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Tarr Chronicles First Impressions

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By Jason Ocampo, GameSpot, Posted Jun 26, 2007 12:52 am GMT

This Russian-developed space sim will feature advanced graphics along with plenty of dogfighting action.

Tarr Chronicles is a space sim being developed by Russian developer Kvazar Studio. Like old-fashioned space sims, such as Freespace or TIE Fighter, Tarr Chronicles is all about climbing into a nimble space fighter and dogfighting it amongst the stars. At the same time, the game also promises a considerable amount of customization, along with some cutting-edge graphics.

If space is so big, why is it always so crowded?

If space is so big, why is it always so crowded?

Like almost every space sim, Tarr Chronicles qualifies for space-opera status. The game is about a lost human fleet that discovers an ancient city on a mysterious planet. This event triggers a fierce alien response, and you, as one of the fleet's fighter pilots, must fly to defend the Battlecruiser Talestra as it attempts to make its way home. That involves plenty of dogfighting in up to 60 customizable fighter craft, ranging from fighters and bombers to corvettes, which are basically heavy fighters. The enemy in this case is the alien De'Khete, a race that is only described as unstoppable. But it'll be up to you and your wingmen to try.

Flying around in Tarr Chronicles can be done in third-person view, with you seeing your fighter onscreen, or first-person view, staring out the front of your cockpit. Either way, your job is to shoot down enemy craft, using lasers, missiles, rockets, and more. Interestingly, the game will not feature joystick support, but you can fly using the mouse and keyboard or a gamepad. Your wingmen will be intelligent enough to follow you around and support you, but you won't have to issue them orders or commands. The missions will range from simple intercept to escort and more, but they sound like the standard type of space-sim missions.

An interesting aspect of the game is that you are automatically rewarded with resources after each mission, and you can then combine the many types of resources together to create a myriad of devices, such as better shields or a new type of weapon. Then, you can choose from more than 150 standard parts. When you consider that there are 60 customizable ships in the game, that's a lot of specialized craft you can create. Meanwhile, there are nine missions in the game, each with up to 15 "quests" in them, so it sounds like you'll have plenty of opportunity to try out each different craft. The game only has the single-player campaign, as there won't be any chance to go online in multiplayer.

Look at the size of that thing.

Look at the size of that thing.

Visually, Tarr Chronicles looks advanced. The ship designs in the game look futuristic and sleek, hanging against a beautifully lit void. The lighting and shadowing effects capture the "deep space" feel of the setting. You'll also dogfight near glowing nebulas and impressively rendered planets. When you put it together, Tarr Chronicles is a game that could get space sim fans excited again. However, they'll have to wait a few months because it won't ship until September.

70 Comments

  • Devvy01

    Posted Jul 5, 2007 6:48 pm GMT

    Please don't release another Space Force ... ever, look forward to this one though.

  • pidow

    Posted Jul 5, 2007 12:34 pm GMT

    I am glad this one is not like the rest.

  • kenyagi

    Posted Jul 5, 2007 11:14 am GMT

    Man if they only get some multiplayer features on this thing... they might have something. I hope this game gets as good as freelancer.

  • Sefveron

    Posted Jul 5, 2007 1:46 am GMT

    yeah it needs a multiplayer mode otherwise looks great
    and FREELANCER FOREVER!

  • iromek

    Posted Jul 5, 2007 12:45 am GMT

    I have no problem with no joystick support (though I understand some love using joysticks for these types of games) I used to until I played Freelancer which convinced me the mouse/keyboard control can be excellent if done well. I loved Freelancer and can't wait for this game. Shame it is not multi-player though, that's a bit odd (even Freelancer was multi-player). Maybe they will add multi-player later, it IS possible. Those crazy Russians! ;-)

  • Guitus

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 8:57 pm GMT

    The game looks very promising but the lack of joystick support and multiplayer dogfights is gonna make me think twice before getting this game.

  • grim22x7

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 8:22 pm GMT

    The game looks pretty good and the potential for a land based (space station, battleship, etc.) expansion is great. I'm really liking the customizability of the ships I hope that comes out well. The lack of joy stick support is a bummer as well as the lack of multiplayer. Overall it could be pretty good but a few expansions could make this game into a true piece of gaming art.

  • Kelteel

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 8:05 pm GMT

    This sounds like it should be fun. I have one bone to pick though. These damn flight games get my poor butt shot down all the time. I would enjoy playing them with God mode and cheats and I would be willing to pay for them, not use someone else's copy. I may not be very good at them but I can still enjoy them enough if they release codes for them. My $50.00 is just as good as someone's who can play flight games. I played Freelancer for about two years and will play it again with cheat codes and God mode I enjoyed it totally and no less than anyone else who has played it.

    I am a grunt and I enjoy playing flight war games for fun. Now, sell me your game.

  • BenjaminGarwood

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 7:08 pm GMT

    I completely agree with Roomster's comment. Also I am an old Robotech fan. I wonder if anyone is considering a sim based on transformable fighters. All three generations would be great

  • Roomster

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 6:34 pm GMT

    Has anyone else but me wanted to see a space sim where they combined one game engine for space flight and one game engine for on planet/station side. What I mean is I'd like to be able to fly around in my space ship (of course with joystick control) and then land on a planet where I can perhaps run around in an interesting city (á la Oblivion). Which would make the whole role playing side of the game much stronger and in the end would let you immerse yourself more into it, make it feel more real. Instead of just jumping from one space battle to another (even if that could be an option as well).

    Just curious if there's anyone else who have thought about this.

    And on a side note, the only interesting thing I felt about Tarr Chronicles is the customization part of the ships. A space sim without a joystick support doesn’t feel very much like SIMulation of a space flight.

  • georgesbox66

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 4:19 pm GMT

    FS2 is also available 100x better than the Home of the Underdogs version at : Hard-light.net I think I will blow this over firstly because of the lack of joystick, and secondly because it has tons of features which will dilute the effort.

  • bud-ice

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 11:27 am GMT

    Sounds like a beefed up version of wing commander without joystick.
    Dont think I will bother with this one.

  • randygland25

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 9:39 am GMT

    no joystick? ... no multiplayeR?.... this belongs in the dustbin of modern gaming.

    tie fighter was better freespace for best space combat i think.

    if you'd like a cheap hack to play this game with a joystick, look for free software called joy2key and map the key commands to your joystick.

  • Rclark79

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 8:18 am GMT

    I still play FreeLancer and like the mouse-keyboard combo on it. Would like to try a joystick . That won't keep me from buying game tho. Don't play multiplayer so no problem there.

  • InfectiousDust

    Posted Jul 4, 2007 5:19 am GMT

    No joystick equals no dice... definitely a needed feature for a game like this.

  • carlton999

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 11:46 pm GMT

    i was juiced about this game until i found out "no joystick support." you just lost a customer. I know for a fact that almost 50% of the gamers who would have bought this game will have the same feelings that i do when they find out that this great looking game has no Joystick support. too bad, the game looked like a whole lot of fun.

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 5:23 pm GMT

    Looks good hopefully it will be better than X3, that game caused me physical pain after about a hour of play.

  • Scott_the_Snow

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 6:13 am GMT

    I have really started to love Russian computer games. The bad accents in voice overs and the strange parsing of the text, makes the game enviroment seem more alien. While its unintentional, it makes the games feel more exotic and fantastic.

    Yes, Freespace2 was awesome. But hey, Fallout came back...mind you ,so do those characters that "die" in the first hour of zombie movies. "Dont worry, I will be back. I *will* be back."

  • sgallagher1969

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 10:54 pm GMT

    Gamepad support but no joystick?????

    No Joystick = No $$$$!!!! Don't do a Freelancer lameout!!!!!!!!
    I want my pitch, roll, & yaw.

  • guardianlegend7

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 7:05 pm GMT

    Needs multiplayer

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