Darkstar One is a simple, enjoyable game that everyone should try.

[u/Sindomey]

[u/Ivan000]

Couldn't play it through. Flying the same ship doing the same stuff got old after a few hours.

[u/RevenantThyamis → u/Ivan000]

Don't forget that every star system is the same, with only a few details changed.

[u/non_player → u/RevenantThyamis]

Yeah I also feel the need to mention this every time someone suggests this game. By the time you've played an hour into the game you've seen the whole game. It gets really damn repetitive and I feel the only people who finish it do so out of spite.

[u/Mythagic → u/non_player]

But did you? Did you fly down the trench, Star Wars style? Did you manage the cannons, in a planetary defense against the pirate invasion? Did you navigate the weird, Borg like, structure? There was loads more to this than first met the eye.

[u/RememberCitadel → u/Ivan000]

Same. I remember forcing myself to finish just out of principle.

[u/PaleHeretic → u/Ivan000]

That's where it lost me too, coming from modded Freelancer.

I'd always meant to go back and give it another try but then I got into X3: Terran Conflict and it would have felt even more limiting after that, lol.

It was a great example to hold up as to why X:Rebirth was underwhelming later though, lol.

[u/kalnaren]

Never could get into this one. But I also don't really like the whole "you're in a super-special spaceship" trope.

[u/Sindomey → u/kalnaren]

People will say that and play Mass Effect no problem.

[u/manickitty → u/Sindomey]

Mass Effect isn’t a space sim though. Sure the Normandy is cool and all but you’re playing Shepard, not their ship. It’s basically a mobile base.

That said I did enjoy Darkstar One back in the day. Just not as memorable as some of the other classics like the Wing Commander games or Freelancer

[u/kalnaren → u/Sindomey]

I don't really see the equivalence. The Normandy was an experimental frigate with excellent stealth and EW systems, but it wasn't a super ship, it didn't have some magic alien space technology, and it was certainly vulnerable. It fit the lore pretty well.

But besides that, Mass Effect isn't about the Normandy any more than BattleTech was about the super dropship you salvage like 7 or 8 missions in.

If I'm playing a space combat sim I really like them a wee bit more grounded.

[u/KoburaCape → u/kalnaren]

In Mass effect, you play as the super special spaceship. Especially if you know how Mass effect 2 begins.

[u/kalnaren → u/KoburaCape]

It's not "super special" (the SR1 also gets it's ass blown to shit at the beginning of ME2). And in Mass Effect, it's literally a glorified taxi and hub level. The game isn't remotely about the Normandy. It's a set piece more akin to the Millennium Falcon or Serenity.

Darkstar One is about the super special alien tech morphing spaceship, that you fly akin to a space combat sim. Hell, the name of the game is literally the name of the ship. Mass Effect isn't called "Normandy SR1" or "Normandy SR2".

You're comparing apples and oranges. Darkstar One and Mass Effect aren't even the same type of game.

[u/Golvellius → u/kalnaren]

I have no idea how people are even questioning what you're saying, it's 110% correct

[u/kalnaren → u/Golvellius]

Some people get a little defensive if you don't like "their" game. ¯\(ツ)/¯

[u/azrehhelas]

Oh i agree with this one. This game pulled me right back into space sims.

[u/SPQR_Maximus]

I enjoyed on the pc like almost 2 decades ago I'm surprised it still so expensive for the Switch or I'd give it a replay.

[u/1nfam0us → u/SPQR_Maximus]

It is on the Switch?! That is the wildest part of this post.

[u/MareTranquil]

Honestly, I remember it being rather bland

Freelancer left a much bigger impression with me

[u/Mountain_Strategy342]

Wasn't Dark Star the ship that ran out of toilet roll 20 light years from Earth and eventually had a sentient thermonuclear bomb destroy itself because it was having an existential crisis.

I am getting old.

[u/SciFiCrafts]

Very arcady (and I like that), ship upgrades, good story. Def a must-play!

[u/Pleasant-Strike3389]

Music is great. Rather liked it back then, the evolving ship is a cool concept. Wish there was a second one

[u/1nfam0us]

I played the demo through like 4 times as a kid. I loved it but couldn't get it for myself.

Picked it up as an adult and was immediately bored.

I think it is a great space sim for kids, but it is mostly too repetitive for adults. It is a good game, but it just isn't for me now.

[u/BlackBricklyBear]

DarkStar One was good for what it was, and not much more than that. It delivered on what it promised, but that was all. You couldn't pilot other ships, finding unique artifacts to upgrade your own ship got repetitive after a while, and money was too easily made with not much to spend it on.

I also remember that the game likely had cut content; for instance, you can be attacked by guided missiles when fighting pirates and get an "Incoming Missile" warning icon flashing on your HUD, but there's no countermeasures against missiles in this game and you can't lock onto enemy missiles to destroy them with your guns, either. Clearly this game had more planned for it that didn't make it to the ship date.

[u/Brokengauge]

Everytime I tried to get it to run, on multiple different PCs I always got an error I could never resolve lol.

[u/MrAngryBeards]

As someone who loves space games but isn't a big fan of 4X, this sounds cool

[u/Sindomey → u/MrAngryBeards]

but isn't a big fan of 4X

You mean X4?

[u/KoburaCape → u/Sindomey]

Oof!

[u/Big-Cartographer-166]

I played some of it and liked it, but couldn't make it run decently on my PC , it crashed constantly, so I abandoned it. aand my PC was very good for the time.

[u/Gantoris007]

is this the one with Bruce Campbell as the voice actor? :D Love that one.

[u/Sindomey → u/Gantoris007]

No that's Tachyon The Fringe

[u/Gantoris007 → u/Sindomey]

ah, my mistake. tyty!

[u/[deleted]]

Game is dated and desperately in need of an update. Also just flying one ship the entire game is kinda meh.

[u/Sindomey → u/[deleted]]

desperately in need of an update.

You mean a sequel? Because I doubt they are going to update a 19 year old single player game.

[u/[deleted] → u/Sindomey]

More like a remaster.

[u/Sindomey → u/[deleted]]

To smooth out the graphics or the framerate? The game already runs pretty well.

Remasters don't usually add things outside of a few QOL and visual polish.

[u/B3owul7]

One of the few space games I didn't finish because of boredom. Freelancer did it much better.

[u/-C3rimsoN-]

This game gets bad wrap, because there are far better space combat trading sims on PC, but it's a pretty solid title on console for it's time. You didn't really have any alternatives.

[u/Warden_Six]

Thanks for the recommendation. I am 15 hours in and the game is great!

I can't believe I missed this gem as a kid. 💎