X2: The Threat Hands-On

Now here's a little something for all you folks who enjoy playing space simulations a'la Freelancer. Enlight Software and Egosoft, a group of talented German game designers and programmers, spent quite a while working on a game that will allow players to travel through the far regions of the universe by operating a vast array of space crafts. X2: The Threat is actually the sequel to the popular space simulation, X: Beyond the Frontier, which received fairly positive press back in 1999 (especially on European soil). On several accounts, the developers have claimed that the good-old space-simulation, Elite, was one of their main inspirations for creating X2: The Threat. Also, after playing the game it wasn't hard to see that it also carries a few distinct resemblances to Digital Anvil's recently released space simulation, Freelancer. In any case, we got a chance to play the latest build of the game and check out how far the developers have got with the project.

Dang! No parking space!

This bucket of bolts will never outrun my ship.

This game takes players on an intricate space journey, full of challenges, opportunities, and many unforeseen dangers. The story goes on somewhere about 20-25 years after X: Beyond the Frontier. Your character lives in a time when mankind mastered the ability to travel across numerous regions throughout the immense galaxies. Mind you, it's not a peaceful time. It is the time when man is forced to acknowledge the demands of several other alien races that have been discovered in different sectors of the universe. Such a huge universe soon became filled with smugglers, businessmen, bounty hunters, and countless travelers, who seek their fortune one way or another. After years of conflict and constant turmoil, humans were able to reach an agreement and now, both sides strive to maintain a rather uneasy harmony. It is in this troubled universe that we step into the boots of our hero, Julian. Only, you play an antihero in this one. Fate has placed you in a rather nasty situation - after a certain unsuccessful star ship theft you are brought to the attention of the authorities. Now you find yourself facing hard-labor for quite a long time. But, fate steps in once again, this time taking a turn for the better, as a senior member of the Argon Federation's Security Force offers you a chance to earn your freedom by transporting cargo for the so-called TerraCorp. Through your journeys you'll encounter a violent and unfriendly alien race, which has a firm intention of vaporizing you as well as your ship and cargo. Eventually, certain unpleasant sparks from Julian's turbulent past begin to stir up, and pretty soon he discovers his true identity and purpose in life.

Each and every section in the galaxy is unique, with diverse planets, structures, ships, etc. Plus, they are all extremely huge, so it's always a good idea to use the effective navigation system, thanks to which it will be a lot easier to locate any station or headquarters you are required to dock on. Before we go any further, it might interest you to know that the full version of the game will have approximately 150 star systems with dozens of exotic worlds to venture in. Everything around you acts in real-time. Ships are going to be docking and leaving space ports as you pass through, police spacecrafts will pursue space pirates right before your very eyes, many space stations actively orbit around planets, etc. So, it all looks and feels pretty real when you're playing it.

The positive thing in this game is that players are not obliged to stick to the basic storyline all the time. (Hence the reference to Elite. - 2Lions) You'll have the freedom to roam around wherever and whenever you want. The gameplay is very open-ended, offering you an opportunity to do a lot of things during your spare time between missions; trading, upgrading your ship, exploring new regions, etc. As the game begins, players get to travel through a number of peaceful sectors, learning the skills of space travel and trading. This is a rather good beginning. It made me master the game's controls as well as all the available options that allow you to perform a variety of basic trading, transport, and escort missions.

I feel dizzy. Perhaps I should dock later.

That thing looks like a giant toaster.

The missions we tried were a combination of escort and trading assignments you need to complete before you can move on with the basic storyline. And let me tell you, I often found myself straying from the main goal of the mission just so I could earn additional credits on my own and just enjoy the simple life of an innocent interstellar smuggler; exploring diverse star systems and, of course, selling goods and getting richer by the minute. But, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to play that way. By sticking to the main tasks, you can also obtain substantial rewards for your efforts in the form of credits or a brand new vessel. The neat thing is that you get to increase your assets and work your way up from a single and simple spacecraft to a massive fleet that can contain hundreds of ships and fighters (fleets can sometimes consist of 400 to 500 ships). (Very cool indeed! - 2Lions) As time went by, I managed to get my mitts on ships that are more powerful - with highly advanced weapons, shields, and equipment. Just so you know the game encompasses over 70 different spacecraft for you to ride in, ranging from small fighters to bulky cruisers and capital ships. Naturally, maintaining fleets is quite expensive and you won't be able to do that until you've established a lavish economy system. Your economy is based on several things. You have the option to sell nabbed enemy fighters or freighters and you can always rely on mining for resources, building factories, and such.

The controls of each ship are quite simple and easy to learn. As I started my very first space voyage, I honestly never felt compelled to go through the game's tutorial - although, players who prefer it, can give it a try any time and learn all about basic ship controls, weapon systems, trading, and so on. During combat it was easy to notice that the commands were handled intuitively, so it wasn't a problem to take out oncoming enemy fighters. In addition to that, accessing all the possibilities of your ship (which includes navigation systems, weapon and shield systems, communication, and more) is pretty straightforward thanks to a variety of 'hot keys.'

Progressing through the game, I noticed that the missions become increasingly challenging, allowing you to take charge of an entire fleet. For greater conflicts, the developers have allowed players to take command and give out orders to their fleet. Each time when you get a new frigate, or ship that has more than one cockpit, the AI will take control of the turrets. In this case, the command system works smoothly without causing any particular problems during the gameplay. Perhaps, a slight drawback is that you have to dish out orders to your ships in real-time, which is kind of a poser when you're coping with a huge battle. (That's how things work in space sims, Vadar! Remember Wing Commander? - 2Lions)

Visually, we were quite pleased with what we saw throughout the entire build. X2: The Threat displays beautifully rendered ship models and various structures, such as space stations, trading posts, asteroids, factories, and various facilities. All these objects were supplemented with rich textures (excellent bump-mapping), shadows, and impressive-looking reflections (which can also be observed within the cockpit as you play). You'll also get to witness some nice explosions that show off great particle effects and top-notch lighting effects. The game was optimized to run in high resolutions (all the way up to 1600*1200, baby!). Altogether, the game works and looks very well at this stage. The audio is still incomplete though. Still, some of the sounds we've heard throughout the game are quite good.

In a nutshell, it's obvious that this game will be a must have for any gamer who enjoys an in-depth voyage in space. From what we've experienced, it's safe to say that X2: The Threat has a strong potential to become a solid PC game. Space simulation fans should keep an eye out for the game this November.