Starpoint Gemini

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 71 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 71
  3. Negative: 10 out of 71

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  1. Candy2009
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    Voice acting is a kind of funny since it was made by developers themselvs who are not native english speakers but it gives a certain charm to the game. This is not a bad game, whatever PC Gamer says. They game Starpoint Gemini 2 80+, but this 18 is really not a valid score.
  2. Nerrazurri
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    This is not the game that should be taken lightly. It's not easy to master, but it's rewarding. You can't review it after 30 minutes of playing, but after 5-10 hours, you start to realize the potential. And it's still miles away from Starpoint Gemini 2 which is a masterpiece.
  3. technophebe
    Feb 13, 2011
    8
    It's a solid game, definitely one to get for fans of the space combat/trading genre. It takes a more managerial approach to piloting a ship than a lot of other games - rather than being a fighter jock you're a large ship's captain, and you have an at first bewildering array of ways to customize your ship's performance. As well as your captain's skills and perks, you can hire crew withIt's a solid game, definitely one to get for fans of the space combat/trading genre. It takes a more managerial approach to piloting a ship than a lot of other games - rather than being a fighter jock you're a large ship's captain, and you have an at first bewildering array of ways to customize your ship's performance. As well as your captain's skills and perks, you can hire crew with various abilities, the ships themselves have special abilities, and each ship has a generous complement of misc. slots for adding equipment with specific bonuses, as well as the usual weapons/shield/generator etc.

    Movement and combat are similar in style to the Starfleet Command series or even a sea ship game - it's about moving so that damage is coming into your strongest shield, while managing your own weapon arcs, reload times and power.

    Graphics and sound are pretty, though certainly not cutting edge. Weapon blasts sound and feel substantial as the screen rocks with incoming attacks, though you are bombarded throughout with inane chat from passing ships which quickly gets tiresome (when will they make a space game without this issue, I ask you?).

    The UI is a little awkward in places and tricky to get used to at first (though it's been improved in patches several times now), but these few minor quirks don't stop it from being a solid and enjoyable new space sim with plenty of replay value.    … Expand
  4. Scorio
    Mar 24, 2011
    10
    Reminiscent of the old Starfleet Command. The controls are basically the same. In my book that's a good thing. SG expands on that and offers free-roaming and RPG! The campaign is quest based, but here you're also given the freedom of choosing exactly when you'll continue the story. If you want to explore or gather more XP or get a stronger ship, you can halt the storyline and return to itReminiscent of the old Starfleet Command. The controls are basically the same. In my book that's a good thing. SG expands on that and offers free-roaming and RPG! The campaign is quest based, but here you're also given the freedom of choosing exactly when you'll continue the story. If you want to explore or gather more XP or get a stronger ship, you can halt the storyline and return to it later.If you want to avoid the campaign story altogether, then its easier to simply start the second scenario; a free roam scenario.
    The campaign is very good. Maybe a bit too much text, but overall very enjoyable and refreshing. The great thing about the main quests is that you never feel like you're doing the same thing. Even when you're transporting your troopers onto a station for the third time, you still feel the mission is unique. Developer has done a great job of camouflaging it.
    Freeroaming is another treat. There's something for everybody: mining, freelancing, trading, looting. Great variety.
    Combat is very good. You have to watch out from which angle your enemy is approaching to minimize incoming damage with your shields. Orientation is also important for your weapons as well. Each weapon has its firing arc and using weapons at the right time is essential. In that whole mixture, there are also skills (which the developer called maneuvers). Around thirty of them in total. Some great, some not so much.
    On top of that there are also passive bonuses (perks) that you can choose when getting a new rank. Then there are also ship abilities: unique actions linked to a specific ship. .. There's so much in this game that a short review cannot do it justice. I recommend downloading the demo and trying it out yourself.
    HIGH POINTS: tactical combat, RPG, ship upgrading (a lot of variety), many different ships with unique abilities, SFX, freeroam
    I definitely recommend it! Especially for fans of Starfleet Command.    … Expand
  5. tronybushevich
    Feb 22, 2012
    9
    This game is not bad. Not bad at all. An interesting hybrid of genres. Combat and tactical part is good fun, but could use some polishing, while the RPG elements are somewhat confusing at first sight, but well implemented in reality. The gameplay offers a large set of possibilities during trading, exploration and combat. Player has extensive freedom in managing his own ship, her statisticsThis game is not bad. Not bad at all. An interesting hybrid of genres. Combat and tactical part is good fun, but could use some polishing, while the RPG elements are somewhat confusing at first sight, but well implemented in reality. The gameplay offers a large set of possibilities during trading, exploration and combat. Player has extensive freedom in managing his own ship, her statistics and crew. When you learn to handle all gameplay elements, a lot of them, you get to, in my opinion, the best part of the game. The geographical borders of this space are huge. Over 50 sectors sufficiently packed with factions, pirates, traders, anomaly, asteroid fields and stations. On the other side, this game does have some bugs. I haven't encounter any game stopping bug, but there are some annoying problems throughout the scenario. To conclude, I think Starpoint Gemini is a game worth investing time, but it needs time to get to you. It is also a challenging game experience that will probably be more welcomed by old school gamers.… Expand
  6. Orc_Lover
    Feb 1, 2015
    10
    This started it and led to Starpoint Gemini 2. This game is not perfect, but considering enthusiasm of developers that brough it to us, I have to respect it. I still play it and I still love it.
  7. SpaceCrusader
    Mar 25, 2011
    9
    It's the great game! Seriously. I haven't had this much fun since Starfleet Command 3. You just don't get seem to get decent space game like this any more. If you liked space, you'll love this. Equipping your ship with an absolute arsenal of weapons and then kicking some pirate butts :) Starpoint Gemini is truly some work of art and not to be missed.

    (only minus is no multiplayer, but    It's the great game! Seriously. I haven't had this much fun since Starfleet Command 3. You just don't get seem to get decent space game like this any more. If you liked space, you'll love this. Equipping your ship with an absolute arsenal of weapons and then kicking some pirate butts :) Starpoint Gemini is truly some work of art and not to be missed.

    (only minus is no multiplayer, but its a fun singleplayer game)    … Expand
  8. Balthazzar
    Aug 16, 2013
    10
    I bought the game when it was on sale even though some reviewers bashed it. I'm happy to report that most of the faults have been patched/cleared (enough that I can no longer find any noteworthy flaws) The game isn't pricey and offers many hours of gameplay replay value because of the RPG system) Just serves to prove that dedicated dev support can save a game.
  9. Zenmen
    Sep 1, 2013
    10
    I don't know why Metacritic score is this low for SPG. It's a nice game which has its issues, of course. but it's and indie game made with very low budget. It can't be compared to Freelancer or Eve online which had 100 times bigger budget.

    Voiceovers are a bit clumsy, but developers didn't have the budget to pay for professional voice acting. Whole game was made with approximately 20k    I don't know why Metacritic score is this low for SPG. It's a nice game which has its issues, of course. but it's and indie game made with very low budget. It can't be compared to Freelancer or Eve online which had 100 times bigger budget.

    Voiceovers are a bit clumsy, but developers didn't have the budget to pay for professional voice acting. Whole game was made with approximately 20k euros and pro voice acting alone was 60k. So focus on the things this game has. It's really worth playing, it has a nice storyline, it has a nice open world, plenty of interesting missions and really cool space battles.

    Well, listen to gamers, not critics. Critics are based on their payrolls, gamers are reviewing the gameplay. And of course, support little developers like these and not the big corporations like EA or Blizzard. Cause teams like these make games for gamers, and corporations make games for profit.    … Expand
  10. Lapidarius
    Apr 4, 2011
    10
    My opinion is that Starpoint Gemini is definitely worth playing. It is somewhat slow at the start, but later picks up just fine. It is not one of those new school games that you play without brain and using two controls. It is more demanding, but if you give it enough time, you will be rewarded. Aside from questionable voiceovers and some smaller glitches (most are already fixed inMy opinion is that Starpoint Gemini is definitely worth playing. It is somewhat slow at the start, but later picks up just fine. It is not one of those new school games that you play without brain and using two controls. It is more demanding, but if you give it enough time, you will be rewarded. Aside from questionable voiceovers and some smaller glitches (most are already fixed in patches), this is a true gamers game. There is no multiplayer, but singleplay is very well composed. Interesting plot, unique characters in the story, vast designed space and a sense of a real living universe. Also, if you dislike the story, you can avoid it completely and enjoy all the space sectors on your own. Possibilities are numerous, roaming around. fighting pirates or members of the official military, trading, mining. Once you earn some credits and experience, you can purchase larger and more powerful ships, and then further customize them using many different ship's and weapon's systems. You also develop your own statistics as a captain (and your crews statistics) as you level up through experience.
    As for the interface system, I think there was room for improvements here. Sometimes it gets confusing because there are so many slots, buttons and ways to combine them. The best way is to check the game's manual if you get stuck.
    Graphics is, in my opinion very solid. Not AA class, but designed with some old fashion charm. Battle effects are awesome, and once you get yourself in the middle of the fight against dozen of ships, all the weapons flying around, special abilities going off and stuff...a real eye candy.
    The bottom line is, I think this is the game for more demanding players. It requires you do some effort to master it, but when you succeed, it will reward you with gameplay rarely seen today. Too bad the developers obviously lacked the logistics to produce the AA class title, but they are on the right road with Starpoint Gemini, and I do hope we will see the sequel. This genre hybrid of the "Starfleet Command meets Freelancer" definiotely has my vote.    … Expand
  11. Delling
    Jun 26, 2012
    10
    If you used to like the old Starfleet Battles games, you're going to like this game. It's not a casual game, you have to take your time learning the ropes - but it's worth the hassle. It's not a fast-paced high-adrenaline game, it's more a simulation of a spaceship captain's life.

    If this is what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed.
  12. Assessinho
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    The critic score does not reflect the quality of this game in any way. Players know better it seems. They always do. This game is far away from its sequel but it's pretty good nevertheless.
  13. Sk8terBoi
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    For anyone that like Starfleet Command, this game is a decent buy. I would recommend buying Starpoint Gemini 2 since devs promised original Starpoint Gemini mod port for free.
  14. Tokardo
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    Fun, immersive, with average voice acting but I'm statisfied with the experience afterall. A bit of RPG, a bit of RTS, a bit of sim, everything is does properly.
  15. Snowpiercer
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    Epic game with nice graphics even for today's standards. And if you didn't play Starpoint Gemini 2, I urge you to get it. It's twice as epic, twice fun.
  16. Cpt_Crunch
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    I decided to give this one a shot and boy am I glad for that! Excellent music by Valdi Sabev, nice story, interesting ship design and I love the russian accent on main characters. :)
  17. GI_Jane
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    Fun game, although it was released a bit unpolished. Developers quickly patched it, and it became one of my favorite space games. Timebreach expansion was epic addition.
  18. Jango_Ungamed
    Feb 3, 2015
    10
    Fans of old games like Starfleet Command will most likely adore this little gem. Of course, it has its minor issues, but it's highly addictive and fun.
  19. Nutbuster
    Feb 3, 2015
    10
    No doubt, one of the games you will either worship (if you love the genre) or hate (if something is wrong with you). I worship it, it rocks. Go Gemini go!
  20. VoyagerGT
    Feb 3, 2015
    10
    Do not bother with reading "trusted reviews" cause there are not trusted by any sane user for years now. Metacritic lost its credibility and it's here basically to give advantage to the highest bidder. This game was made by a small indie team and it's amazing as majority of users agree.
  21. Timeghost
    Feb 3, 2015
    10
    A year ago I loved this. And I still do. But since we have Starpoint Gemini 2 now I will not tell you to buy the original. Buy the sequel because it's as good as it gets. Developers also intend to make a full conversion mod of the original and port it to Starpoint Gemini 2. For free. So one more reason not to buy this, but to definately buy Starpoint Gemini 2. Peace out.
  22. Miss_August
    Feb 3, 2015
    10
    Music - good.
    Story - good.
    Gameplay - good.
    Graphics - good.
    Sound - good.

    Overall impressions are excellent. It's a fun game, but if you never played it, go straight to Starpoint Gemini 2 which is brilliant!
  23. decman117
    Jun 12, 2011
    2
    I love the genre, but this game is horrible. un-skippable docking animations, that take a very long time, an utterly unbearable tutorial, and being attacked at the most inappropriate times. poor voiceovers, the constant background chatter that serves no purpose, a truly garbage game. The game features the mos annoying GUI i have ever come across, say, for example, you have the map open toI love the genre, but this game is horrible. un-skippable docking animations, that take a very long time, an utterly unbearable tutorial, and being attacked at the most inappropriate times. poor voiceovers, the constant background chatter that serves no purpose, a truly garbage game. The game features the mos annoying GUI i have ever come across, say, for example, you have the map open to find your way to a station, it seems reasonable that said map would hide while the next interface appears, doesn't it?

    Starpoint Gemini obviously doesn't. if you dock with your map open, prepare to sit through the undocking and re-docking animations, just to click a button. But even then the station interface is unintuitive and useless. it offers only the basic information, snd does its best to hide that.

    But the combat, the one thing that I thought may save this game, is truly terrible. fly near a station to trade? nope, 9/10 times you will be attacked, and combat mode will automatically activate, slowing you right down, to eliminate any chance of escape, and stop you from docking. If you dare press the button to deactivate combat mode, and accelerate away, you will be instantly shot, slowed down, leaving you the only option to fight, just to sell a carrot.

    This game is the pitiful reason why publishers stay away from this genre, ill-made attempts like this just screw it over. Luckily, publisher Iceberg interactive has many other far better space sim games.    … Expand
  24. Arctarus
    Dec 24, 2010
    4
    Horrible voiceovers (russian,bulgarian english), terrible execution (some functions don't work or respond or missing), and total garbage imitation of previous games ie Fleet Academy Star Trek, Elite, Freelancer, EvE online and some other more successful titles. The result is a catatrosphic bundle of bugs, typos, and unreliable interface in the ship movements that cuts off any realHorrible voiceovers (russian,bulgarian english), terrible execution (some functions don't work or respond or missing), and total garbage imitation of previous games ie Fleet Academy Star Trek, Elite, Freelancer, EvE online and some other more successful titles. The result is a catatrosphic bundle of bugs, typos, and unreliable interface in the ship movements that cuts off any real enjoyment from the "game". Plus it's in 2D over a 3D backdrop which makes it even less attractive and not in a good way. Felt like wasted 30 minutes of my life away.… Expand
  25. philthymcnasty
    Sep 12, 2013
    6
    It would be a good game EXCEPT: you can not skip cut scenes, the cut scenes are too long and kill the immersion. seriously, they are too long. Way to kill what would have been a cool space game.
  26. webgovernor
    Dec 8, 2013
    4
    RPG, Open World-ish, Space Battles. All these things sound like fun, but...

    1. Combat. SG combat is frustrating and all around terrible. It consists of incessantly spinning in circles while attempting to fire at the right moment. The AI spins around you while you're trying to spin around them. It's more like dancing and less like space combat. 2. The. Voice. Acting. Is. Atrocious.    RPG, Open World-ish, Space Battles. All these things sound like fun, but...

    1. Combat. SG combat is frustrating and all around terrible. It consists of incessantly spinning in circles while attempting to fire at the right moment. The AI spins around you while you're trying to spin around them. It's more like dancing and less like space combat.

    2. The. Voice. Acting. Is. Atrocious. Firstly: every ship captain is Russian, for some reason. Secondly: you can't skip much of it. The narrated cutscenes are SO LONG, and the voice acting is SO TERRIBLE, you'd think there would be an option to skip these. Nope!    … Expand
  27. Damocles346
    Nov 14, 2013
    3
    The game play is almost their, which would be ok if it had some sort of decent story to drive it, but as it stands it is simply an empty husk of mechanics that any number of other space games do better, with higher production values and more interesting stories. I would skip this one if I were you.
  28. Noieter
    Oct 4, 2012
    3
    This is EVE Offline, same mechanics, and same gates and stations... But with worst graphics, and offline. Please if you copy a game, don't be so obvious. I have to say i love sci-fi games this is why i don't give a 0.
  29. DrIron
    Sep 9, 2013
    0
    Buggy, unfinished, crashy mess with Russian voice actors who have absolutely no understanding of English, but that doesn't stop them from attempting it.

    The writing is really poorly translated and ends up making the whole thing just a confusing mess. Avoid at all costs.

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
46

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 3 out of 9
  1. PC Gamer UK
    Apr 16, 2012
    18
    Unfinished, unpolished. [May 2012, p.87]
  2. GameSpot
    Mar 22, 2012
    45
    Caught between being a space sim, a real-time strategy game, and a role-playing game, Starpoint Gemini tries to do a little bit of everything, and fails to do anything well.
    Read full review
  3. SpazioGames
    Mar 22, 2012
    55
    Starpoint Gemini struggles to deliver a proper space simulation experience: the story is badly told, graphics aren't good, roleplaying and strategic elements are shadowed by a bidimensional universe and a persisent slow feeling.
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