Star Control II

Star Control II

There's a definite rose-colored tintings in effect for a lot of games journalism. The medium is so young that its main proponents were impressionable kids when playing some of the seminal classics that informed a generation of game designers. While by no means "bad games," some of the classics do not hold up to scrutiny by today's standards, even adjusting for hardware limitations.

Star Control II is most emphatically not one of those games. It is fan-fucking-tastic.

It starts out fairly generic- the pride of a human science outpost on Vela V returning home to find Earth enslaved, with you being the last, best hope for rescue. And then the game goes blank on hints. Explore nearby stars, pick up hints, and wander your way through the entire galaxy, meeting new races and either befriending or blasting them to smithereens.

While the graphics hold up - barely - today, the sound is what makes the game. Each race has its own musical cues, unique voice and speaking style, each gloriously realized with full voice acting and a chiptunes score to go along with it that reinforces each race's unique outlook on the galaxy.

As an RPG, much of the control issues are bypassed, since there are very few moments where precision maneuvering is asked of the player, though space combat can be depressingly brutal as the AI never has issues with using the cumbersome keyboard to preform what would be child's play on a modern game system's control pad.

Standing on the cusp of the graphics arms-race that is the last 15 years of gaming, looking fondly back towards unforgiving, open-ended 'watch it, berk!' text adventures, Star Control II expertly straddles the line and delivers the most complete storyline experience ever. Not "one of," not "possibly the greatest," this game earns its accolades as the pinnacle of storytelling in games. Your actions have a real, definable effect on the world around you - you can raise or raze whole species by your actions, or your inactions. The tragic villians are some of the most wholly realised in video game history, and make for fabulous antagonists to spur you on to adventure.

Graphics: Rough. The character models are great, but with only three total frames of animation it can leave you wanting. 3.
Sound: Top-notch. Music, voice-acting and ambient scores are all evocative and great. 5.
Controls: Competent for an RPG, but the combat sections feel gimped. 3.
Tilt: You'll never play in a universe more dynamic or predicated on your actions. 5.
Overall (not an average): Tendrils' Top Pick