Raises the bar for space sims

Descent was groundbreaking, but this isn't Descent. Volition took a great idea, pioneered and redefined by the Wing Commander series, and made it better. Freespace brings space combat back to where it belongs: the cockpit. The designers have taken the best parts of space combat and made them better, and dropped the rest of it. The mission briefings are no longer FMV but voice-and-animation like X-Wing and TIE Fighter, your character is Just Some Pilot and you don't have to choose between chasing after your mechanic or your part-time French wingman (wingwoman?). In the place of all the glitz removed is a solid, fun, challenging game. The sound and graphics were cutting edge when it was released, now they're merely "very good". The story is engaging without being overpowering. The flight is extremely good. The mission design is challenging, but without the all-too-common "that one mission I could never beat that made me put the game away for good". Those among us who are truly patient will replay every mission until they get the highest possible mission rating, the nicest medal and the most enemy kills, but it's not necessary to finish the game. The campaign that comes with the disc isn't all that long; you won't get 80 hours out of it if you're a competent pilot. Volition did release an expansion disc with more missions and can usually be had for $8-12. The saving grace is the Freespace Mission Editor (FRED) and the multiplayer support, which add much-needed playability to what would have been a great, but short game. Freespace still stands up to the test of time. Its appeal is strongest for those who liked X-Wing, TIE Fighter, or the early more-game-than-interactive-movie space sims from Origin (Wing Commander I-III, Privateer, etc). This one is available at retail stores for $15-20 and should really be a part of your collection at that price if you don't already have it and have any interest in the space sim genre.