Oh dear lord...i can't stop playing. My hands are raw and my eyes are bloodshot
Okay, okay, okay, please don't flame me for that remark.
At first when I took on my first missions in "Freelancer" I was amazed that al the game required was one little CD. I mean I remember "Baldur's Gate" had about 6 of those darn things. The people at Digital Anvil really worked hard to cram a bunch of space (literally) onto one little disc.
The world of "Freelancer" is just too huge and full of opportunities to be passed up. Although I wish that you could do much more planet-side, it seems rather trite to bring this game down because of that.
The graphics on the other hand, stand up surprisingly well. The vastness of space and the fluidity of the characters are really something to behold. Again, the planets bring down the graphics again because sometimes they are just too sparse and don't show off the muscle that the game engine has.
The thing that really holds this game together, but makes it satisfying in the end is the gameplay. That darn gameplay that is more addicting than crack itself. I have already spent about 15 hours just on the first two systems, getting assassination jobs, taking out pirates, upgrading my ship, roaming the cosmos, I could go on.
At the end of the day, you can play other games that can offer instant gratification....or you could do what were doing and slave away at "Freelancer"