X: Beyond the Frontier

The Good
I remember when I was a freshman in high school, I came across a game that would change my perception of video games forever. One evening while logged into my local BBS, I downloaded (on a then blazing 14.4 Kbps modem) the original version of Elite. I was immediately taken aback. Here was a game that simulated a complete living breathing universe with multiple galaxies, composed of hundreds - if not thousands - of stars and stations that one can visit, and populated with the hundreds more spaceships that would fly to and fro from their destinations. Here was a world where you could be a merchant, a pirate or a bounty hunter. I loved it. I played it every night and kept track of the planets I visited along with their prices in a large loose-leaf binder that I made specifically for the game.

Since those days, many imitators have come and gone and few can match up to the grandeur that is Elite and its successors, Elite Plus and Frontier.

X: Beyond the Frontier is one of these imitators that unfortunately misses the mark by a couple of parsecs.

What did I like about the game? Well considering it was released in 1999, the graphics are nice as well as scalable for today's PCs. I was able to run it on my modern PC at a wide-screen resolution without any complications. The sound was pretty good too.

The Bad
Everything else.

The game is a still-born baby that dies before it even gets started. Only those with the patience of a saint or a Vulcan... or a Vulcan Saint could POSSIBLY get through the first few hours of trudging along at snail like speeds. Even the tutorial at the beginning is an exercise in pain. Once the game gets "started" you're already behind the eight ball.

What I would like to understand is: why did the developers feel the need to drop you into the middle of nowhere, crippled, penniless and defenseless? where's the fun in that? And considering that Elite got it right the FIRST time around, why fix what isn't broken?

The first few hours of gameplay consists of flying from one local station to another in order to make a paltry profit, only to repeat it a dozen times before you can finally afford an upgrade that will actually speed the game up for you.

Is it fair to compare this game to Elite? Absolutely! Since it tries to emulate it in every other aspect but the most important one, being FUN and leaving it up to the player on how they wish to play.

The Bottom Line
This has to be the first space trading/combat simulator whose pacing can best be described as GLACIAL. Perhaps only those with the aforementioned patience may find the game rewarding... I on the other hand will not plunk another minute of my life into this sad excuse of an imitation.

I'm off to play Elite!

The Good
Any homage to Elite is a welcome one and although X:BTF did little to push the boundaries, it was a laudable tribute to the Braben/Bell classic. Yes the universe was comparatively small, the flight dynamics were simplistic and the combat disappointing, but the atmosphere was tense and foreboding (helped along by the excellent Vangelis-a-like Blade Runner-esque soundtrack), and when you did manage to set up a few factories and get a grip of the trading, it opened up to be an excellent space adventure

The Bad
X:BTF was slated for it's slow pace, and while it does a take a few hours to get going, it was nowhere near as catatonic as Elite's early stages. That said the combat is disappointing (certainly not a patch on its contemporaries FreeSpace and Tachyon), and the graphics are typically boxy of a 1999 game. Compared to its high-end sequels X1 is almost retro in look and the story is as basic as any you'll find in the genre.

The Bottom Line
Someone had to keep the Elite dream alive and Egosoft did well, despite being lambasted by Elite's creators and a good few others. If you like space-trading games, X1 is as good as any you'll find and remarkably still very playable against its more recent sequels. Purist space combat fans may prefer the likes of I-War 2 and FreeSpace however.

The Good
Resource management, small fights, realistic time management, an array of dazzling technology, replayability, and excellent visuals

The Bad
The economy is hard to grasp at first with a hard-to get learning curve.

The Bottom Line
If you like space-sims that don't focus completely on combat (though that is an option, if you purchase an upgrade to make yourself part of the Police Force), you'll like this game. There are quite a few nice goodies thrown in, including a nifty time compression drive that makes trips really really short (which is a good thing!). Essentialy, this is "Lost in Space", but with a entrepanuer feel to it. If you like trading and making money (like Hard Truck, 18 Wheels), than this is for you.