Better than Freespace 1, if you can belive it!(in other words, BEST SIM OF ALL TIME!)
Freespace 2 starts off several years after Descent Freespace. Over the years, technology has improved, and Volition accurately shows that. The GTVA fleet is made up of new fighters, though the best of the last gen fighters are still being used. (Though they too, are being phased out)
Volition does a great job of showing the traits of the different factions. The NTF uses older fighter designs, and generally does massed attacks. NTF pilots seem to be more aggressive than GTVA counterparts. Terran fighters continue to be more all-purpose, and their mission styles reflect that. The Vasudans however, have more single purpose ships, normally having lighter armor and increased speed over Terran ships.
One other enhancement is the beam canons and flack guns on Capital Ships. No longer are they just gunboats with a tendency to miss. The huge, Lucifer like Beam Canons look and feel powerful and great. Its fun to just sit and watch a duel of destroyers…. Flack canons are also a welcome addition. They’re pretty much anti fighter canons, and they’re deadly in this aspect. They can take down flights of bombers with ease, and they also shoot down incoming bombs. These make destroyers rightfully feared of, and the huge battles look majestic overall. It reminds of Star Wars battles, and it never disappoints.
The campaign itself is wonderful, with branching missions and a great plot, which leaves you wondering about the end of the conflict until the conclusion. There are now some new optional missions too, and these grant you elite materials for use later in the game. There is also a more difficult extra campaign, called Templar, which shows the destruction of the Hammer of Light.
What’s also included is an enhanced FRED editor, so you now truly have a great mission editor. The instructions are fairly easy to understand, so it’s possible to make great single player (or multi player) missions or even campaigns.
One other enhancement is the beam canons and flack guns on Capital Ships. No longer are they just gunboats with a tendency to miss. The huge, Lucifer like Beam Canons look and feel powerful and great. Its fun to just sit and watch a duel of destroyers…. Flack canons are also a welcome addition. They’re pretty much anti fighter canons, and they’re deadly in this aspect. They can take down flights of bombers with ease, and they also shoot down incoming bombs. These make destroyers rightfully feared of, and the huge battles look majestic overall. It reminds of Star Wars battles, and it never disappoints…
This is my favorite flight sims of all time, and it rightfully deserves its flight sim of the year.