Well i was looking through ebay a while ago and cam across Freelancer. It said it was a space exploration game etc etc. Anyway i bought it thinking there was nothing to lose, what a game. If anybody hasnt tried this you have to try it, its great :)

Imho best space sims are:
I-War 2 Edge of Chaos
Starlancer (i prefer more 'epic' and story like games so in my opinion it's better than Freelancer. Gameplay in Freelancer is for me too 'simplified' and more like console style. In Stalancer you have no freedom but for exchange awasome almost like movie story )
X-universe games (X-beyond The Frontier, X2, X3)
Starshatter is also quite good

I've been all over the place with space sims lately this is a good topic.
I wouldn't say that Freelancer and Freespace are that similar. Freespace is pure action (at it's best). Freelancer has combat, but it's not the only thing since it adds trade.
If you like Freespace, you'd probably like Dark Horizon, which is very similar.
If you like Freelancer, you'd probably like Darkstar 1, which is actually better IMO, although it mimics it closely. Better than that is IW2, as mentioned above.
Overall, my favorite is Independance War 2. Cockpit, trade, a lot of action, physics give the impression of realism but not over the top. Doesn't handle so perfectly like Freespace though---in a good way that is.
Spaceforce: Rogue Universe is a shooter but also has some trade. If only the scripting/voicework were better! Storyline/voicework is a little too anime-like which tries to screw up an otherwise really good game. This one has likable physics too.
Parkan 2...I recently got this and don't have much time in it. However, it's cool in that it adds ship boarding and changes to an FPS to clear the ship. I haven't gotten to it yet, but it also has planet-side ground work as an FPS. Should be a lot of fun, but I've got too many going as it is to get further into it right now.
So far, IW2 is my go-to game. Everything about it is well done. Only drawback is that space is a little too stylized with a lack of black space---it's all colored nebulas etc for a background.
X2 I like. Moreso than X3 in fact. X3 has endless menus and never gives the impression of getting off the ship. A little too deep though, these take a while to get into, and if you play more than one game at a time, it's hard to stick with.
Next in line for the search for the best space sim: the Evochron games.

Wing Commander and Tie Fighter.
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looks like im gunna have to check out a few of these :)

most of the mentioned are good, personally I hate darkstar 1... really really repetitive and un-imaginative universe and gameplay. you're basically doing the one same thing to eternity

im gunna see what i can get with independence war 2 :)

I picked up IW2 for less than $4 at Amazon. Great buy even though shipping doubled the cost. LOL

I'm a big fan of the Colony Wars games for PS1. Easy to set up with an emulator. They're less complicated and much faster-paced than Freespace. They tell good stories and the action is great. Colony Wars 1 is the best, great balance. Vengeance (2) is way too hard. 3 (Red Sun) is very good, though I thought the story was a little weak. Good action on that one though. The ending was ridiculously easy.

Wing Commander, Colony Wars, X3.. all good..
Freelancer is cheap and cheerful, though. Easy to pick up and play, looks pretty enough, has a fair bit to explore, a good story.
Worth a few leaves of anybody's money if you ask me. Probably my favourite piece of Microsoft software.

You should try Evochron Legends too. It's a very nice Indie game. And its galaxy is huge.
By the way, I'm enjoying Freespace 2 a lot. It's amazing how this game hasn't aged at all, it doesn't look outdated.