[Lucika]

When you purposely have every fighter / bomber in the field go home, yes.

I felt so too... on the first time
For the second time, it was laaaaaaaaaaame.

FS2 is a copypaste of retreating and attacking.

[General Battuta]

I had the opposite experience. FS1 wasn't desperate because we won: the Lucifer went down right in the nick of time, as usual.

In FS2 all our best efforts were useless and all we could do was hide.

Come on! Did you EVER feel desperateness and loneliness in FS2?

Absolutely. As opposed to FS1, where I felt disengaged and flat. The final act of FS2 was utterly brilliant -- everything crumbling around you.

I'm not trying to say you're wrong. I'm trying to say it seems to depend on what order you played them in.

Also, Ransom Arceihn likes FS2's plot more, as I recall. And he knows a plot. CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT.

[tinfoil]

tinfoilwantssnuffalupagusindapollkthxbai.

but, if there's no snuffalupagus i'll have to go with fs2. the final act is indeed brilliant.

[GTSVA]

What are the rumors of Descent 4?

FS2 is pretty nice. Both games have awesome musik.

[Commander Zane]

Descent 4's dead as a doorknob...

[Uchuujinsan]

FS1 had all in all the better atmosphere in the campaign and I liked the BGM more. I played FS1 first.
However, FS2 was better gameplay wise. Larger battles, more usefull missiles, sometimes even strategic decisions.
And the last mission, especially on insane difficulty, just owned.

[shiv]

Conflict: FreeSpace is better

[Mongoose]

FS2 all the way.  The vast majority of the missions had much greater plot cohesion, as opposed to FS1's multiple "hey, destroy this cargo depot/convoy for no real reason" tasks.  And as the esteemed General already alluded to, FS2 had the benefit of the far more unconventional plot all the way through, with an ending that still has us talking ten years after the fact.  It's no contest gameplay-wise, either.

[Snail]

In FS2 I never got the same feeling of mystery and epicness that I got while playing FS1. Partly because in FS2 everything just seemed happy and wonderful, even as the Sathanes converged around the star I felt like I was playing a fairy tale. Might be because of the flower colored nebula or the fact that the Shivans were complete joke in FS2 (compared to FS1 that is).

[eliex]

The music generally was much better in FS1 which enhanced to atmosphere.
Also in FS2 you know that everything is able to be killed with enough firepower but the Lucifer was just simply the ultimate enemy.

[Molybdenum]

FS1 for atmosphere FS2 for gameplay. What If? by SF_Juncky attempted to make compromise between the two but IMHO added too many goofy dialogs and lost the atmosphere of hopelessness from FS1.

[Snail]

FS1 for atmosphere FS2 for gameplay.

Agreed. Never played Junky's What If, so I can't say anything about that.

The music generally was much better in FS1 which enhanced to atmosphere.
Also in FS2 you know that everything is able to be killed with enough firepower but the Lucifer was just simply the ultimate enemy.

Another thing with FS2 is that you knew there was no way you were gonna actually defeat the Sath fleet and that was just gonna pull something outta the hat. But in FS1 you actually did win which gave a much better sense of accomplishment. Had there been an FS3 which tied up FS2 I guess that would've been different.

[Grizzly]

It seems that most people who played FS1 first prefer FS1, and that most people who played FS2 first play FS2.

Once again I do not fit in with 'most people', then.

Oh, by the way... What IS the 'What if' campaign thingy anyway?

[Jeff Vader]

Oh, by the way... What IS the 'What if' campaign thingy anyway?

The 'What If' campaign thingy.

[Snail]

Oh, by the way... What IS the 'What if' campaign thingy anyway?

The 'What If' campaign thingy.

TBH I haven't heard much about that except that it was uber buggy.

Is it worth the download? I liked SF-Junky's StormFront campaigns but I'm a bit hesitant to try this one.

[Nissan]

Another thing with FS2 is that you knew there was no way you were gonna actually defeat the Sath fleet and that was just gonna pull something outta the hat. But in FS1 you actually did win which gave a much better sense of accomplishment. Had there been an FS3 which tied up FS2 I guess that would've been different.

I actually kinda liked FS2 better for this reason.  The ending of FS1 just seemed too... lucky.  You happened to find the only weakness of the invincible Lucifer (no shields in subspace) because of a lucky break (the records on Altair) that happened because of another lucky-ish break (the scientists got shot down and happened to land on that planet).  That said, though, it's a testament to and their ability to draw up a plot that they still made the final mission--and really the entire FS1 story--as epic and memorable as it was.

The ending of FS2 was just... brilliant, though.  Over those last few missions, every time I turned and saw the 80-plus Saths lined up near the star, it gave me chills.  It was clear that there was no way to defeat that kind of firepower; the only hope was to find some way to maybe contain the Shivans.  And even that seemed hopeless when you considered that 1) you saw the first Sathanas enter Gamma Draconis even after you thought you had destroyed the portal, and 2) if even one or two of the juggernauts decided to break off and try to reach Vega or Epsilon Pegasi, there would probably be no way to stop them from obliterating every system in GTVA space.  There was just a much greater sense of desperation, knowing you had no choice but to run... and I really think that the Shivans' final demonstration in FS2 gave them a completely new aura of power, one they didn't quite reach in the original game, in the sense of "if they can do that... then what else are they capable of?" 

I'll admit, though, I did miss the Valkyrie in FS2.

[Snail]

Another reason I liked FS1 was that the Shivans seemed to be working towards something you could actually relate to. I understand some people might like the Shivans' sense of "WTF are they up to" in FS2 but in FS1, the fact that you knew they were actually actively pursuing the destruction of the Terran and Vasudan races actually made it that much more desperate.

[Grizzly]

Oh, by the way... What IS the 'What if' campaign thingy anyway?

The 'What If' campaign thingy.

TBH I haven't heard much about that except that it was uber buggy.

Is it worth the download? I liked SF-Junky's StormFront campaigns but I'm a bit hesitant to try this one.

I've been playing it for a bit and it has been reasonable. It also makes me wonder why your wingmen are so quiet during the FS1 and FS2 campaigns.

[Scotty]

becuase unless you are on the easiest setting, they drop like flies and don't live through from one mission to the next.  No time to get to know each other.

[Mobius]

Maybe he was refering to the fact that, Snipes excluded, there are no prominent pilot characters in FreeSpace.