central station dissapears during one of the missions when you need it, and even if you get past that (which is still possible), the game locks up in a pirate attack later.

[Nico]

bah, there's privateer (legal) on that site, but I can't open the zip, that sux.

[Stargazer_2098]

Originally posted by Stryke 9
Posted that about a month ago.

Game's buggy, too. ANB central station dissapears during one of the missions when you need it, and even if you get past that (which is still possible), the game locks up in a pirate attack later.

Remember to download the patch from their homepage, it will fix most of the bugs.


Stargazer.

[Stryke 9]

I did. And reinstalled everything twice. It's buggy.