In the days where X3 rules the space sim arena- small as it is- this game still stands out.

User Rating: 10 | Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos PC
By Sardaukar138 | Review Date:
If you're reading this, five years after the games release and well into the death of space sims, you're probably wondering if you should purchase this game. As you've probably already assumed, I'm going to say you should. You should. To put it simply... X3. Huge game. Lots of stuff to do and fly. And yet, it feels sort of "cold"... lifeless, if you will. Sure, the galaxy in that is busy, but it just feels strange. In I-War 2, however, you see your cockpit gently rock with the ships acceleration, the indepedent traders put slight spins into their maneuvers to maximize thruster efficiency (realistically, you actually travel faster in this if you're flying at a tilted angle, firing both your main engines and horizontal and vertical thrusters... i think you do, at least) and the dissonant chords of multiple missiles slamming into a megafreighter's engines, disabling it just as it's sister ship materializes from the LaGrange point, colliding, annihilating all of the nearby craft in the explosion and leaving you with a small hoard of loot (MFreighters are HUGE). Things feel real in this. Where games like X3 deliver quantity, I-War 2 serves up a steaming batch of quality.

Oh, and the graphics are still excellent by today's standards. I have yet to see a game with better explosions, and the stellar vista is comparable if not superior to that of Eve Online.

The sound effects are very good in this as well; the sound effects are, as far as I can tell, largely unique and not used in other games; the "sound echoing in space" effect is great- just listen to your ship smack into another one, or a swarm of Harrower Missiles emit their distinctive pitch. The music is absolutely amazing; It's a great blend of cosmic resonance a la Homeworld, with bass string instruments thrown in for good measure. It's pretty hard to describe, but you'll be hooked to it in no time.

I'm giving this straight tens because it is, to me, a flawless package- a game with focus, polish, and thoroughly baked goodness. It's even got a great slew of mods from the community. So many games these days try to hit you with lots of great features, but they all lack cohesion; it's like watching a good movie or reading a great book... this has a well defined plot, and nothing feels like it was just tacked on either halfheartedly or uselessly. Along with TIE Fighter and Heavy Gear 2, this game has held my attention longer than any modern "epic".

Make sure you have a tri-axis joystick with a POV hat, though; that's half the experience.

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