- Publisher: THQ
- Release Date: Jan 26, 2000
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- Critic score
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Play it patiently, explore, fight and enjoy... It just might do the trick before the heavy hitters like Starlancer and Freelancer arrive.
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It's the sort of game that will carve out a space on your hard drive and stay there while other, newer games come and go. X is not for everyone, but it'll almost certainly become a classic for fans of more slowly paced, economics-intensive space simulations.
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You won't run through the streets exclaiming the virtues of this game after playing it. You won't tell every one of your friends about it. You won't even think much about it after you're finished. If you buy it though, you will get something few games these days can offer: Several hours of gaming enjoyment.
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An admirable game that manages to do quite a lot with very little. Even so, it's doubtful that anyone besides those of you who are addicted (like me) to the trade simulator are going to find this title real competition for the big name space combat games that are already on the shelf.
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TotalGames.netTime consuming and considering the lack of alternatives, quite good at what it does. But it fails to seamlessly merge the combat and trading that Elite did so well and is, to put it bluntly, a bit on the dull side.
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There is nothing flat out wrong with X, it's just that after you finish the game (either story or achieve your long-term goals), there's nothing left to do. This is where the genre is supposed to be strongest - the freedom to do whatever - yet X somehow misses the mark.
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A game that is jack of all trades, but master of none. It's fun to play at first, but tends to get fairly tedious when you realise it's rather limited - when you realise you can't change your ship, actually take on any missions, or do anything of any real interest.
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PC GamerQuotation omitted. [June 2000, p.112]
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If you thought "Elite" had too much combat and not enough trading, X is probably worth a look. Otherwise, it's probably best to avoid this one.
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If you want action, thrills, or excitement, look elsewhere. You will find none of those here. If, however, you are interested in exploration and simply taking some time to view some stunning views of what the outskirts of our universe may look like, this game may have some merit that you might want to look into.
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With a very large galaxy populated by unique aliens, an interesting non-linear storyline, lots of great visuals, and interesting gizmos to upgrade your ship with, X during the first few sessions can be a joy to play. Poor design choices, and repetitive actions, keeps X from being as memorable and fun as Elite was.
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Since the X universe limits you to mostly trade and price tracking, X starts to feel like "Excel in Space" only with better graphics than the Microsoft game. Eventually, X’s lack of depth creates a game of commuting, which kills off your urgency to see the main story come to a conclusion.
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In short, X is a fairly good game that could have been great. With more missions, a better flight model, and better pacing, it might have dethroned "Elite." As is, it joins a long line of games like "Privateer II" that entertain but leave you wanting more.
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This title does not appeal to the common entertainment values that the PC gaming community currently holds, but it has taken a stand as a realistic space-trading simulation, and it is for that reason it will not be without an audience.
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Could this game be any slower?
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With over 10,000 objects in the game's universe, there is quite a bit to see and no one's going to tell you how or when to see it in this open-ended space adventure.
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X manages to fail on almost every level.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 30
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Mixed: 10 out of 30
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Negative: 3 out of 30
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Jul 15, 2011
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Aug 17, 2012
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Apr 23, 2014