Cut Scenes

These are extremely well done and animated; they are a definite showcase for Ascaron’s animation and design talents (even if some of the dialogue is a little ropey) and the voice acting a bit flat, they are a big banner waving right at the scenes in X3:Reunion however and the developers of that game need to take note on how it’s done.

Mods

Ascaron’s stance on the game is that they are in full support of the modding community and that’s a good line to take, it wins them kudos from me and ups the score a little since the game will be supported with fresh content from the dedicated fan base long after the original story and missions have been completed.

Final blast

So there you have it, DarkStar One isn’t the next best thing since sliced bread, it’s not the next big space sim – it is but one space sim in a long line of other space sims that is fun to play and with 50 minutes of cut-scene footage that explains the story it becomes quite compelling to get to the next piece. The upgradeable ship and special weapon is a breath of fresh air in the genre and that wins big points and prizes with me. All in all, Darkstar One is a game that the space sim fans should enjoy, while not as complex and mind-challenging as some of the others, X series and Battlecruiser it provides a reasonable diversion while waiting for the ultimate space game to come along.