[Satellight]

When did you play FreeSpace the first time ? What was your first impression about this game ?

For me, it was in June 1998, when I bought the first PC MAX, a french magazine, now dead  . It contained a CD with the demo of FS1, and when I tried this demo, I was just amazed by the beauty of these mother****ing explosions... And then I thought that having twenty fingers surely would be useful, when I saw how many keys were used 

And You ?

[Snail]

Got the OEM version of FreeSpace 1 (Descent: FreeSpace - Darkness Rising, which contained only the first Act) along with a Dell computer and a Sidewinder joystick. Got bored with the training missions at first, but after skipping them found the rest of the campaign thrilling.

[Mobius]

Same thing for me, except I got the OEM version of FreeSpace 2 (FreeSpace 2: Colossus, featured all missions from the main campaign until "Feint! Parry! Riposte!") and a Logitech joystick. The training missions were boring, but the rest of the Demo was superb... I played it a zillion times until I got a copy of Retail FS2.

[Scotty]

^^^

Although, it had all the missions through Feint! Parry! Riposte!, not until.

I played it enough to have two pilots with triple ace pins.

[NGTM-1R]

About the time it was released, I recall reading the FS1 strategy guide about the Plato mission in a store somewhere; I think it might have been a CompUSA.

Several years after it was released, I noticed a 3-disc set at the checkout counter at Fry's Electronics. FS1 and Silent Threat. Bought it because I remembered the guide (and was going through one of my temporary blackouts about my memories of the lies the Outpost strategy guide told).

I honestly don't remember that first playthrough.

[Mobius]

Although, it had all the missions through Feint! Parry! Riposte!, not until.

The government language barrier.

[Bob-san]

Same thing for me, except I got the OEM version of FreeSpace 2 (FreeSpace 2: Colossus, featured all missions from the main campaign until "Feint! Parry! Riposte!") and a Logitech joystick. The training missions were boring, but the rest of the Demo was superb... I played it a zillion times until I got a copy of Retail FS2.

Ditto. I figured out that I could play "online" without any voices to complete the campaign.

[castor]

When did you play FreeSpace the first time ? What was your first impression about this game ?

Somewhere late 1998, hooked from the first training mission. Thought it pretty much a flawless product. The dark, no nonsense military setting really appealed to me, I guess.

[Bob-san]

On a side-note, I first played around 2003 I think. I got the FS2:C disc with a Logitech Wingman Force 3D joystick. I must have played it half a dozen times before finding out about multiplayer mode and then doing some of the later missions. I downloaded FSO around then and "borrowed" it until I bought a copy of it and FS1 from GOG.

[Mobius]

On a side-note, I first played around 2003 I think. I got the FS2:C disc with a Logitech Wingman Force 3D joystick.

Yeah, now I remember the joystick's name. I got pretty much the same year, or in 2002.

[BlackDove]

I was a big Wing Commander fan, and after Prophecy, and that paltry expansion it had, I read in a gaming magazine that FS1 cleaned the floor with it.

So I got it on release, which IIRC was spring 1998.

[Droid803]

March, 2 years ago (2008!)
Got it cause it was free (GoG didn't start up yet), and I saw some screenshots from Celebration of FS posted on another forum when someone asked for space sim games.

[MatthTheGeek]

I know of FS for about a year now, when looking for free and linux-compatible games - and it's now on the top of my favourite games.

[Trivial Psychic]

Same thing for me, except I got the OEM version of FreeSpace 2 (FreeSpace 2: Colossus, featured all missions from the main campaign until "Feint! Parry! Riposte!") and a Logitech joystick. The training missions were boring, but the rest of the Demo was superb... I played it a zillion times until I got a copy of Retail FS2.

Same for me except I soon found the FS1+ST at a future shop.  After that, I tried downloading a copy of FS2 off a P2P program, and then HOTU, until I just borrowed a CD copy from a friend and made a copy.  I bought the FS2:C around Xmas 2002 at a Costoc.  It should be noted that at the end of the following month, my current wife and I began dating, so I've been involved in FS for as long as we've been an item.  I was introduced to FS some time before that, by the same friend that I borrowed FS2 off for copying.  He introduced me to FS1 originally, then bought ST, then FS2, but he PC was slow at the time and the were all quite jerky and aiming with a keyboard.  It wasn't until I got into playing it myself on my own PC that I began to really enjoy it.

[Solatar]

Freespace 1 was on a demo disk - along with several others games, a lot of them terrible - that came with a Gateway PC back in like...1999/2000-ish.  Took me awhile, and I figured out Freespace 2 existed.  Managed to get a boxed copy at a game store, played it for awhile.  I've been hooked ever since.

EDIT:  And the first time I saw this thread was in the 'recently posted threads' thing on the right side, it was just cut off as Re: Your first time . . .  thought I'd share.

[Galemp]

OEM DVD that came with my Pentium III in 98/99. I was addicted to X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter at the time. FreeSpace grabbed me and has never let go.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Got FS2 OEM with a Logitech joystick, which I actually got for playing Flight Sim 2004. So it took me a while before I installed and played the demo. But then, yeah... I just kept playing it. After a couple years I found out that there was a free download of the full game here (before GoG, that was) and, because I didn't get FSO to work at first, played the main campaign on retail about eight times over a couple years. Then I finally figured out that I had to install OpenAL, and well, I've been into FS ever since.

[Satellight]

Freespace 1 was on a demo disk - along with several others games, a lot of them terrible - that came with a Gateway PC back in like...1999/2000-ish.  Took me awhile, and I figured out Freespace 2 existed.  Managed to get a boxed copy at a game store, played it for awhile.  I've been hooked ever since.

EDIT:  And the first time I saw this thread was in the 'recently posted threads' thing on the right side, it was just cut off as Re: Your first time . . .  thought I'd share.

  Maybe a little bit confusing...

BTW, I discovered Freespace 2 late 2004, and because there was no marketing for it, it was totally a chance. I had no Internet connection in these days, so I didn't know about the release... Such a pity ! I thought I became crazy when I saw that box  !

[Wobble73]

I also got the Colossus edition of FS2 first, my first play through I thought, that seems a bit complicated and I was really into FPSes, (DOOM, Quake style games etc.). So I just uninstalled it. Years later I was looking for something new, was bored of FPSes and remembered FS2, (after finding a demo of it on an old PCGamer demo disc I had). Searched and found the Collosus edition, played it through, got hooked! This is like 6-7 years ago now! Finally obtained the full version from a friend after finding this site (since bought from GOG) and played through countless mods!

[AlienTermite]

Ahh... good memories. I got my copy of FS1 bundled with a joystick I bought back in 1998. I think I was in the 5th grade... I remember playing the training missions and marveling at the graphics as I blew up all those cargo containers lol. The gameplay, the story, everything was so great! I had a friend who got FS2 as a birthday present and he let me borrow it. After that I never played the game again until  7-8 years later when I heard about the source code project, and the rest is history!