X3 best game ever still, I wish I could describe it well enough without sperging out for ten thousand words
Didn't see this before
But, it is indeed one of the best games ever. I only played X3 TC, not the previous ones, but it's fantastic. It's a weird genre - the best way to describe it is a space sim maybe.
There's a strategic side - the universe has lots of different sectors and different races control them, and have wars or border disputes with each other. There's pirates (any game with pirates is cool), the different races are well thought out and actually feel quite alien.
There's also a fantastic economic system, that is universe wide and contains lots and lots of different resources and production facilities. It is for example possible to have your universe (each played game will be different due to the many variables) go into a recession due to a chain effect from one factory not getting enough resources - its really complex. And the economics obviously affects the military side of things.
You can purchase and build factories or factory complexes, and have freighters to supply them, and eventually become an industrial tycoon with a trading empire spread across the universe.
The combat is also amazing. The interface seems complex at first, because it allows you to pilot ships by yourself (nearly every ship in the game is able to be piloted by you), and at the same time control a fleet of ships in a battle (you have to build the fleet first - buy ships and kit them out, which is expensive but fun - there's loads of different ships and weaponry), but once you play it a bit you realise the interface is perfect. It needs a little practice, but after that its really easy and intuitive.
The way it lets you pilot a ship but also control a large fleet is kind of like if M&B Warband combat system was combined with a Total War game (both fighting in and commanding huge battles), but in space.
Also, you can board ships (you could easily play the whole game as a pirate, stealing and selling ships).
You can also just travel round the universe looking at stuff. There's quite a lot to explore and things to see. And there's the enjoyable moments of entering a sector you didn't realise was hostile, seeing three huge battle ships waiting there and hearing the missile lock alarm go off
As well as the open-world type universe, where you can do what you want when or where you want, there are also lots of missions you can accept to get money, and 4 or 5 'main quest' plotlines, which you can do (or not, if you don't want to).
There are also a lot of very good mods for it. Though you have to be careful, because some of them are just cheat mods.
The only way it could get any better would be if they introduced an fps aspect where you could walk around space stations or go down to a planet's surface. But it's a content loaded game already.
Some negative aspects - it has a very steep learning curve the first time you play it. Getting used to the controls is a little tricky at first, and you'll probably get blown up by pirates or weird evil aliens. But there are easy starts (there are a bunch of different start scenarios) that can make that process a little less daunting.
There are a few minor bugs, but there are mods that take care of them. And sometimes the missions can get repetitive, and not all the plot missions have a great plot so to speak, but there are enough things to do that it isn't a problem.
Edit: Also, forgot to mention, the atmosphere is terrific. The music and the sector graphics can really get you feeling like you're alone in a vast, uncaring universe as you pilot your little ship around. I think you can get deep space isolation symptoms just from playing this game. And then you get a weird feeling of relief when you finally dock at a station and hear the AI introduction programme. If you want a game where you end up taking solace from a robotic voice, this is for you!
