Prator: I had a lot of fun with the GOG version of freespace, so now I'm looking for other space-sim games. I'm wondering how Darkstar One compares to other games in which you fly around in circles shooting at things with lasers.
First things first, yes, expect a -lot- of combat. I'm not sure how disappointing or satisfying this might sound, but every mission, without exception ends up in a fire-fight some how. Even the trading side missions and 'photography' will end up with you having to blast pirates or the military. Yet I wouldn't say that the combat is monotonous, or dull.
You'll be spinning around like a mofo, keeping an eye on your shields, generator and hull. The variation in combat is small, but you can do clever things, like use one-time-only items to blast away into the distance, or power up your ship for a counter attack.
The main 'power up' is the 'plasma' system the Dark-star one has, which slowly recharges. You can level up your ship into different branches, like a magic user in a fantasy game, so you can focus what this 'plasma' does. It will change how you fight (defensively or offensively)
Alternatively you can upgrade your hull to get the most turret mountings, which automatically track target and shoot. This means the combat is quite hands off, and allows you to just concentrate on flying while assailants blow up around you.
Essentially the combat is very arcade-ish and is simple to master. One thing to take note of is the difficulty in the options menu. I don't know who screwed this up, but the 1 to 5 rating doesn't work. You either have set to '1' or you're going to find the game exceptionally hard, as when set to '2' its exactly the same as '5' (in my experience anyway). Give it ago, but as soon as you become frustrated with getting hammered, just pop it down to '1' and enjoy the game.
Prator: Based on the ratings and complaints I see in reviews (What are "Flak missions?"), I'd assume the answer is "It doesn't hold up well." Even so, I'd like to get a second or third opinion on how fun this game actually is.
Ahh the Flak Missions. Right, at one point in the game you have to control a turret in a space station. The problem is the re-charge rate on the gun is low and you're getting enemies shooting at you in waves.
What's so hard is that the space station blows up very easily even though you feel like you're doing your best. The solution to this is to watch the sequence on YouTube and remember where the attackers come from. After only 3 attempts I passed the mission without having to cheat or get someone to sort my save file out for me.
This 'level' is not for a while into the story, so don't panic too much. You'll be well experienced within the game before you have to do this kind of mission. Just enjoy the cheesey story line and the hilarious ending. For $9.99 its worth it, I'm so glad I never bought it when it was new (I almost did)
Hope this helps.
