X: Beyond the Frontier

 PC
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release Date: Jan 26, 2000
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 30
  3. Negative: 3 out of 30
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  1. OdraSPUF
    Jul 15, 2011
    7
    A frustrating start turns away most casual gamers, but once you get used to the controls and manage to upgrade your ship for faster travel this game begins to shine.

    Robust economics, a faction-based political system and a vast universe to explore has made this game a welcome addition to my collection. Players that don't suffer from short-attention spans that enjoy simulations and    A frustrating start turns away most casual gamers, but once you get used to the controls and manage to upgrade your ship for faster travel this game begins to shine.

    Robust economics, a faction-based political system and a vast universe to explore has made this game a welcome addition to my collection.

    Players that don't suffer from short-attention spans that enjoy simulations and economic driven games (ie. Simcity) with combat thrown into the mix may find this to be an entertaining title.

    Some points before purchasing:
    * The graphics feel dated (1999), but it handles itself well with no problems so far.
    * Slow "grinding" period when first starting the game.
    * No configurable controls. (save for about 5 keys)

    Find a downloadable Demo at Egosoft's website.    … Expand
  2. Zephyn
    Aug 17, 2012
    9
    After playing around a bit with X3, I decided to give the original game in the series a try. As a gamer who really misses Wing Commander: Privateer and the original Mechwarrior game for the PC, I've been very pleased with X-BTF. It seems to have the same balance of combat tactics and resource strategy that keep the game interesting over the long term: You can switch from Businessman toAfter playing around a bit with X3, I decided to give the original game in the series a try. As a gamer who really misses Wing Commander: Privateer and the original Mechwarrior game for the PC, I've been very pleased with X-BTF. It seems to have the same balance of combat tactics and resource strategy that keep the game interesting over the long term: You can switch from Businessman to Demolition Man and vice-versa as the mood takes you.

    As with most sandbox games, you don't start with much in the way of resources... but there's no point to playing an empire building game if the empire's already half-built by the time you start. For newcomers who find the complexity of the more recent games of the X series a bit overwhelming. I'd recommend X-BTF as good way to get a feel for the combat/trading systems and the plot/setting without getting hit by option overload.    … Expand
  3. rafferz
    Apr 23, 2014
    10
    Amazing game. I spent hours buying and selling stuff in different systems, fighting pirates and exploring the world and the main part is complete freedom. Soundtracks are so amazing that I am still listening to it. Such a beautiful game for that period of time.
  4. Ears14U
    Apr 26, 2013
    0
    This game, no....this entire series is a complete pile of badly programmed rubbish. I have had more trouble with what's been deemed a audio/video "codec" issue. Seriously? With all four of the titles I've installed? You would think that Egosoft (wow, not a humble bone is this crowd huh?) would have released a "patch" like every other reputable game manufacturer would have done to fix thisThis game, no....this entire series is a complete pile of badly programmed rubbish. I have had more trouble with what's been deemed a audio/video "codec" issue. Seriously? With all four of the titles I've installed? You would think that Egosoft (wow, not a humble bone is this crowd huh?) would have released a "patch" like every other reputable game manufacturer would have done to fix this issue. However this task of spending more time trying to fix a "scratchy-assed" noise through your speakers, then actually playing the game is left up to us consumers. I'll just chalk this X-turd-box series up to a loss. I personally couldn't "rate" this crap any lower than I did, so I would highly advise steering clear of this, and any other EGOSOFT software in the future.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Best PC Game of 2000
72
#72 Most Discussed PC Game of 2000

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. Adrenaline Vault
    60
    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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  2. Yahoo!
    70
    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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  3. IGN
    77
    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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