Good released sci fi games?

m0rl0ck

M
Im getting a new PC that should be able to run just about anything. From what i have read here this seems a pretty discerning and intelligent crowd, what are some not to be missed, already released space games?
 

Shadowdancer

Shadowdancer
I recently played event[0] and Tacoma, both short but neat titles.

For space shooters, I recommend Wing Commander (the first one, it's a bit tricky to run well though) and i-War 2 for what are probably the real beginning and peak of space opera arcade. House of the Dying Sun is said to be good, but I could never get it to run with my controllers.

Stellaris is worth it even if you're just getting it for the soundtrack.
 

Jonny Shiloh

Jonny Shiloh
Star Traders: Frontiers is good fun. Likewise Stellar Tactics. Neither will tax your system.

For space trading sims, have a look at the X3 series from Egosoft. Bit Teutonic in its approach, it's sort of like Patrician IV in space. X: Rebirth I'd maybe not bother with - I don't own it because it got panned on release, it may be a better game now, others around here will know more.

Then there's the Mass Effect series (1, 2, 3 and Andromeda) - I'm playing Andromeda at the moment, sort of enjoying it.

Space Engineers comes next, if you're into building stuff in space - there's a bit of game attached if you're interested but for me, I just enjoy building habitats and ships on asteroids.

Honourable mention to Space Engine - not a game, but a fantastic way of whiling away an hour or so if you like gawping at planets and stuff like I do.

There's plenty more out there but hope that's a start for you.
 

Viajero

Volunteer Moderator
Viajero
Highly recommend House of the Dying Sun. Here my original comment in its thread:

Viajero said:
Great game. Strong inspiration drawn from Homeworld for the visuals/chatter and X-Wing for the mission design. It actually feels as if playing Homeworld in first person. Music has those BSG drums and the sound of auto cannons is space-vaccum muffled and all.

As you progress in the campaign you can actually deploy a small fleet of vessels ranging from fighters to ponderous capital ships, including all kinds of loadouts that we need to properly tailor to the mission at hand. It also has a paused tactical view where you can issue orders and watch the battle unfold under your god´s eyes. Sometimes, if your fleet is properly equipped and set, you can strictly play it in the tactical view, without you needing to jump into a first person controlled ship, as if one were actually playing a Homeworld battle.

The game is also VR ready and I suspect it will work buttery smooth in most rigs due to the relatively low poly count. Said low count does not detract at all from the very high polished feel of the game. I would dare to say that this is a must in any space sim fan library out there, specially if you enjoyed X-wing, freespace, starlancer or similar.
Click to expand...

Edit: Currently at €8 euros in Steam, it is a steal. If I have any criticism for it it is that it is too short :p
 
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Darkfyre99

Darkfyre99
Most recently? For me it's Subnautica all the way. It has it all: exploration, resource gathering, base building, and a great story that you solve along the way. It's what exploration in Elite should be.

[video=youtube;Rz2SNm8VguE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz2SNm8VguE[/video]

It will also be a fantastic VR game once it fully supports the use of Vive Wands or Oculus Touch as controllers.
 

cpbtrading

cpbtrading
Yes I would agree with many above, but would add Evochron Merc or Legacy, Kerbal Space Program, Rouge System (proper sim), Interstellar Rift, Endless Sky (2D, top down)..
And..
No Mans Sky, but wait until after the July 24th 'Next' update. You will have to like the art style though, its not for everyone.

But yes, there are other games that no doubt I have forgotten, but those above in other posts, plus these here, oh and the X series perhaps, are some really good space games.

Good luck with the new pc, its always exciting to get new 'toys'.. ;)

Edit: Plus SW aka 'Skywanderers' its closed at the moment, but I wouldn't bother till nearer release anyway (year or two). Certainly one to keep an eye on if your into building your own ship, as in Space Engineers. However the logic in SW is better and more complex, but is yet to be confirmed as really playable. I have been testing in early access and the dev is o.k. and its coming along, so keep an eye out for it.
 
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Memnoch

M
Jonny Shiloh said:
For space trading sims, have a look at the X3 series from Egosoft. X: Rebirth I'd maybe not bother with - I don't own it because it got panned on release, it may be a better game now, others around here will know more.
Click to expand...
Funnily enough I fired it up after last playing in 2013. Wow, 5 years ago....

Anyway, the short answer is no, it really isn't worth playing. Still has the horrendous searching for station POI. You can't even trade in the only ship you can fly and must own or hire transporters and strangely in the first hour I made over a million from searching around in station vents for cases of diamonds. Utter junk.

Here's hoping that X4 is nothing like this or Egosoft are going to crash and burn so hard. Worryingly I saw an X4 video where Bernd said "I still believe in space highways". Oh, Bernd..... :-(

Oh, Objects in Space is now in early access. It's fun like 8-bit modempunk game.
 
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krylite

krylite
If you never played it, X2:The Threat is a fun iteration in the X-series. You can clearly see they were initially ambitious about adding some sort of spacelegs aspect into the game during the time CRobbers first tried to make his Freelancer an "everything" spacegame. It's funny to see X2's attempt at showing aborted gameplay in a city, farcical spacelegs animation in rooms in stations and ships and where they judiciously cut out enough to get their ambitious game out. So it does preserve intersting options of EVA-suit where you can leave your ship anytime and eva to abandoned ships (all kinds of abandoned ships, even alien cruisers) to claim them, or to switch between two of your own ships anywhere. There is also some eva gameplay in docking portions of stations where you can try to jimmy off some cargo from other parked ships. After the earlier part the game, the spacelegs look is pretty much abandoned at the end. But it still has decent "freespace" like gameplay where you can fly cruisers and even dock a smaller ship in your cruiser. And you can have your own "fleet" of npc controlled ships and the alien ship opponents are some of the best things about the game with some aspects of the aliens kind of reminiscent of 90's scifi tv. Granted the scope is actually just a limited set of 3d spaces connected in a 2d way by compass direction jumpgates, so overall still microscopic in galactic scope even compared to FFE, but still a fun enough game in it's own ways.
 
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Navigare Necesse Est

Navigare Necesse Est
KSP (Kerbal Space Program) gets you up to date with how real orbits and transfers and insertions and all that space flight stuff works. Educational game at its best. With an emphasis on being a game. I went prograde ever since - never regretted it.

No calculations needed, you can plan orbits with a nifty tool and preview what happens when you do a manouver at a paricular point. All graphical UI, easy for beginners. You can also build planes and all kinds of vehicles for atmo flight. Did I mention that it's basically a builder where you design your own rockets to launch?
 

Jools

Jools
You probably know about it already as it`s not a new title, but I would recommend FTL

Its a small 2d game, made by two guys. It has wonderful music and interesting gameplay. It`s very unforgiving, one mistake can cost you death and you have to start over again, but it`s worth all the pain

excellent little game
 

Ian Skippy

Ian Skippy
X:R is awesome as long as you stop trying to see it as x4. Its often for sale at bargin prices, well worth a snatch. It was one of the most broken games on launch (for once literally unplayabe), but its a cool space game now.
 

Navigare Necesse Est

Navigare Necesse Est
Jools said:
You probably know about it already as it`s not a new title, but I would recommend FTL

Its a small 2d game, made by two guys. It has wonderful music and interesting gameplay. It`s very unforgiving, one mistake can cost you death and you have to start over again, but it`s worth all the pain

excellent little game
Click to expand...

It's true. Ben Prunty did good job and the gameplay is solid fun.

sleutelbos said:
X:R is awesome as long as you stop trying to see it as x4. Its often for sale at bargin prices, well worth a snatch. It was one of the most broken games on launch (for once literally unplayabe), but its a cool space game now.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I can't see myself playing some silly highway minigame when travelling a sector.
 

Stigbob

Stigbob
As Darkfrye99 said subnautica.

If you like W40K Space Hulk Deathwing is really nice, don't expect anything beyond stomping about killing xeno scum though.
 

Necronaught

Necronaught
Prey 2017 is blowing me away on a System Shock 2 nostalgia vibe. It has a few hints of Halflife, Deus Ex and Bioshock thrown in there too.
 
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