Gameplay
WOW what a gripping story!
Ok, so I know it’s not a good start for a review of a game to instantly be sarcastic in it’s opening title, but sadly the story is the first place to begin, and X2’s is laughable.
When you first load up X2 you get a fairly nice opening sequence, which shows the games ship graphics off in full. You are a pilot called Julian (great choice there Egosoft) who with your friend Bret are fleeing from the authorities some illegal job. You both get caught and you are on your way to prison when instead you are brought aboard the Argon flagship to see the captain Ban Danna (yes, there are a few highly questionable names in X2). He then tells you that he’s given you a chance to work instead of going to prison and gives you a small ship. That’s when things start becoming predictable and silly, using the whole ‘unlikely heroes saving the day’ stereotype we come to expect from Sci-Fi games and films alike.
The majority of cut scenes take place from a human viewpoint, and while its good to see the people actually flying and living in this world (unlike other space sims) Egosoft really shouldn’t have bothered. While the game engine can handle ships, and even depicting futuristic cities, it does a lousy job re-creating human beings. Humans walk, talk and look like androids, with their unnatural stiffness and bland faces standing out like beacons. Combine the story telling parts with the X2’s silly system of telling time, where seconds are called sezura’s, minutes are called mizura’s etc, and you’ll literally cry with laughter or shear embarrassment if your trying to impress your mates.
Although there are a few good parts to the story, i.e. the missions you end up doing, sadly the whole story element is a huge blow to the games creditability. Luckily, the story is rather short, and there’s a far more interesting open universe waiting for you to explore.
Trading partners
X2’s saving grace is its open end style of gameplay. Although doing the story may occupy you for a while you’ll spend the majority of your time trying to build up your own influence and power. Egosoft have left it down to you how to proceed, whether to become a pirate, warlord, space entrepreneur, police, or a mixture, which is in true space trading game form. Thanks to Egosoft's brilliant engine X2 is given a living and believable feel throughout. Vast amounts of ships can travel through its space with no slowdown, given you a feeling of a large community. The fact that you can control your economic empire from many distant sectors, in real time, shows the universe elsewhere continues even without your presence. It’s really cool.
The trading system for this kind of game is almost spot on, and again is a one of X2’s saving graces after its terrible story incident earlier.
The X universe is diverse, with many different commodities to trade at the games many different space station factories. However, unlike other space trading games where you can find a nice trade route and stick with it indefinitely till you have enough funds the economy in X2 is always changing. Demand at factories for items means prices go up, whereas excess stock usually means cheaper goods.
Additionally, you may arrive at one place expecting prices to be down, only by the time you’ve reached there someone’s already beaten you to the stock and prices are raised. This kind of dynamic economy makes trading in X2 much more interesting than in previous space trading games.
More over, you can even purchase (or steal) additional cargo vessels. These slow cumbersome ships are great for carrying huge quantities, usually meaning a much higher profit margin if you get it right. You can also remotely give orders (via a multitude of menus) to these cargo ships wherever you are in the universe, meaning you can still earn money without the need to conduct the mundane job of trade yourself. Genius!
Looking further on, you can even purchase your own space station factories, which brings many new aspects in it self. Such as providing the raw materials to run your factory, setting prices, buying defences in case of enemy attack. The options are staggering.
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