Offworld Trading Company
Absolutely great game. It’s had me hooked for about a week straight. It’s a spin on the basic old formula of buy low, sell high. Only difference is you now have to deal with a robotic competitor that just dropped a wonderful EMP bomb on your group of steel mills, putting them out of commission. Then the rates rose due to increased buying from the other competitors, after which he sold off all of his stock. Some sold very high, the rest of the selling tanked the market price, and now the steel I just started producing again is worthless. What a nice fellow! And that’s about the first 3 minutes of my average match. It seems fairly simple and straight forward at first, but there is quite a bit of strategy involved. Resource monopolies, price manipulation, technology patents, flat out blowing up an opponent’s building…. there’s a lot you can do. It takes a while to get the hang of it, but if you like RTS games, as well as putting your opponents in the poor house, then it’s definitely worth a buy.
– Real player with 103.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Simulation Multiplayer Games.
I am very pleased to give this game the thumbs up - I own it since its launch on Steam. I had a feeling it will grow well and achieve a good level of greatness by the time it was finihsed. Coming back to it now, over 9 months later, I cannot help but enjoy what the developer (Sören Johnson was the lead designer of Civilization 4) has achieved. Regardless whether in single player or multiplayer, you are treated to a fast-paced, ever-be-on-your-toes gameplay. To me, this is the best fast-paced economic sim I have ever played.
– Real player with 53.0 hrs in game
Absolute Territory
An absolute (pun not intended) nostalgia trip, Absolute Territory is a game that hearkens back to the old days of X-Wing/Tie Fighter and Freespace, back when those games were commonly made. While not a very long game, it scratches the space dogfight itch like I haven’t felt in a while.
Really there’s only two things I’d request be added to the game:
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More missions (and it seems like that’s being done through the steam workshop)
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Missions that contain large fleet battles, if it’s possible. It’s one of the major things that has pulled me into games of this genre, being able to be just a small factor in a massive battle and be able to influence the events in a critical way. Having massive battles to be able to be part of would have me sink way more time into this game.
– Real player with 16.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Simulation Space Sim Games.
Games by a single developer are always going to be about balancing priorities.
This game’s priorities are squarely on the fundamental mechanics of what makes a good Space Combat Sim, largely to the exclusion of all else.
The arcade tuned newtonian physics feel great. Ships have real weight and momentum. You will likely get heavy usage out of the slide mechanic. There are lateral thrusters as well, which I found a little too weak to get heavy usage out of but there is one mission in particular towards the end that would be nearly impossible to complete without them.
– Real player with 13.7 hrs in game
Flight Of Nova
Flight of Nova is a space and atmospheric flight simulator in which you control spacecraft on and around NVA-31, a full-scale planet. You will fly an assortment of craft doing transport and research missions in an environment with realistic aerodynamics and orbital physics.
Missions involve being able to put vessels into orbit, rendezvous with stations, and survive atmosphere reentry and landing in one piece at surface outposts. The planet NVA-31 is about 12'700 km in diameter and is full-scale in game.
Flight Of Nova features two gameplay modes:
Multiple campaigns containing a series of missions and Rogue Mode, where you explore the vast game area, from orbital stations to outposts, gaining skills and access more spacecraft as you figure out why you were sent to this lost world.
Key Features:
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Realistic gravitation and orbital physics
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Atmospheric density based on earth data
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Aerodynamic drag corresponding to vessel shape
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Drag / air friction energy calculations
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Real-time accurate orbital data
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Orbital stations and docking system
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Planet surface outposts
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Real-time control over spacecraft
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Full-scale body diameter 12’700 km
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Search and transport missions
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Quick flight challenges
Read More: Best Simulation Early Access Games.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Tl:Dr Yes, this is a 200 hour+ Don’t recommend review, for reasons discussed below.
Let me get one thing straight, right out of the gate. You may see that I have north of 200 hours in this game. I’ve been playing this game since before we even had the Open shift mode, let alone the story. And,as someone who likes games that are basically just Work, but in game form, (Farming sim and Truck sim, i’m looking at you) the grind that people mention doesn’t bother me. What does bother me, however, is what has happened in recent updates.
– Real player with 229.8 hrs in game
I purchased this game on a whim, and have not been disappointed. I really appreciate all the work that has gone into the game, and am happy with all the updates and fixes that the creators have made. At the time of writing this, I have almost 100 hours played. I have not completed the story, but look forward to tearing apart more ships! If you enjoy realistic simulation / destruction type games, I highly recommend Hardspace Shipbreaker!
Pros:
Tear apart gigantic ships (in space!)
You get space lasers!
– Real player with 104.2 hrs in game
Intergalactic Transfer Station
Hundreds passenger daily from different planets change their spaceships in the famous Intergalactic Transfer Hub. That’s your turf. Your work. Your life.
Here, you control everything: from sending spaceships to docks through eliminating alien viruses to building special defense perimeters.
Key features:
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Manage the docking of spaceships.
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Take care of passengers.
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Expand your transfer hub.
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Control the economy on many levels.
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Watch out for unexpected events.
Expand your station
Your Intergalactic Transfer Hub has to expand constantly to receive more and more passengers. You may buy as many platforms as you want. Build and remodel shops, improve your facilities and upgrade machines. Take care of different alien species, building hotels for chlorine-breathing beings or restaurants for creatures fond of lava food. Optimise your station design to increase passengers flow, arranging corridors, shops and waiting areas to your exact needs. But do not forget about the station’s defences!
Receive travelers
Every spaceship brings travelers from different planets. You decide when and where it will dock. And you have to help passengers find their connections. But travellers will also spend time in your Intergalactic Transfer Hub, where they can eat, shop, sleep - and spend money! Remember that different species have different needs. And some maybe dangerous!
Expect the unexpected
Terrorists. Biohazard contaminations. Asteroids flying nearby. Alien warships. You have to be prepared for everything! Control travelers who look suspicious or dangerous. Keep an eye on new types of passengers. Kill viruses before they contaminate your Intergalactic Transfer Hub and the inhabited world. Build special defensive cannons. Prepare for everything, but still be ready for the unexpected.
Optimize economy
Make good use of the economic opportunities of the Intergalactic Transfer Hub. Check your income and expenses balance. Observe which businesses are most profitable. Change taxes and prices. But do not forget about your staff and passengers. All of them have to be happy and healthy. And, on top of all this, you also need to establish the good reputation of your Intergalactic Transfer Hub.
CHECK OUT MORE FROM GAMES OPERATORS!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1416360/Dissident_Frostland_Escape
Spacebase DF-9
I promised I wouldn’t leave a review until it was finished, as leaving negative feedback on an early access game is just unfair. I loved this game, and with every patch it got better and better.
So why don’t I recommend it?
It’s simple. It’s far too unpolished for a finished game.
Missing text, UI errors, and dodgy AI prioritisation. The AI is good most times, but it has glareing holes where it puts things like “stomping out fire on the other side of the raiders” above “the raiders are shooting at me, run away” and you end up with “look a fire behind those raiders that they just set that doesn’t affect anyone, let’s get every civilian to run over to the raiders and stomp out a fire while they shoot us all”
– Real player with 82.5 hrs in game
Base management games already aren’t for everyone. Even for those who like the genre, Spacebase DF-9 can be difficult to enjoy.
Right from the get-go, Spacebase-DF9 doesn’t do much to “wow” you. There are no cinematics or anything, and aside from possibly wanting to change Options, you’ll quickly find yourself at a map of the galaxy, to choose where to start your base. Depending on which coordinates you choose, relevant factors to your gameplay can differ - Stellar Density, which affects both how many resources there are and how frequently asteroids will hit your base - Warpgate Proximity, which affects how frequently you’ll get visitors, wanted and otherwise - Threat Factor, which determines the frequency of Raider attacks - and Magnetic Interference, which determines the frequency of derelict vessels appearing.
– Real player with 20.1 hrs in game
Star Wars™ Pinball VR
Update: There was a patch today and the locomotion / safety issues seem resolved. I spent some time trying to reproduce them and could not. As this was my only real problem with the software, I am changing my recommendation, since almost everything else was really well done. I do play with a game controller, though, so I am unsure if the vive controller issues persist.
TLDR: It’s fun if you can get to the part where you actually play. Getting to a table can be a trial and an actual safety risk for people who are new to VR. Some great gameplay and privacy policy choices are overshadowed by horrible UI design and negligent locomotion QA. Good value for dollar if you can overcome the locomotion.
– Real player with 29.9 hrs in game
Short Review for the Busy Gamer
Amazing Virtual Reality Pinball
Totally Recommended 9/10
Here is some gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DI3LEX7f-8
I’ve been playing pinballs since my first table … XENON, Pinballs in Virtual Reality are by now one of my TOP TEN gaming experiences ever !
I want even more tables in VR so keep them coming :)
Long Review for the involved connoisseur
As I keep playing and enjoying it sooooo much, it’s time to share a review.
– Real player with 28.9 hrs in game
X Rebirth
X REBIRTH 3.5: CURRENT STATE OF THE GAME
With the release of X Rebirth 3.0 the game finally reached the state it should have been in at its initial release in 2013. There are still a few rough edges and design decisions that some might find mind-boggling, but overall it is a great space game that can be polished with the use of a number of mods, some of which bring back ‘classic’ X features such as automated galaxy traders and miners. (as of the 14th of March 2015 some mod makers are still updating their work for the new moddable UI, some mods are temporarily out of action).
– Real player with 692.7 hrs in game
As a fan of previous X games, I pre-ordered X Rebirth and started playing it within minutes of release. Like many others, I was struck both by the sweeping changes to the “X” formula established in the preceding few titles, as well as the horrid, god-awful, soul crushing bugs and technical hang-ups.
I invested approximately 180 hours in the first couple of months, doing my best to study the universe and bludgeon my way through the infuriating campaign, and after doing so (the dev’s released a steady stream of patches through this period, turning the game from utterly broken to sort of kind of maybe just a little playable), and my private verdict to my gamer-y friends and family was “Do Not Recommend, Stay Far Away!” Which hurt a little, because I could see the game’s potential glimmering far down in the deeps.
– Real player with 393.0 hrs in game
Air Guardians
Its a good game…but needs a LOT of improvement. Let me go through the pros and cons:
Pro’s:
fun gameplay
action packed
good-but short- missions
decent graphics-runs very well on a low level laptop or pc…i would know…
Con’s
The ‘ground’ is nothing but a flat texture
small unit variety-both of friendly and hostile units (3 friendly types of ship-fighter, cruiser and heavy cruiser, 4 hostile ship types-Heavy cruiser, cruiser, fighter and bomber)
up/down controls are inverted by default and cannot be changed (to my knowledge)
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
Air Guardians is more of a demo concept than a true 3rd person airplane shooter, but with realistic (yet playable) physics that’s more X-wing or Wing Commander than Babylon 5, huge furballs (dozens of fighters at a time), large ships shooting at each other and you, and some decent combat mechanics, it can be basis of a decent game, just not in its present form.
You are the anonymous squad leader of an unnamed faction fighting against “Global Security Forces”. Your aircraft has 3 weapons: gatling gun, seeking missiles, and dumbfire missile. Dumbfire missiles are great against ships and bases and bombers. Seeking missiles are against fighters. There is no ECM/chaff… any missile locked onto you must be evaded. On the other hand, your ammo’s unlimited… Feel free to hold down the firing button so you pop missiles continuously if you want.
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
Echelon
I’m adding my two cents because a handful of [REDACTED] were too challenged to check the ‘Guides’ section to get this running, so they decided to review bomb this absolute gem.
Echelon is fun. Echelon is ARMA meets the original Ghost Recon BUT WITH SPACESHIPS. Really, I can’t downplay how damn tactical this game is. It released in 2001? No way. Echelon is STILL ahead of it’s time - and it’s been two decades. If you enjoy flight simulators, or tactical/combat simulators in general, Echelon offers a level of realistic difficulty that hasn’t been revisited by video games since - I’m not bluffing, I have a few hundred hours on Elite Dangerous (with comparable playtime in Elite and Frontier Elite to boot) - Echelon still catches my feeble mind off guard. My tactics are futile. My life is forfeit. I’m NOTHING to Echelon, and that’s exactly how it should be.
– Real player with 7.5 hrs in game
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– Real player with 5.5 hrs in game