I think my two biggest gripes are the melee combat and the collecting of resources, which represent about 95% of everything you do in the game.
In melee, I can only best describe the combat as “floaty”. It seems that even the chenzu dreadnaught from the original game would seem nimble compared to most of the ships in this game. Its like every ship has a tiny thruster, but a high max speed. Also enemy shots will push you around.
The ship designs are also very bland. This is nothing like the original where each faction ship was very distinctive. Ships were mostly the same with a set of random weapons, which were not particularly interesting. Melee combat was also super deadly. Lots of times ships would just die super fast.
I ended up just outfitting my main ship with a bunch of deflectors, using the best nuke, and phasors (upgraded point defense). Then I would run back to earth for a refill every once in a while.
Also the story was not all that good IMHO. Basically you spend your entire time doing faction quests which are mostly fetch quests. Go here get x, or scan x and then return. Then all the faction people are totally useless except for some scripted event in the end. I hate this kind of crap, where you are the only one in the entire fucking universe who can do anything, even if it is a totally mundane thing anyone can do.
In short, it is a very forgettable game. I mostly finished it because I just wanted to see the ending and say that I finished the game.
That seems to be consistent with the Steam aggregate reviews which have been quite middling, especially once one considers the first 50-70 reviews were all positive (fanboy effect?).
I give it a strong C+/B-. It is a competently-constructed and -written Star Control 2 clone, but Origin can’t compare to a classic created by a designer and programmer who were both at the peak of their creative ability.
We must have a different interpretation of forgettable and the connotation that brings. I have played many games that I would give a 6 or a 7 that are entirely unmemorable. They work and are fine for a short while but fall short of being engaging long-term or being classics. Deep’s description of the game sounds to me like it is competent but un-engaging. 71% and dropping is not exactly something to write home about. Shrug
It’s simply not everybody’s cup of tea. It provides somewhat more varied things to do than Starcon 2 (essentially the same basic concept) and the graphics & sound are better. Origins is less … original in gameplay, I guess? But I kind of assumed that from the get-go, and I’d think most others did. The story lines, etc. are all unique to the game (yes, albeit with sci-fi tropes thrown in there, including sometimes intentionally/done for humor).
On the flipside: it’s had a few technical hiccups, the gameplay is still decidedly 90’s (good for some, not so for others), and can get repetitive (as could StarCon 2, but at the time it was “fresh and new” & therefore took a bit longer to experience the sensation). I really enjoy Origins, but I can certainly see why others wouldn’t.
I like it, it was good fun, and mostly i REALLY enjoyed the aliens, what a FUN bunch…I was mostly pining to get to the next event that was going on, or whatever crazy problem that needed solving.
However, that lander game, Stardock, that had a premise of being a very good shooter game in itself, why then the half baked going ons?
If you had ramped up the shooting there, I would have enjoyed picking up stuff a lot more…also at the end of the game, I just end up with a -lot- of weirdo minerals Ive been saving without really knowing what they are good for? basically I should have just sold the lot.
Space part is fun and still tickles the old school, but the story was the most fun.
I think it will be interesting to see how the Star Control games evolve over the next few years. The first expansion rolls out next month which will continue to fill out the universe and the entire game is set up to be extensible by other players.