X3: Reunion Review

Continuing to drift aimlessly through the outer limits of space in the search for Elite 4 (rumoured to be 2008) space-sim fans havenâ??t had a lot to shout about in recent years, with only the German developer EgoSoft providing any considerable interest with the X series.

X3: Reunion originally began life as an expansion to X2: The Threat, however based upon the technological improvements made to the game engine a decision was promptly made to turn X2: The Return into a fully-fledged sequel. Enlisting the help of a professional scriptwriter and listening to the fans many concerns, X3: Reunion is hoped to open up the series to a new audience particularly with an Xbox version in the works. Does it do this, well not quite but if youâ??re a fan youâ??ll probably find an encompassing experience to loose yourself within for the next few months - provided EgoSoft can continue to iron out the bugs.

The game begins with players assuming the role of Kyleâ??s long-last son Julian Gardna, who having lost all of his factories and most of the ships to the Khaâ??ak now has to consider a request from Ban Danna to help once again. Thereâ??s a whole universe of information behind the X series; from fan-fiction to full blown novels, the political story between the different races can be worthwhile if youâ??re a fan of Sci-Fi but unlikely to grab you if youâ??re not. Despite enlisting the assistance of a professional scriptwriter the central storyline does continue to fall flat on a number of occasions, however the outcome is certainly worth it for long-term fans of the series.

Like its predecessors X3 can essentially be split into four different components, namely Trade, Fight, Build and Think. Itâ??s traditional space-sim material for fans of the genre with a heavy emphasis on trading; however accessibility is not one of the gameâ??s finer points, due largely to the sheer sophistication and depth of the simulation but also from a number of inadequacies at a design level. Right from the start EgoSoft seem to have realised that everybody plays the game differently through the introduction of a number of different starting configurations, enabling various levels of difficulty and the option to play as different characters based on the four fundamentals but without the plot â?“ almost begging the question whyâ??s it there.

Despite the up and down nature of the main missions X3 remains as compelling as its predecessors when it comes to deviating away from the central storyline and building up your own empire. For newcomers potentially interested in what X3 has to bring, youâ??ll find a dynamic world in which the economic laws of supply and demand are fully realised â?“ but only if youâ??re willing to stick with it. With enough wealth players can construct expansive factories, linking these together to form production lines, which in turn take raw components into final products to sell to others for a hefty profit. Itâ??s a world of Capitalism out there, which in turn opens up a range of entertaining prospects; begin a war on a rivalâ??s factory to drive demand for your goods or discover a far-off station in desperate need of vital supplies. There is a tremendous amount of depth to the game, whether itâ??s commanding an entire armada to attack a particular sector or establishing

Away from trading X3: Reunion, much like its predecessor, everything else seems a little shallow in comparison. Docking at stations provides access to a Bulletin Board, which in turn provide the vast majority of missions away from the storyline. Itâ??s a shame that this level of design hasnâ??t evolved from X2, dynamic missions that occur within the game would have helped to dramatise the procedural nature of gameplay. Adopting the ways of a pirate is another example that fails to reach its true potential, although the level of conflict and the general intensity of battles have thankfully increased compared to its predecessor.

Unfortunately the generally weak game design is not immediately accessible, which makes the future of the Xbox version extremely interesting. X3: Reunion is a game built from the support of a loyal community, whether or not the series spurns its hardcore roots for greater glories later in the day remains to be seen however a stronger story and design, greater variation and a gentler learning curve that explains the many â??ins and outsâ? of the game would surely be appreciated by all.

The sheer size of the X games always manages to replicate the daunting emptiness of space. Thereâ??s no denying that EgoSoft have got a great engine for this type of space-sim, however youâ??re left at times wishing the game wasnâ??t so vast and just a tad less â??sterileâ?, slightly more personal. As an example communication are largely the same 3 options, asking for generic directions or challenging the receiver to surrender; letâ??s hope that for X4 EgoSoft are reading the fans opinions and coming up with ideas to weave what amounts to be a strong fictional universe into the gameplay to better effect. Docking has also been overly simplified with the omission of internal sections, which only goes to emphasise the sterile feeling of the game.

Strangely the team have replaced the cockpit designs of X2: The Threat with a â??cleanâ? new interface that largely consists of a targeting reticule and various different icons. The new interface switches between direct control and a cursor to activate menus via a mouse click, whilst additional targets are also dotted around the screen making whatâ??s designed to be clean and simple come across as considerably cluttered at times. Although personally Iâ??d like to see cockpits in the game, especially so given the depth and diversity to which EgoSoft have gone with the ships, there is the argument that it clears the screen of clutter and presents the gorgeous depiction of outer space in its entirety.

The inaccessible structure and design of the game isnâ??t the only thing to put newcomers off, with only long-term fans of the series likely to forgive the unfinished state of the game. Admittedly this has been the way itâ??s always been, the X series is built upon a loyal community who voice opinions which EgoSoft act upon; it took a considerable amount of patches before X2 was up to scratch. The problem however is that there appears to be a large number of issues to deal with; the most critical unceremoniously dump players to the desktop, others affect menu selections, plot, performance and even game features mentioned in the manual that havenâ??t made it into the game yet! Ultimately you have to ask the question whether youâ??re happy being what is essentially a beta-tester, or whether itâ??s better to wait a few months for a more â??completeâ? version to appear â?“ or perhaps more appropriately whether youâ??ve got the rig to support the game as its visual splendour comes at a significant cost of scalability.