Customer Reviews

DarkStar One (DVD-Rom)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Darkstar One (DSO) invites comparison to Freelancer (FL) because the games are so similar. One reviewer even claimed that DSO is "Freelancer done right." Sadly, no. FL had a more exciting story and excellent voice acting-- this game was originally developed in Germany and the English translation is sometimes a bit odd. There are 55 star systems in FL, and 300 in DSO, but the DSO systems have very little exploration potential. The only place to land in each system is the trading station, invariably named "Trading Station."

Combat is a lot like FL, and missiles are fun to shoot (Hellfires almost never miss). The Swarm missile is like a shotgun blast, unguided but useful in close quarters. Shields don't work the same as in FL, so it's possible to take out some of the weaker pirate ships with one Hellfire. The variety of weapons is not as much as in FL. One thing DSO has that FL doesn't is controls to roll left and right as well as strafe in a dogfight.

Unlike FL, the player goes through the entire game with one ship, but it can be equipped with lots of different items. The innovative part is how the Darkstar One can expand itself to create more weapon and equipment slots. One especially useful upgrade allows you to mount turrets that fire automatically at hostile targets, e.g. ships on your tail (wish FL had that).

The side missions are different but can be repetitive after a while, like in FL. You can sign on as a freighter escort to earn money, that was something missing from the original FL. Also, there are occasional distress calls to answer and invitations to join in combat missions. Kayron has a co-pilot named Eona. Sometimes she can be useful, such as reminding you that another ship is on your tail.

Inter-system travel is by hyperspace drive. You can leave a system from anywhere that's not too close to a solid object. Systems are entered through a single hyper gate. Inside a system, there is no cruise engine but you have an afterburner that can be upgraded to get more out of it. Also there is a time dilation effect to speed up routine movement inside a system. There is no autopilot, and formation flying is manual too.

Docking on stations is actually quicker than FL once you buy a landing computer (affordable very early in the game). Inside the station everything is handled in one room (but there is a "panorama" or viewing port to see outside). As mentioned above, there is no landing on planets-- you can only dock at the single trading station.

The trade system, at least in the demo, isn't very interesting. The dynamic pricing that people said they wanted in FL has been implemented but that just means you have no idea whether a trade run will make money. And cargo is carried in unwieldy containers that get towed behind your ship. You have to drop the container to fight off pirates and then pick it up again. Bounties and missions pay a lot better than trading.

If you like to see fireworks, DSO delivers. The Big Bang torp will do a job on large targets like capital ships and pirate asteroids, making fiery shockwaves that spread across the sky. You can even get paid by the rebels for blowing up ships, but the police are much tougher than FL and I haven't been able to escape them to enjoy the money. There is a reputation system that's rudimentary compared to FL, and it doesn't look like crime pays.

In summary, if you love FL this game is worth playing but there are some aspects that fall short of expectations. Unlike FL, Ascaron, the makers of DSO, are talking about a possible sequel. There's hope the game will improve in the next edition.

Sure glad I bought the game prior to reading the customer reviews. I did not find this game buggy at all; it runs beautifully on my LAPTOP which is quite new and built to handle demanding games. The game ran in the default resolution set for my computer. It is important to caution prospective buyers to pay serious attention to the game specs. This will not run unless your graphics card - and drivers - are up to date. Also - there are patches, one of which is supposed to address the joystick problems.

There are so few of these games out there! Space adventure games are almost exclusively developed in Europe and we are fortunate if they end up being released here in North America. If you are a devout fan of this genre you know a lot about shareware!

If you want to play a space based adventure game with impressive graphics and a decent story line - this game is for you. If you enjoyed Freelancer, then treat yourself to Darkstar One!

DarkStar One is a fairly simple and straightforward game, that although it lacks much depth, still manages to be a lot of fun. You will spend most of your time dogfighting space pirates and upgrading your ship. The biggest downside is the linear plot that you must follow to advance through the game. The game does offer the freedom to engage in piracy and smuggling, but it makes it difficult to advance through the game if you're being chased by the police and bounty hunters in every system in the galaxy. All of the missions are more or less the same, and will seem a bit repetative after a while, so I find this game is best in small doses. It's also nice that you can save your game anywhere at any time. Everything combines to produce a fun experience for a casual gamer who doesn't want to have to play for hours on end in order to advance through a game. I did initially have some performance issues with this game, although after downloading an update, the game runs perfectly.

Its not a Wing Commander, but it sure was a lot of fun to play and see my ship grow into a bigger one. The cutscenes and story were well done and space looks really good too. Yes some of the missions are repetative and some of the space chatter too, but I still enjoyed the game. What I liked too is that all my money was made on missions and pirate killing. Trading is not required in this game.

The mouse controls worked really well and the game only crashed about 4 times during my long campaign.

Alot of reviewers have been comparing Darkstar 1 to Freelancer; that is a good idea. Darkstar has good things that is missing from Freelancer. Joystick support is a big one. I would still be playing Freelancer if it supported a joystick, nothing is sillier than a space sim with no joystick support. Darkstar gives you a choice: Joystick/Mouse support or mouse based controls only.

This game has the same type of space trading system as my first space sim, Elite. Tactical displays in the cockpit is great, my only problem is the missile controls,which does not let you switch missile types easily. Also, the game has a memory leak bug that reboots my PC after 2 or more hours of game play (Even after I applied the patch).

Even though Darkstar One has bugs, I still enjoy playing this game.

This game is really fun, the universe is massive in the game. You can play freeform, do what you wish, or follow the storyline. Excellent graphics & sound.

This game has the potential to be great... All of the necessities are there; A lot of systems, Many different weapons, great control interface, the list goes on. The only problem is, It is so buggy that you rarely get to play for more than an hour and a half before the game crashes and you're back you your last save. Even with the patch it still does it, and that's before and after I have reformatted my computer and updated all of my drivers!

Lots of fun, plenty of things to do, takes lots of time to finish, don't waste time traveling!

The missions are great, and the upgrading of the vehicle is incredible. The curve of leaning is simple. This is one of the best space games Iv'e played in a while. i really like the game play!

Lonnie

It has been way too long having a good space adventure game and this one will fit the bill nicely. If you like Freelance or Independence War 2, you would like Darkstar One.