X3: Terran Conflict

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 240 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 177 out of 240
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 240
  3. Negative: 32 out of 240
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  1. DanielP
    Jan 10, 2009
    5
    Don't believe the hype. For those of us, well some of us, who have played X3:Reunion with the Xtended Mod, the only main difference your ever going to notice in Terran Conflict is the story. It comes to no suprise that alot of the team that worked on Xtended was brought over by Egosoft to work on Terran Conflict. The game itself is rather much the same when it comes to complexity, Don't believe the hype. For those of us, well some of us, who have played X3:Reunion with the Xtended Mod, the only main difference your ever going to notice in Terran Conflict is the story. It comes to no suprise that alot of the team that worked on Xtended was brought over by Egosoft to work on Terran Conflict. The game itself is rather much the same when it comes to complexity, and thats not a bad thing. If you got the patience for it, and the motive to keep at it then your going to enjoy Terran. However, Terran Conflict is, Reunion. Only reason why you should get this is due to the story and we all want the story to end at some point, but I truly believe this is where Egosoft got it wrong. X3-TC gives off a rather rushed appeal, like it was rushed. They didn't have to do much when it came to content, Xtended did that, but storywise and yet the still very un-appealing poor voice-actors, could've been much improved beyond Reunions standards. If your very much interested in finding out the next chapter in TC, get this game! It has the same pro's and same con's as Reunion with Xtended, with exception to a few minor details. However, if you have Reunion and you have the Xtended mod to boot, and your not too pushed about finding out what happens in the next chapter, then don't bother. You'l find yourself playing a clone-copy of Reunion with Xtended.… Expand
  2. ArcticLynx
    Jan 17, 2009
    5
    The learning curve on this game is far too great, with a manual that barely does the game justice and almost no ingame assistance to speak of. This forces the player to attempt to remember huge amounts of information, or to ferret around in a variety of menus searching for it. The interface is difficult to use, and doesn't appear to have matured in the ten years since the first The learning curve on this game is far too great, with a manual that barely does the game justice and almost no ingame assistance to speak of. This forces the player to attempt to remember huge amounts of information, or to ferret around in a variety of menus searching for it. The interface is difficult to use, and doesn't appear to have matured in the ten years since the first game's release. Also the developers have seemingly avoided numerous shortcuts and simplifications that would make the life of the player easier. For example, most of the menu screens are lacking mouse buttons, forcing the player to bounce between to many intermediary screens using the keyboard. Unless attention to detail, micromanagement and a passion for space trading games, rule your life, then leave this one on the shelf.… Expand
  3. JasonM
    May 15, 2009
    2
    Way, way, way too slow... It was like Eve Online, except even slower paced... Its interface and controls were clumsy and not very intuitive... A shame really, as I was interested in what this game had to offer; too bad they decided to deliver the gameplay via root canal... There is no reason that time-lapse could not be increased and remain in effect the whole time... Why did they have to Way, way, way too slow... It was like Eve Online, except even slower paced... Its interface and controls were clumsy and not very intuitive... A shame really, as I was interested in what this game had to offer; too bad they decided to deliver the gameplay via root canal... There is no reason that time-lapse could not be increased and remain in effect the whole time... Why did they have to make docking suck a long and drawn out affair... Throw some smoke and mirrors in there, lie to me, or at least let me opt out of this laborious task... Can I have my money back?… Expand
  4. I_Am_Turok
    May 22, 2012
    6
    I really want to love this game. Having a decent 2012 PC, the graphics are so smooth and great, music great, open ended, huge universe, endless side-tasks, fun battles, and a trading system - so far, what's not to like - but niggles that begin early on become more apparent after 80+ hours of play. With my 10+ freight and 15+ combat ships, I should be having all the fun in the world, butI really want to love this game. Having a decent 2012 PC, the graphics are so smooth and great, music great, open ended, huge universe, endless side-tasks, fun battles, and a trading system - so far, what's not to like - but niggles that begin early on become more apparent after 80+ hours of play. With my 10+ freight and 15+ combat ships, I should be having all the fun in the world, but things are becoming a drag. Ships still crash into docks and get destroyed. Auto-trading is too slow that it takes hours to bring in cash. Manual trading is repetitive. With 15+ combat craft in a wing, you can win pretty much anything. And the UI feels like it was written by a Unix developer who hates UIs and likes lists of old. For example, look up who builds say a missile, and it'll give you a list of 30+ sectors alphabetised scrolled down - errr, how about simply pointing out on the universe map which are the closest sectors to me that sell the missiles, I'm not memorising every sector name!!???? At this stage, I am playing the main task/quest, if only to finish the game, which will probably take another 80+ hours of play! It's still very much worth the buy for $15 or less, either this or the generally cheaper X3 Albion Prelude which looks identical. You will enjoy the whole feel and really getting into the universe. I know I do and will probably pick it up for 2 hours of play a week for the next year. That's gotta make it good value for how much I spent on it. But for me, I'd struggle to give it more than a 6 because of how slow it is to get anything done. (to the developers, what if, for the next game, you start with a station, and resource collectors and your own sector, then build up stations and fleets, and either dominate trade by killing off competitors, or dominate the universe by conquering sectors - with those beautiful graphics and combat play, now that would be a fun game indeed).… Expand
  5. MrButtermancer
    Mar 26, 2011
    10
    Alright, the learning curve in this game is vertical. If you're going to buy it, understand that. Understand that you're going to have to learn hotkeys. Understand that you're going to be looking in the manual for a good few hours to figure everything out. But understand that it's worth it. X3 TC is an absolutely fantastic, beautiful, and immersive game. The sheer size of the thingAlright, the learning curve in this game is vertical. If you're going to buy it, understand that. Understand that you're going to have to learn hotkeys. Understand that you're going to be looking in the manual for a good few hours to figure everything out. But understand that it's worth it. X3 TC is an absolutely fantastic, beautiful, and immersive game. The sheer size of the thing is something along the magnitude of 8 million cubic kilometers spread throughout several hundred sectors. There are varied races each with many unique starships. The economic and combat aspects of this game are spectacular. Trading goods and building factories is immensely satisfying. The music and art makes the entire experience that much more epic. If you're willing to spend the time getting to know her, X3 can take you for one heck of a ride.… Expand
  6. TruckarJ
    Mar 7, 2009
    3
    While I enjoy slow and thoughtful gameplay X3 only provides an agonizing single player grinding experience with no real challenge to beat at the end of that grind. Add to this a combat system that doesn't really require a player, a user interface that will leave you wondering where the information you want is located, and frame rate drops that will leave even the best systems While I enjoy slow and thoughtful gameplay X3 only provides an agonizing single player grinding experience with no real challenge to beat at the end of that grind. Add to this a combat system that doesn't really require a player, a user interface that will leave you wondering where the information you want is located, and frame rate drops that will leave even the best systems presenting you with one to two frames a second and you have a fairly joyless space simulator. I would recommend thinking carefully before purchasing this game.… Expand
  7. Starhowl
    Jul 5, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game, as a space-based sandbox, is nearly perfect. An open world from the start, with nearly every ship being pilotable, and a generally acceptable learning curve (Read: Easier than EvE Online Just run the training mission to get the basics), it's easy to pick up this game and lose hours on it just by looking around and taking a few jumpgates to see what's behind them. The universe is smooth and beautiful, the races diverse and unique, and the ships all having themes relevant to their manufacturers or places of origin.

    You can literally do anything you want. Start the game, blast civilians, start life as a pirate. Or pick up some wheat from a nearby station and be a trader, taking it to a food factory. Or throttle up and start wandering aimlessly, either shooting pirates or finding hidden, claimable Easter egg ships behind asteroids. You can do all these things from the start, within the first 60 seconds of hopping into your new game. Play long enough, and you'll eventually own a fleet to let you do all these things at once.

    You'll be writing your own stories in this game, and no two playthroughs will be the same.

    The only flaw with this game and it is a minor one, comparatively is the official campaign. The story is loose and linear, and incredibly boring. Most bugs in the game are found in the story, with some things being untriggerable or will take several minutes to take place, or will ask absurd things of you. I found myself not understanding how certain parts of the story were related, and simply performing the tasks asked of me so I could finish it faster and get access to the truly open world without the storyline dogging me.

    Also and this deserves it's own paragraph the storyline voice acting is GOD AWFUL. No offense intended to the actors, but there is literally 0 talent in your voice acting. In some missions, the dialogue from the NPCs was absolutely groan-worthy as I try to figure out what on earth was written in your script that made you use that inflection, and then I say it aloud a few times with much more believable tone and mood. The Aldrin mission where the isolated Terrans finally come in contact with a lost colony of human explorers and the Terran captain says "Who are YOU?!" In a mood not unlike a clown at a birthday party made me roll my eyes and spend the rest of the dialogue replaying that particular line in my head, confused as to why you would let that pass muster for voice acting.

    A few spurts of silly voice acting however does not break this game or it's gameplay. It's an amazing sandbox, and starship captains of all walks of life will find something to sink plenty of hours into in this amazing expanse.    … Expand
  8. FurthestFlung
    Apr 7, 2013
    9
    What's so enjoyable about this game is that, somewhat like the GTA games, it seems to be several games at the same time, and let's you hop from one game to the other at the flick of a button. I'll be first-person dogfighting in a sleek fighter one moment, then, when the last enemy ship is down, dock on my destroyer, and leave the engines idle so I can bring up the maps and play a strategyWhat's so enjoyable about this game is that, somewhat like the GTA games, it seems to be several games at the same time, and let's you hop from one game to the other at the flick of a button. I'll be first-person dogfighting in a sleek fighter one moment, then, when the last enemy ship is down, dock on my destroyer, and leave the engines idle so I can bring up the maps and play a strategy game pushing my fleets around before going into mercantile management of all my factories, finding what products I have been trouble selling, and considering branching my businesses out into new sectors. Everything you do in this game gives you the sense that you're gaining ground, and opening up the door to a new, and greater accomplishment down the road, and I can play as much a humble backwater merchant or a daring pirate as I want without feeling like I'm missing out on any of the game. This is exactly the sort of open-world gameplay more games should try to emulate.… Expand
  9. Hardcard
    Sep 8, 2012
    9
    I don't understand how anyone can rate this game below 8.
    I've played a lot of space sims, I've spent massive time in getting to know (and mastering) each and every one of them.
    This one has given me something that I wasn't even expecting to find: a depth so deep that I don't think there's anything you can't do in this game. This game can take you from a "miserable" starting position    I don't understand how anyone can rate this game below 8.
    I've played a lot of space sims, I've spent massive time in getting to know (and mastering) each and every one of them.
    This one has given me something that I wasn't even expecting to find: a depth so deep that I don't think there's anything you can't do in this game. This game can take you from a "miserable" starting position (only one small, nearly useless ship and no money. Like a poor strayed dog left to the immensity of space), to the top of your own built space corporation, managing huge merchant and military fleets, farms, factories, supply stations, and nearly anything else you set your mind to.
    The most important thing is that every step you take in order to achieve this, you're taking it on your own. This game gives you freedom in every action (or transaction), there are no preset fleets or businesses, there is no preset campaign or anything like that: you do as you please, you build what you want to.
    If you are looking for some kind of easygoing space sim, you'll definitely try some other game (Sins of a Solar Empire, Freespace 2 (upgraded), Nexus, Homeworld...)
    You could also play X3 in a simple pirate style (hit-take-sell), but by doing so you'd miss 80% of the stuff X3 offers (and eventually you'd get bored and quit the game too).
    In X3 you are whatever you want to be: a smuggler, a bounty hunter, a handyman, a pirate, a businessman, or all of these together.
    But don't be fooled by visions of power, wealth and glory, to achieve these you must work hard, study the market, think and be very patient. It takes a huge amount of mistakes, failures, learning, observation, travel and money to build your own military and commercial empire. Take it easy and prepare to spend a massive amount of hours in traveling, dogfighting, trading, planning, upgrading, exploring, etc.

    I don't give it a 10 because I find the interface rather undeveloped. They should improve the command and information systems, make them easier to access, make them more intuitive. They should also fix some AI issues like the autopilot crashing into gates and buildings sometimes or like own ships disappearing after being commanded to dock, etc. Were these problems arranged, X3 would be a true masterpiece, a game like no other.    … Expand
  10. apaeth
    Jul 22, 2011
    7
    Not an awful game by any means. The concept is great and the developers did an exceptional job creating a vast and expansive universe. Combat can be fun if you can figure out what weapons you need in order to fight different opponents and find them somewhere that actually has them in stock. This leads me to the biggest problems with this game. The interface and menu screens, and theNot an awful game by any means. The concept is great and the developers did an exceptional job creating a vast and expansive universe. Combat can be fun if you can figure out what weapons you need in order to fight different opponents and find them somewhere that actually has them in stock. This leads me to the biggest problems with this game. The interface and menu screens, and the amount of micro managing you have to do. Everything you need in the game is always manufactured 5-10 sectors away and they are usually out of stock after you spend 10-15 minutes of research and travel just to get there. Do you have a small carrier with a few fighters ready to engage in battle? Guess what? Each ship requires different weapons that have to be bought at different locations that never have any in stock. You'll be banging your head against a wall after a while. I'm sure it gets better once you get factories set up and can manufacture your own goods but getting to that point is a monumental task if you have a life away from your computer.… Expand
  11. PeyoteCoyote
    Jan 24, 2012
    9
    Since so many other posts remark on the learning curve on this game, I will offer my own take. I did not find the learning curve very steep at all. However, having said that, there are many things that make accomplishing certain tasks, such as trade routes and issuing certain commands to a large number of ships a real pain the neck. Furthermore, mods to improve these issues were generallySince so many other posts remark on the learning curve on this game, I will offer my own take. I did not find the learning curve very steep at all. However, having said that, there are many things that make accomplishing certain tasks, such as trade routes and issuing certain commands to a large number of ships a real pain the neck. Furthermore, mods to improve these issues were generally not even on the agenda of the developers until they were proven to be fairly successful by the modding community. (Hence the "bonus" pack downloadable from the egosoft.com site.)

    In other words, it takes some real effort to accomplish some of the tasks available in the game. (Not the kind of effort that takes skill, but the kind of effort that takes either a large amount of patience or boredom.)
    Egosoft has been very attentive to listening to the community about performance problems and have released quite a few patches and updates. My experience, however, was that one problem would be fixed in a patch, only to arise later in another. With the release of Albion Prelude, and the TC version 3.2 patch, I doubt very much that many more will be forthecoming; it is what it is.

    Now that my big complaints are out of the way, TC is probably one of my most favorite games of all time. The universe is pretty much yours to do whatever you feel like doing... exploring, trading, fighting... whatever. The graphics are great, gameplay was smooth, and most all glitches and exploits have all been addressed by the game developers. (Who, as I said, are pretty great at listening to the community even if they don't always agree with what they hear.)

    What I wish TC had more of was a more personal touch... to me, what's the fun of having a capital ship if you don't have thousands of crewman to boss around? Fighters should be manned by pilots who can gain skills and earn promotions, not drones that do what the onboard flight computer tells them to do. There is also very limited customization options available for ships. Certain ships are for certain tasks, no matter how you load them out. (Don't get me wrong, just having that option is pretty cool... just limited.) Boarding marines are pretty much just an abstract concept as being things you lob out the airlock to try and jack some other abstract pilot out of their ship. One dies? No biggy, we'll just train another one... which takes forever to do. Oh, and those big planets you see in the background? Usually their just part of the wallpaper and rarely actually rendered objects. The map tells you there's a few billion people living there. Neat. Big deal. A lot of my reviews focus on what is done wrong in a game, and this is no different. X3TC gets it mostly right. The variety of options and the plethora of means to accomplish them is the games strongest points. Add on that fairly decent eye candy and limited frustrations with bugs, you'll have a winner. It could be so much more though.    … Expand
  12. khemeher
    Jul 24, 2012
    9
    If you enjoy flying spaceships, and you relish the idea of being able to forge your own military & financial empire in space in a single player format game, then this game is for you. If you're patient, and willing to take the time to learn how to play, and willing to work your way up through the ranks to earn your fame, then this game is for you. If you want instant gratification, andIf you enjoy flying spaceships, and you relish the idea of being able to forge your own military & financial empire in space in a single player format game, then this game is for you. If you're patient, and willing to take the time to learn how to play, and willing to work your way up through the ranks to earn your fame, then this game is for you. If you want instant gratification, and expect space combat to be Call of Duty in a **** then you need to find another game to play. It's pretty much that simple.

    It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn clean & neat with the recent patches & revisions. You will also find a staggering amount of add-ons created by both forum moderators & community that add even more to your experience.

    Additionally, if you have a Steam account, you owe it to yourself to invest 10 bucks in the X Superbox. If space simulators are your cup of tea, you simply won't get a better bang for your buck anywhere else.    … Expand
  13. oda_krell
    Jul 21, 2012
    9
    X3 is a great game, and it is a bit sad it is not more well known. It is not perfect, and I will say why in a moment, but the way it is now, it is one of the best sandbox-style games in existence. It is also easily on par with the previous gold standard of the genre, the Elite series. ............................................................ Others have said enough about the strengthsX3 is a great game, and it is a bit sad it is not more well known. It is not perfect, and I will say why in a moment, but the way it is now, it is one of the best sandbox-style games in existence. It is also easily on par with the previous gold standard of the genre, the Elite series. ............................................................ Others have said enough about the strengths and the problems of this game already: it has a steep learning curve, and it lacks a tutorial and in-game documentation. That said, this problem is not on the level of a really hardcore game, say, Dwarf Fortress. After about 1 day playing, you will "get" X3, and you will start experimenting. Once you do that, you will be rewarded with a vast universe, and very complex game mechanics, which, in addition, feel "meaningful", i.e. the complexity doesn't just arise from millions of numbers you need to control, but from a living and breathing universe. If you enjoy space games like Elite or Privateer, and sandbox games like Minecraft, I'm sure you will love X3. It's a brilliant combination of combat and **** ............................................................ Sounds great, right ? But that's not even taking into account the modding scene behind this game. This already very complex, very deep mechanics of this game become even bigger and better when you add some mods. There are whole modding projects adding dynamic wars and changing borders to the universe, as well as streamlining the trading interface and station building. This game would be very good without mods, but *with* mods, it's almost perfect.

    ............................................................ I said, "almost perfect". So, what are the problems? There are really only two: production value and interface. The game is made by a German developer, and it saddens me to say that (being German myself) but the writing isn't very good, the characters you encoutner feel bland, and the whole ingame lore is, just, meh. Compare it to the big franchises, Star Trek, Star Wars, Warhammer 40k, or even Homeworld, and I have to say, this universe feels just... cheaper, let's say. That's not my biggest problem, though (mainly because this is a sandbox game in large parts -- nobody ever complained about the quality of writing in Minecraft). The biggest problem is the UI. The interface is one that is made for a space combat simulator. However, as the game progresses, it gets more complex, and space combat, while still important, is not the only thing you do. You basically become the CEO or president of a galaxy spanning empire, maybe comparable to EVE online. But the interface still never leaves the **** of your ship. Every action needs way too many clicks, and while there are some mods that make the interface a bit better for some of the more complex tasks (space station building, managing you network of traders), the game doesn't really allow for this to be done efficiently. If there's ever an X4 (and I really hope there will be), the game should offer two modes: space combat, when you're in your ship, and "planning room", where you have all the consoles, display, graphs and maps you need to run an empire. The way it looks now, it's just not efficient enough, and it gets a bit tedious as your empire grows.

    ............................................................ Summary: Almost perfect game, half space combat sim, half empire building/sandbox. Very complex, but not stupidly so -- the complexity feels causally motivated. The only real problem is the interface: for a game so complex, the **** interface is just too limited. 9 out of 10.    … Expand
  14. Lorderan
    May 13, 2011
    4
    Yep I tried this game, again and again and again. There are some really awesome aspects. Massive universe, incredibly diverse numbers of ships and ways of playing the game. But I'm done, there are just too many painful and annoying things with the game. NUMBER 1 is the inability to save in space. You have to fly to a base and save. No big deal, but it is when you've just spent 15 minutesYep I tried this game, again and again and again. There are some really awesome aspects. Massive universe, incredibly diverse numbers of ships and ways of playing the game. But I'm done, there are just too many painful and annoying things with the game. NUMBER 1 is the inability to save in space. You have to fly to a base and save. No big deal, but it is when you've just spent 15 minutes flying to the mission location and you die you want to scream. I mean really what is the logic in forcing people to dock to save. It doesn't contribute to the game, other than being a royal pain in the arse, THERE IS NO POINT. Secondly, but maybe as big a problem as the first is the flight time. The sectors are bloody huge, say 400 km, but your ship flies at 100 m/s (fastest ship I had was 260m/s), so to fly from one side of the sector to the other it will take you 400,000 m / 100 m/s = 4,000 seconds or wait for it 66 minutes, you can increase time by 10 but that still means it will take you 6 minutes to fly through 1 section. When a mission makes you fly through 5 sectors to get to the mission site the time painful!! I mean serious WHY do that to your players, there is no reason you would do that. I just give up. Fro the new X Rebirth release, have an option for the fan boys if they want these stupid features in the game, but give the rest of us a bloody break. DO NOT waste your money on this game.… Expand
  15. behastie
    Aug 23, 2013
    5
    The combat in this game is fairly fun and the trading is ok. Here's my main issue: the game advertises that you can build an empire where ships and stations will operate independently and give you income or you can command a squad of wingmen in combat to help you destroy enemy forces. Unfortunately, the AI is so broken that trade ships crash into each other (and stations constantly) andThe combat in this game is fairly fun and the trading is ok. Here's my main issue: the game advertises that you can build an empire where ships and stations will operate independently and give you income or you can command a squad of wingmen in combat to help you destroy enemy forces. Unfortunately, the AI is so broken that trade ships crash into each other (and stations constantly) and the wingmen just fly off into nowhere. When the biggest challenge in a game is that your empire suffers a 50% casualty rate while docking, you are in a Douglas Adams novel not a space simulator.… Expand
  16. ParGellen
    May 25, 2011
    6
    This game is great fun and the combat is pretty intense. The main problems I see are the issues with stations and complex hubs. The AI is usually pretty good at avoiding collisions with other objects but sometimes stations (even ones placed by the AI) are facing in bizarre directions that cause docking ships to smash into asteroids or even other stations. Setting up your own complex hub isThis game is great fun and the combat is pretty intense. The main problems I see are the issues with stations and complex hubs. The AI is usually pretty good at avoiding collisions with other objects but sometimes stations (even ones placed by the AI) are facing in bizarre directions that cause docking ships to smash into asteroids or even other stations. Setting up your own complex hub is kind of a nightmare since you can't really see what's going on very well while you are doing it. A simple separate interface allowing you to place and rotate stations would have been great but is sadly missing. I always find myself enjoying the game until it comes to setting up my own stations and hubs then it gets very annoying very fast. Also the overly complicated menu system has you clicking submenus quite deeply for even simple tasks with no way that I can find to create hotkeys that take you directly where you want to be. One last bad thing is the voice acting. OH MY GOD! Where did they find these people that can't pronounce ANYTHING correctly? I had to reload and listen to a few Terran mission briefings simply because I could not understand what the guy was saying. A couple of them I just gave up on understanding because I swear he's not speaking English at all.
    Other than these issues I've had a lot of fun playing and fighting cap ship battles with the Xenon.    … Expand
  17. Lazerius
    May 9, 2012
    10
    Amazing game. Action Packed, beautiful graphics. Just be aware that this is not a game you can pick up and master in a few hours. Played right, this game can aborb the next few months to years of your life.
  18. sometimesgames
    Nov 9, 2011
    9
    If you want easy, mindless fun in your games, then you will have to adjust your perspective for this game because it is HARD. What's that? You think you know hard? You don't know X3:TC, son, so buckle up before you double click. Still here? Good because I still have to say this: I came into this game expecting nothing, I hadn't even heard of the X universe or even played a game like thisIf you want easy, mindless fun in your games, then you will have to adjust your perspective for this game because it is HARD. What's that? You think you know hard? You don't know X3:TC, son, so buckle up before you double click. Still here? Good because I still have to say this: I came into this game expecting nothing, I hadn't even heard of the X universe or even played a game like this ever before and yes, like all beginners I spent most of my time pouring over spreadsheets and guides, tearing out my hair and yelling at my computer yet I loved every single damn infuriating minute of it! It's all about how much you put in to this game. You won't be done in 8 hours, you likely won't be done in 80, either. The more you give this game, the more it gives you and when combined with beautiful scenery, awesome music and engaging combat, it becomes a game worth committing to. Sadly, the few bugs and more irksome aspects of the game coupled with poor voice acting prevent me from giving it a solid 10, but don't let that dissuade you, it is definitely a game that tries, and excels, at being what it sets out to be.… Expand
  19. DEUSZOHAR
    Nov 27, 2011
    10
    Well, it's not perfect,yes,but still the best one of the universe sim games. At the very first, it's really hard, because it's too free to play. you can do anything you want-----so you found hard to choose what to do... so i recommend you play the story mode first, DO NOT try free play at the very first.
    After you really know this game,free play will be the best choice
  20. BlackbirdSR71
    Jan 6, 2012
    10
    Best simulation and strategy game until now. First it is difficult to manage but it's worth to spend a time until you pass it. I truly recomend the game!!
  21. JamesM
    Feb 8, 2009
    5
    This game easily gets a 9 with me but the DRM makes me hate it. They count hardware upgrades as separate installations, even if you never touch the data on the hard drive, and you'll run out of activations. Then you have to guess at what to do until you stumble across an email address on the Tages website. They don't even have live operators either, you email them and wait. So This game easily gets a 9 with me but the DRM makes me hate it. They count hardware upgrades as separate installations, even if you never touch the data on the hard drive, and you'll run out of activations. Then you have to guess at what to do until you stumble across an email address on the Tages website. They don't even have live operators either, you email them and wait. So pay good money, enjoy the game, but never upgrade and hope and pray nothing ever goes wrong with your installation. Egosoft and Tages do not even seem to have any sort of relationship as their FAQs and support material both say to talk to the other one. No other Steam game requires me to activate like this. In fact, Windows is the only piece of software I own that does. That's pretty sad for a company like Egosoft. Bad bad decision.. fire the person responsible for that one because you've lost good business from a loyal customer.… Expand
  22. MikeT.
    Oct 23, 2008
    6
    To all of the reviewers that gave this a 10... If you are willing to give a game with this many bugs and balance issues a 10 I say you are either a paid company shill, or an Uberfanboy. I on the other hand are neither. This is my first game in the X series. My real problem is this, yes you can play however you, but when you reach a specific pilot rating, being the fighter pilot becomes To all of the reviewers that gave this a 10... If you are willing to give a game with this many bugs and balance issues a 10 I say you are either a paid company shill, or an Uberfanboy. I on the other hand are neither. This is my first game in the X series. My real problem is this, yes you can play however you, but when you reach a specific pilot rating, being the fighter pilot becomes more or less unplayable. To explain there are non plot missions littered throughout the galaxy some trading, some taxi, some station construction, and some combat. As you increase in pilot levels the combat missions become more and more difficult, not difficult as in L2PN00B sort of situations, but difficult as in the game spawns in numbers that you cannot possibly deal with unless you bring lots of support "wings" It basically makes you not be the hotshot fighter pilot that I'm sure many of us would like to be. Other problems I had with X3 Terran Conflict: On the subject of wings, they are near impossible to control effectively without a lot of practice. The living economy never seems to have anything resembling a weapon or shields in stock. And another gamebreaker is that as the game progresses your performance will degrade, you see the game keeps churning out new ships and not enough of them die off so (near as the forums can tell) your processor begins to get hosed by all of the extra ships in the universe. Don't be fooled though, there is a great game here, just waiting to be patched up and have it's balance fixed. Egosoft has a wonderful track record for that, so I say just wait about a month and then pick up this title, you shouldn't be disappointed.… Expand
  23. RobN
    Oct 1, 2009
    10
    Easily one of the best space simulation games out there. Deep and complicated but only as much as you want it to be. You are able to play through the story as you see fit, while engaging in literally whatever you want to do. Fight pirates, be a pirate, fight everybody, be at peace, build a trading empire or a war fleet. This game is ridiculous. The learning curve, well worth it. User made Easily one of the best space simulation games out there. Deep and complicated but only as much as you want it to be. You are able to play through the story as you see fit, while engaging in literally whatever you want to do. Fight pirates, be a pirate, fight everybody, be at peace, build a trading empire or a war fleet. This game is ridiculous. The learning curve, well worth it. User made scripts and mods from the incredibly dedicated community (al-la Tribes 2) exists for this game and creating all sorts of new content from new ships/weapons/technologies/software/AI and god knows what else. Egosoft is making an online version of this game. That is insane and I can't wait to play the **** out of it. Get into it.… Expand
  24. AlexV
    Jan 27, 2009
    6
    I played X2 and actually think that was better for it's time. They've tried to improve the interface and I think the flying and the less regular distribution of gates are good additions, but the new menu system works no better than the old really in that it still takes a lot of accurate clicks to do anything (remotely). The economy functions better (but still not that great I played X2 and actually think that was better for it's time. They've tried to improve the interface and I think the flying and the less regular distribution of gates are good additions, but the new menu system works no better than the old really in that it still takes a lot of accurate clicks to do anything (remotely). The economy functions better (but still not that great though). Like the the last I thought it was a bit too much like hard work (grind basically) though others may think differently.… Expand
  25. OldSchoolGamer
    Sep 3, 2009
    9
    This game is not for the feint of heart, casual players, people with inferior PCs, or people who do not own a reasonable HOTAS setup (if you have to ask what that is, don't even think about the X series, go play Eve Online). That said, X3: Terran Conflict does one thing and does it well: it delivers a deep, engrossing, twitch-based space simulation with no rival or competition. This game is not for the feint of heart, casual players, people with inferior PCs, or people who do not own a reasonable HOTAS setup (if you have to ask what that is, don't even think about the X series, go play Eve Online). That said, X3: Terran Conflict does one thing and does it well: it delivers a deep, engrossing, twitch-based space simulation with no rival or competition. Owners of a nice system who enjoy combat designed for joysticks will quickly find themselves sucked in to a single player experience that can be enjoyed for years. I'm writing this based on version 2.1; the bugs that hampered earlier versions have been squashed, additional content has been added (for free), and the kinks have been worked out of the system. If you have any interest at all in creating your own galactic empire through combat and trading, you owe it to yourself to play this game.… Expand
  26. GaryL
    Nov 25, 2009
    5
    This game is OKAY. I bought it about a week ago.. and i cant seem to get the hang of it. The graphics are pretty old, not to good but good enough. The game play is slow. Very slow. And there seems to be a lot of bugs with my "up to date" game. My autopilot has killed me several times. Honestly, as some people have said, its a good game, but it depends on who you are. For me, it sucks and This game is OKAY. I bought it about a week ago.. and i cant seem to get the hang of it. The graphics are pretty old, not to good but good enough. The game play is slow. Very slow. And there seems to be a lot of bugs with my "up to date" game. My autopilot has killed me several times. Honestly, as some people have said, its a good game, but it depends on who you are. For me, it sucks and i REALLY wish i could get my money back. Eve online was much better, like a 10 better.… Expand
  27. medic1joe
    Oct 30, 2010
    8
    Reminiscent of Elite with massive up grades. The game play is not easy, but can be as tedious as you choose. This game is not for the easily bored. The game starts you right out with a lost and wandering sense, but you fit right into a groove soon after starting. Decisions have consequences, much like life. This game is addicting!
  28. hathewj
    Nov 12, 2010
    9
    This is one of the best games ever, if you are into space trading type games like this. In fact , there is no other choice when it comes to games like this.
    The learning cure is huge. I have been playing this on and off for years. I have the interest, but not the time, which makes it difficult to play.
    If I did have the time, I would need no other games. It is really good. I gave it a    This is one of the best games ever, if you are into space trading type games like this. In fact , there is no other choice when it comes to games like this.
    The learning cure is huge. I have been playing this on and off for years. I have the interest, but not the time, which makes it difficult to play.
    If I did have the time, I would need no other games. It is really good.
    I gave it a 9.5 because the voice acting sucks. Turn it off and it goes to a 10.    … Expand
  29. Rebun
    Mar 25, 2011
    8
    Huge learning curve to get over, but once you've mastered the basics the game becomes much better. I understand that its not everyones cup of tea, but pushing through the learning curve is well worth it.
    All choice is left to the player on how they want to build themselves up. From merchant to pirate, warrior or builder, there is an infinite amount of things to do in the game. Even though    Huge learning curve to get over, but once you've mastered the basics the game becomes much better. I understand that its not everyones cup of tea, but pushing through the learning curve is well worth it.
    All choice is left to the player on how they want to build themselves up. From merchant to pirate, warrior or builder, there is an infinite amount of things to do in the game. Even though its free play, you have to play the game with some kind of endgame goal in mind, otherwise it can be extremely boring. I myself built up a massive trading empire, declared myself independent to the other empires and began to annihilate one of those empires. It is quite a long haul and a lot of work to get there (~2 weeks or so) but its well worth it. Its got a neat polish to it as well, which i dont often see from german simulation games    … Expand
  30. HammerofHeaven
    Jul 31, 2012
    5
    A lot of this game is amazing. It is deep and doesn't hold your hand allowing for an interesting experience. The problem comes in with the AI. You can be playing for hours and non stop you'll run into issues with the auto-pilot non stop. Both with the player ran ship and with other ships, yours or otherwise. You'll find that you from time to time, the AP will run you into objects or otherA lot of this game is amazing. It is deep and doesn't hold your hand allowing for an interesting experience. The problem comes in with the AI. You can be playing for hours and non stop you'll run into issues with the auto-pilot non stop. Both with the player ran ship and with other ships, yours or otherwise. You'll find that you from time to time, the AP will run you into objects or other ships will run into you. Now, when this happens you explode and have to go back to your last save. Sometimes, you can recover and pull away, but most of the time you're dead. This combined with other ships running into you really brings down this game.

    There is a lot of areas that need polish. There are major areas which have no explanation as to how they work and you NEED to reference out of game material to have a chance to fully understand the way the game works. Now it is a complex and deep game, which is good, you need to learn some things for yourself, which is also good. Though when there are large parts of content that you are never told exist, then it becomes a problem.

    If this game introduced itself better, had better AI (or disabled collisions), and more refinement it would be much more enjoyable. If you can fight past the bad bits and enjoy space sim games, then you may enjoy this game. Though, be prepared for some rage moments when you look away and look back and see your one of a kind ship ramming itself into a gate over and over and leaving you with a "Game Over" screen.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Best PC Game of 2008
25
#25 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
25
#25 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. GameStar
    62
    X3: Terran Conflict is the last episode of the space saga from Egosoft. There is a huge war going on, a war against the Xenon and against the game's controls. Terran Conflict looks great, there's more action than before and it's possible to control lots of ships - theoretically. But in reality controlling more than one ship is very complicated, if not impossible. But if you liked the other X-series games, then you might like this one, too.
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  2. GamePro
    75
    The saving grace in this title is the level design. A living breathing world has never looked so good.
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  3. IGN
    80
    Lovingly concocted, generally well executed, and hampered only by a few niggles, this is a game that not only achieves its goal -- plunking us into another time and place to live the life of an entrepreneurial spaceman -- but shows us that some titles can truly take us places.
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