X2 - The Threat

The player jumps at the chance of a life outside the mining world and promises to follow a life of potential prosperity instead of piracy. A job with TerraCorp hauling freight seems a good bargain, and he forges ahead in his new career.

But it isn’t long before his past catches up with him as he learns the real reason that he was saved from oblivion. Lost ships and technologies have to be found, journeys from Kingdom End to the new frontiers and beyond beckon, as the mystery unfolds. The discovery of a new race named the “Khaak” and their destructive intentions brings adventure fraught with danger and intrigue. The revelations from his past begin to emerge, and these must be faced as he discovers his true identity and also that of his father. The correct decisions to be taken cause a dilemma with a struggle between his conscious and his loyalties.

But he must face them with strength if he is to unravel this web and meet the challenges that await him. Within a dynamic Universe and a plot expertly weaved together with a series of moving cut-scenes, planet locations and characters of interest, the story of “The Threat” is waiting to be told.

Gameplay

X2 at its core is a space shooter, in the vein of WC: Privateer and Freelancer. However, there is so much more under the hood than either of those other two games. Herein lies the strengths and weaknesses of this game. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we.

X2 comes with 2 CDs and a manual. The CDs come in cheap paper envelopes, not a good start. The manual, while providing you with useful information, lacks the in-depth knowledge that you will require to be successful if you plan on playing the entire game as it should. However, tutorials provided in the game do help you fill this learning gap. We’ll get to those in a bit. Install is straightforward, without incident.

X2 setup is performed by a loader program. Here you can set your graphic card settings, sound card settings, choose your controller settings, add a custom logo to be used on your ships, and set up your screenshots folder. Click on “Start X2” to begin your adventure.

The program loads into its main screen. Standard choices like “Start” for a new game, “Load” for existing games, and “Options” for sound and video exist. There is another, very important option that all first time players MUST use: Simulator. The Simulator allows you to run through various tutorial scenarios to get the feel for controlling the world inside X2. You see, to fully enjoy all that X2 has to offer, you must not just know how to pilot. You must know how to work the economy as well. I’ll talk about this more in just a bit.

You start the plot portion of the game with just an M5 class scout fighter and a few credits. You are urged to perform plot missions to get you up on your feet. Mainly these are 'Fed-Ex runs,' but you do start to get a larger picture later on. What you do from the beginning is largely up to you. Each station has a BBS system where you can be recruited for multiple jobs. Seriously, you can pretty much do whatever you want in this game. Do you want to run around fighting pirates? No problem. How about setting up a power station to generate credits? Can do! You can take up mining asteroids for profit or serve as a personal transport. You can even capture ships, by forcing the pilot to eject, then you ejecting in your controllable space suit to take over the empty ship. It can be a micromanager's paradise!