So I just picked up Space Rangers 2

The RTS missions are a great way to make money if you can handle them, but feel free to skip them if you think they suck.

Wow … How can I not pick this up after reading all that?

If it includes a detailed system for the harvesting, refinement and sale of ice cubes I’ll be lost to the world.

My EG review if anyone is new to SR2 and needs a full on explanation/rant.

KG

I’d say definitely yes. It’s really your sort of game. My only beef with it was the RTS missions (which were not very good), but they are just a tiny part of an otherwise fantastic, deep, wacky space RPG.

BTW, are you talking about the new King’s Bounty–the one by the SR guys? How is that? As a HoMM (and original KB) fan, I’ve been rather looking forward to it.

Also, Kieron–great review. I love all the unique little stories that unfold in the process of playing this game. I love just about any game that does that, but SR2 is particularly good at it.

Very. It’s still unique in what it offers, and between the “This is all just for laughs” attitude of the game and the 1024x 2D graphics with rather lovely (and consistent) art direction, it is ageing quite well.

The shortcomings remain the limited number of text adventures and government quests, and the horrifyingly hilarious translation.

Likewise, the strengths remain the universal use of goal-oriented AIs, the near-completely randomly generated universe, and the economy (the combination of which offers deeper & more genuine sandbox gameplay than every AAA sandbox game I’ve ever heard of).

Indeed.

If it includes a detailed system for the harvesting, refinement and sale of ice cubes I’ll be lost to the world.
It doesn’t … But it does include a detailed pizza-making system :D

And what if you first comment about King’s Bounty? :P

Is there any way to play in a window or something? I started playing again recently and the fact that I can’t play in 1280 native res was really jarring this time, for some reason.

Perhaps that’s why i liked it so much, because i am a survivalist, in games like RPGs where i can choose my character evolution and how to play, i usually choose a fairly conservative approach, securing first my % of survival (healing, resistance/toughness, hp, then some charisma/dialog options and money making skills). So it’s my natural way of playing these games.

Also, one of the things that really surprised me from SR2 was the texts adventures. As it’s one little part of the game, and very different to the rest, i thought it would be an afterthought done by the game designers. Ha! More than twenty different quest, lots of them with were lengthy, and with great variety and originality. From choose-your-adventure-book-like quest, to rock band management quest, prison quest, logical puzzles, racing or depth sea rescues, etc.

e

Kieron, that review is for the first game, correct? Space Rangers? Because I think the PC version I bought has both, and I was thinking of trying the first one instead of the second (smaller footprint, etc.).

Edit: Nevermind, I’m an idiot, it’s further down in your review. Anyone play the first one? How is it?

The first or second item (I think it’s probably second) on the Options/Video screen is Windowed or Full screen mode.

I’ve noticed that you need to pump your res to 1280 on the ground missions to get them to show up in Windowed mode as well, or you’re stuck flipping in and out of full screen.

It’s a great game, but since SR2 is a remake of SR (only with different bad guys), there’s no reason to play it. All it offers is less content & polish.

If you’re afraid to miss out on some snippet of background fluff, don’t be. It’s all in SR2 & will be explained if you ask.

The reason is because the copy I have of SR2 is starforced and SR1 isn’t. D’oh!

I can understand the concern, but if you’ve already got the game …

Or you can alway just buy Reloaded and not worry about it.

Ah, I got it off Stardock and the 1.3 version or whatever doesn’t have the option.

It’s all good, I used some Google-Fu and found that you can just add the line “Window=True” to cfg.txt and play windowed.

I just couldn’t deal with the blurry this time. :(

Right, I should have guessed since it wasn’t what you said. D’oh yourself mate ;)

Anyway, I played the original to death (Russian version no less). It’s a pretty fucking brilliant game. It’s just that almost everything that’s wrong with SR is fixed in SR2, even more so in SR2:Reloaded, according to some friends of mine (no, I still don’t have a copy). Moreover, they’re the kind of games that - assuming they appeal to you at all - you’ll end up playing on & off for years, so the balance overhaul & tons more content of SR2 makes a real difference.

Whatever, play SR now. And if you like it, get SR:Reloaded when it comes out, because it’s SR, only better in every way. The only reason not to do that is that the interface changed very slightly between SR & SR2. Not very much, just exactly enough to be really annoying if you’re used to the old one & switch to the new. Then again, I might just have a learning disability or something.

D’oh, unlike duh, is an expression of abstracted disappointment, and not a one of focused derision.

I was D’ohing the fact it had Starforce on it, not you. I hates me Starforce! I’m one of those who had a DVD-R ruined by it.

Anyway, thanks for the thoughts. I’ll be installing it tomorrow.

D’oh, my American sucks, sorry.

Duh!!

I still have no idea what “Hull capacity” means in the fuel tank tooltips.

I always just buy the highest level Gaalian ones that take up the least space, but I still honestly don’t really know what the difference between the two numbers in the tooltip is.