Evochron Alliance

EvoChron: Alliance seems to include everything one would expect from a good space-sim, including but not limited to immersive systems, many ways to make money and nice graphics. However, the one thing that it really does perfectly is the combat.

Combat is smooth, inituative, full of explosions and fast as light. Dodging incoming laser-fire while quickly positioning yourself for a new strike is easy-to-learn for new players (unlike most other games in the genre), while the experts can go all-out on the advanced control options - which enables players to fly backwards, use the many environments to their advantage and speed control.

It might seem that the other aspects can't be nearly as good as the combat I described above, well, guess again: the trading, pirating, smuggling and mercenary-aspects have been done well-balanced. Players will tune up their ships to fit their needs - as the ShipYard system enables players to add fuel capicity for exploring or missiles for combat, but noone can have it all. Players will have to choose wisely what to install, but can always undo their changes (against a small fee).

Reputation grows as the player advances, and a campaign unfolds as the player feels up to the challenge. This campaign is entirely optional, but does offer some tips on hidden secrets, including the awesome Fulcrum Torpedo (which produces a huge explosion that tears apart nearly everything that it hits). And none of the things is a simple gimmick, everything is necessary.

EvoChron: Alliance is the full rack - it offers it all for a relatively low price, and almost every aspect is good enough to say that it's worth it. Any space-fan will enjoy flying through massive asteroid fields with missiles slamming into these rocks behind them, flying through nebula clouds without loading time and descending into atmosphere's without a single loading screen. An immensive universe, balanced gameplay... what else could you wish?

Now I haven't even described the fun multiplayer-mode, the nicely constructed AI, the contracts, the busy traderoutes, the dangerous 'Edge systems' and the customizing options... Well, too much to explain it all, but I think you get the point

Many aspects of the better space-sims have been blended into a tasty cocktail that has been called EvoChron: Alliance, making it into a title that no self-respecting space fan should miss.