What's modern Space Sims have is scale! You feel the vast emptiness of space and the sheer size of planets and capital ships. What's missing is focus, X-Wing, Wing Commander, and Freespace made you feel like a fighter pilot on a Space carrier. With narrative, wingmen, barracks and flight decks. Intergalactic Wars with reason to suit up and launch of the decks.
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident is one of the most incredible and underrated games of the last twenty years. As good as Homeworld, if not better in certain areas. An incredible experience.
I remember buying this game on a STORE SHELF at a COMPUTER STORE when it came out in 2004 based on a MAGAZINE review! Ahh the good old days (I never did finish the game, time I did!)
Speaking of forgotten games: have you ever heard about Freelancer? Where it is?! WHere?! How could you forgot such a gem?! 😀 But on the other hand: amazing compilation and summary and thank you so much for this. See you in your next space sim video. Keep the good work man! Cheers.
Nexus the Jupiter incident will always have the top spot in my heart. I-war and it's sequel were gems as well. And for the ancient ones... Warhead for the Amiga and Atari ST
Rings of Saturn, Astrox imperium, rebel galaxy, interstellar rift, are all great games I've found cus of you and obsidiant's videos and I'm so thankful.
Great video !! I think I own most of these space sims, either on GoG/Steam , or physical editions!! I you want to bring someone into the SpaceSim genre, you cannot go wrong with Darkstar One. Simple but not simplified controls (you can either play it as an FPS but you can also use a HOTAS), easy docking AND the ability to cast "space spells"!!! It can get repetitive after a while, but by then you are either hooked to it or not!!! It was also ported to Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch!! Parkan II is a remake actually of the original "Parkan: The Imperial Chronicles". I 've both completed them, and Parkan II is the better game, a bit repettitive by the end, but a commendable effort. Liberation, is a little fun game, made by a very nice developer. But I always disable retro rendering, since I prefer the much more cleaner polygon look!!
missing Distant Worlds Universe on this list not gonna lie it is an incredibly deep detailed space sim of controlling a space empire like stellaris but with an actual living galaxy where you can control everything by yourself or give everything to automation and control a single ship (which you can design to your needs/liking) and go on a single space captain adventure as a role play agenda... you can even play as pirates who messes with empires or do all sorts of roleplaying things... just the automation fact is worth the game where you can truly just focus on the aspects you like and give control of everything else away with the option to overwrite ai decisions ofc you even require to refuel ships which gives tactical importance to gas mining stations to cut off fuel supply to enemy empires... and the galaxy can be freaking huuuge
Fantastic compilation! I was thrilled to see Tachyon: The Fringe, Rebel Galaxy, The X franchise (which is criminally underappreciated, IMO), and Helium Rain on the list. I absolutely adored X3: Albion Prelude so to see X3: Farnham's Legacy to be included on the list was a treat! Astra Protocol 2 looks fantastic and not one I can say I recall hearing about, so I appreciate seeing it here!
I've tried several of these games (some of which just based on your recommendations on this channel!) And i would love to see a future video focusing on a game with carrier ship based mechanics. That's a particularly itch that very rarely gets properly scratched.
as a 80s kid, its truly sad that the whole genre of "spacefighter" games are basically non existent! and before ppl start crying out, im talking about those *"you are only a pilot"* games, without management, or rescources, money, etc..... just being a pilot is enough & alot of fun (if done right) and coming from X-Wing & freespace & co i REALLY miss these kind of games, where you are just thrown into a good story, but are basically "powerless" and just one cog in the warmachine.
Terminus! It had a brutal learning curve, and had no problem making me learn to be infinitely patient in between anything interesting. Also, I still love and play Space Engineers for about a month every year.
Have I said I love you lately, this series has been fantastic for my library, in a addition to the hits of nostalgia from old favorites. Having them together in one spot is great. Side note, rebel galaxy does something special, it makes a capital ship feel like a capital ship.
Damn it... Ended up buying a couple of your recommendations! 🤑 Great vid, keep up the great work. I'd love for a decent mod for Tachyon: the Fringe, as well as I-war 1+2 which sorted out the bugs and made the graphics a bit higher res for modern displays!
HOLY SHIT somebody actually mentioned Parkan! I've never seen anybody aware of its existence! It's a very old very oldschool game where the whole story was put into humongous manual file inside CD. It is actually a series, there is parkan iron strategy(1 and 2) which tried to blend fps and rts genres, there is parkan imperial chronicles(VERY old game, but same genre as parkan 2, parkan 1 if you will).
I wish there were more options for elite dangerous. I mean go your own way at your own pace , landable planets, multiple ships trade and exploration. Seems to me most focus on ship combat, fleet building or building things in general. Whereas I personally like the live in the gritty space world feel. Again shame you have only star citizen or elite dangerous as choice for that both with faults (or ancient games)
OMG Dark Star One, I completely forgot about this one ! And big up for Nexus, It's still installe on my PC to this day, with the same mods I have kept for 20 years ! Not sure if we can add "Orbiter" to the list, it's a space flight simulation game, like Flight Simulator but for the solar system, and with mods you can max your realism to no end.
I own 17 of these and have another 6 on my wish list. But I just added a few more there including Liberation haha. Looking forward to more videos in the series!
Id love the space opera style, with characters and relationships and a sense of being part of a great whole. A lot of space games get the sim part, or the logistics / trading... But they dont have that mass effect / wong commander sense of characters. Wheres the crew i can get to know, wheres my reason beyond just... Making money / exploring. That's what id love to see
Few of these are really awesome and impressive, but i rather preffer a more peaceful space game where the most gameplay is not destroying eachother's spaceships and instead focusing on gathering minerals/other space materials and finding planets to live and populate.
Big fan of the Starcom series; they are some of the best *science* fiction games around, with a fascinating setting and great combat. I would recommend trying Starcom Nexus first, though. I need to mention Star Valor though. It's a fairly unknown game but it's another 2D open world space RPG, and it's got fantastic combat plus qutie a lot of mechanical depth. It's more of a open world game with RPG mechanics, but... what it does it does pretty damn well.
@@L3r4k I had it from ages ago, tried it in the past and it was nothing special back then. I went to look at it again when I was thinking about playing Space Enginers and I was shocked by how great it is. I ended up having a server for the family and its still going (unmodded). The interface is confusing at first, but once you get past it there is tons of depth. I realised that the reviews (good and bad) tended to have huge playtime hours. Its very deep, sometimes clunky and looks amazing (sunset on a planet) to basic (sharp contrast) when you meet npc´s, they look like they are from a game from 2005. :D As an experience, its been the best thing I´ve found in ages (I liked ARK in the past, Conan Exiles and I play Elite Dangerous). Its an odd one, but worth checking into.
most space games are just weird and oftentimes feel nonrewarding and clinical. having said that, i liked the older wing commander and privateer series a lot.
Thank you for including Absolute Territory and A-Spec First Assault. I'm currently working on improving controller support and UI for A-Spec for the next update, then I can start focussing on adding more content which should come out at a fairly quick pace with the main game mechanics in place.
I have Space Engine, even though I didn't see it on the list, Freelancer was a great game to play. When I was younger I also played the demo for Independence War 2
Surprised to not see any of the 3000ad's Battlecruiser/Universal Combat series up here. It's the original "star citizen" scam. and borders on so bad it's good but it's still mostly bad. Still impressive to have had a seamless space to ground full spectrum space game in any capacity nevermind 24 years ago....even if it was kinda terrible I still sunk a lot of hours into it.
Klingon Academy is still my gold standard for story telling and combat in a space sim! I preferred the original Independence War for the hilarious Jefferson Clay character! I still laugh hysterically at the line, "Now, if you should ever manage to ask me a question that doesn't insult my experience and intelligence, I dare say I'll force a civil answer out of myself." Not the most expansive of games but I still have a found remembrance of Microprose's Lightspeed and sequel, Hyperspeed.
The best StarTrek games were the 25th Anniversary TOS adventure game and TNG - A Final Unity. Both hit that sweetspot of part Bridge-/Ship gameplay and away missions on planets. Exactly what StarTrek should be about.
Space sims are my fav. My owned titles include Avorion, X2, X4, Rebel Galaxy, IW2, DarkStar One, BattleStar Galactica Deadlock (missed that one!), Freespace 2, Elite Dangeous, Elite (C64 original), Emperion. I'm sure I've missed a few. Watch LT Gaming all the time for upcoming new space sims to wishlist.
@@LTGamingRUclips My mistake, i just saw the same cockpit and assume that the footage was the same, sorry about that :( Nice presentation by the way :)
I had a lot of fun with Helium Rain. Until i reached the point where i'm supposed to program the AI ships, and that's where i lost all interest. The GUI for setting up those is just... just awful. And i mean, more counterproductive and unwieldy than X series has. So that's where i left it. Sadly, because otherwise it's nice little game.
owned, still play, *not* forgotten: Space Engineers. Empyrion. Avorion. owned, will probably pick up again: Evochron Legacy, Void Destroyer 2 Space Engineers averages I think well over 5000 players at a time on Steam, I don't think that qualifies as "forgotten".
![[FULL] RETROSPECTIVE : Final Fantasy Tactics](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RUBmYqs1jZ0/mqdefault.jpg)
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0:44 Most... seeing X4 on some other PC than mine is always a source of joy.
What's modern Space Sims have is scale!
You feel the vast emptiness of space and the sheer size of planets and capital ships.
What's missing is focus, X-Wing, Wing Commander, and Freespace made you feel like a fighter pilot on a Space carrier.
With narrative, wingmen, barracks and flight decks. Intergalactic Wars with reason to suit up and launch of the decks.
Nexus: The Jupiter Incident is one of the most incredible and underrated games of the last twenty years. As good as Homeworld, if not better in certain areas. An incredible experience.
I'll probs buy it on New Year
Also - Freelancer
Loved this one
I remember buying this game on a STORE SHELF at a COMPUTER STORE when it came out in 2004 based on a MAGAZINE review! Ahh the good old days (I never did finish the game, time I did!)
@@HuntressMedia I still play it all the time and restart at some point without finishing it because I never want it to end lol!
On sale right now. 89p. Worth a buy then.?
@@camy252camy3 Yes!
Space Engineers is awesome, played for years and still can't get enough of it
Speaking of forgotten games: have you ever heard about Freelancer? Where it is?! WHere?! How could you forgot such a gem?! 😀
But on the other hand: amazing compilation and summary and thank you so much for this. See you in your next space sim video. Keep the good work man! Cheers.
Freelancer is all lined up for a future video! haha thanks so much :)
@@LTGamingRUclips And Starlancer?
Spacebourne 2 is a good one as well
Was looking for this comment. ;)
Empyrion is a good game as a base game but it really shines with the workshop scenarios - everything from simple addons to complete overhauls.
Nexus the Jupiter incident will always have the top spot in my heart. I-war and it's sequel were gems as well. And for the ancient ones... Warhead for the Amiga and Atari ST
Rings of Saturn, Astrox imperium, rebel galaxy, interstellar rift, are all great games I've found cus of you and obsidiant's videos and I'm so thankful.
We thank-you for the feedback! 🚀
splattercat for me
Great video !! I think I own most of these space sims, either on GoG/Steam , or physical editions!!
I you want to bring someone into the SpaceSim genre, you cannot go wrong with Darkstar One. Simple but not simplified controls (you can either play it as an FPS but you can also use a HOTAS), easy docking AND the ability to cast "space spells"!!! It can get repetitive after a while, but by then you are either hooked to it or not!!! It was also ported to Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch!!
Parkan II is a remake actually of the original "Parkan: The Imperial Chronicles". I 've both completed them, and Parkan II is the better game, a bit repettitive by the end, but a commendable effort.
Liberation, is a little fun game, made by a very nice developer. But I always disable retro rendering, since I prefer the much more cleaner polygon look!!
Have 4 of them + Spacebourne 2. Great vid.
Nuclear. It is 2 syllables: new-clear. Also: that's a crazy long vide with a huge amount of games. Wow!
missing Distant Worlds Universe on this list not gonna lie it is an incredibly deep detailed space sim of controlling a space empire like stellaris but with an actual living galaxy where you can control everything by yourself or give everything to automation and control a single ship (which you can design to your needs/liking) and go on a single space captain adventure as a role play agenda... you can even play as pirates who messes with empires or do all sorts of roleplaying things... just the automation fact is worth the game where you can truly just focus on the aspects you like and give control of everything else away with the option to overwrite ai decisions ofc you even require to refuel ships which gives tactical importance to gas mining stations to cut off fuel supply to enemy empires... and the galaxy can be freaking huuuge
Great list. Thanks a lot. Keep the good work. Darkstar One was a blast. Upgrading the ship was so cool.
I second Darkstar One its a great game I often go back to because the ship upgrades offer good versatility to each play through.
Fantastic compilation! I was thrilled to see Tachyon: The Fringe, Rebel Galaxy, The X franchise (which is criminally underappreciated, IMO), and Helium Rain on the list. I absolutely adored X3: Albion Prelude so to see X3: Farnham's Legacy to be included on the list was a treat!
Astra Protocol 2 looks fantastic and not one I can say I recall hearing about, so I appreciate seeing it here!
Thanks! It's got to be a strong resource for the future 🚀 I'm playing Farnhams Legacy again at the moment on hand held! Glad you enjoyed this.
Darkstar one excellent game. Runs fine on modern PC. Can't fault it.
I've tried several of these games (some of which just based on your recommendations on this channel!) And i would love to see a future video focusing on a game with carrier ship based mechanics. That's a particularly itch that very rarely gets properly scratched.
+1 good work! Space Engineers is my favorite one for years, you could also add Star valor !
Thanks! Star Valor will feature soon :)
Avorion and House of a Dead Sun are fun! I loved the original Emperor of the Fading Suns game that House of a Dead Sun is part of.
Until my computer went down, astrox imperium and helium rain were my faves.
A few nice discoveries. Thnaks !
Exactly our aim!
Perfect video - just what I was looking for. It doesn't have to be new to be good! I love space games and I only have a few of these.
very nice and again among so many youtube videos only you bring up new/ old game gems! very cool thank you!
as a 80s kid, its truly sad that the whole genre of "spacefighter" games are basically non existent!
and before ppl start crying out, im talking about those *"you are only a pilot"* games, without management, or rescources, money, etc.....
just being a pilot is enough & alot of fun (if done right) and coming from X-Wing & freespace & co i REALLY miss these kind of games, where you are just thrown into a good story, but are basically "powerless" and just one cog in the warmachine.
Starlancer was a good one as well.
Excellent stuff brother! a great collection you put together!
It has been a journey!
Terminus! It had a brutal learning curve, and had no problem making me learn to be infinitely patient in between anything interesting.
Also, I still love and play Space Engineers for about a month every year.
Have I said I love you lately, this series has been fantastic for my library, in a addition to the hits of nostalgia from old favorites. Having them together in one spot is great. Side note, rebel galaxy does something special, it makes a capital ship feel like a capital ship.
@@Belligerent_Herald I mean you can tell me this anytime you like 🚀😇 thanks so much! Yes Capital ships need love too!
You forgot the mighty Freelancer
Damn it... Ended up buying a couple of your recommendations! 🤑
Great vid, keep up the great work.
I'd love for a decent mod for Tachyon: the Fringe, as well as I-war 1+2 which sorted out the bugs and made the graphics a bit higher res for modern displays!
Well Space Simulation/Space RPG is my forte genre to be playing on
Great video. I own only 2! But the House of the Dying Sun has peaked my interest! Way to go guys!
Thanks so much! You have to get a few more 🚀🚀 it's a solid if short experience!
Picked up a few hidden gems thanks to your videos, keep it up!
HOLY SHIT somebody actually mentioned Parkan! I've never seen anybody aware of its existence! It's a very old very oldschool game where the whole story was put into humongous manual file inside CD. It is actually a series, there is parkan iron strategy(1 and 2) which tried to blend fps and rts genres, there is parkan imperial chronicles(VERY old game, but same genre as parkan 2, parkan 1 if you will).
We go deep on games here and we listen to feedback 🚀
💥👌👌👍👍👍
Astrox, Rebel Galaxy, Space Engineers, Spoint Gemini Warlords, Rodina, X4 Foundations and Empyrion: my all-time favorites.
Cheers!
Amazing glad you enjoyed it!
Incredible output from gamings top channel …we almost can’t keep up🐸💪
I wish there were more options for elite dangerous.
I mean go your own way at your own pace , landable planets, multiple ships trade and exploration.
Seems to me most focus on ship combat, fleet building or building things in general.
Whereas I personally like the live in the gritty space world feel.
Again shame you have only star citizen or elite dangerous as choice for that both with faults (or ancient games)
Some beauty games !
OMG Dark Star One, I completely forgot about this one !
And big up for Nexus, It's still installe on my PC to this day, with the same mods I have kept for 20 years !
Not sure if we can add "Orbiter" to the list, it's a space flight simulation game, like Flight Simulator but for the solar system, and with mods you can max your realism to no end.
Excellent collection!
Thankyou!
I own 17 of these and have another 6 on my wish list. But I just added a few more there including Liberation haha. Looking forward to more videos in the series!
That's a pretty impressive number! Always more to come :)
I already own most of these, but I've never heard of Arvoch Alliance and it certainly looks like it's worth checking out.
@@theballadofpuddingquest6863 its very combat focused and gives you something to aim for!
Awesome list!
Oh heck yes, games for next year sorted
Love me a good space sim.
I loved Bridge Commander I played that game so much! I am glad to see it in the list. Did you ever play Space rangers 2?
I haven't and will check that out 🚀 Bridge Commander always a fave for me. Might make a video on it soon!
Space Engineers is far from forgotten. One of my top five played games - We just had a big PVE combat DLC and SE2 is being announced
Everyone kept mentioning it so I had to include it. Forgotten is more of a mechanism with this series.
Freespace 2 has so many amazing mods and projects, check out FS2 Open and the Blue Planet add-on, it's amazing.
Id love the space opera style, with characters and relationships and a sense of being part of a great whole. A lot of space games get the sim part, or the logistics / trading... But they dont have that mass effect / wong commander sense of characters. Wheres the crew i can get to know, wheres my reason beyond just... Making money / exploring.
That's what id love to see
Pretty sure I have a hard copy of Klingon Academy!! Getting ready to move, so It should turn up here in a couple of weeks! LOL!!
You have to find that one! :P
Few of these are really awesome and impressive, but i rather preffer a more peaceful space game where the most gameplay is not destroying eachother's spaceships and instead focusing on gathering minerals/other space materials and finding planets to live and populate.
What would you suggest?
Great list. Definitly worth a look. I wonder if Star Citizen ever gets finished before it lands on this list?
haha I mean that would be funny in someways. I just cant face playing atm!
Love space!
Ahh u see i love space games but i need a cockpit there man so the freespace games i cant play but would love to
Big fan of the Starcom series; they are some of the best *science* fiction games around, with a fascinating setting and great combat. I would recommend trying Starcom Nexus first, though.
I need to mention Star Valor though. It's a fairly unknown game but it's another 2D open world space RPG, and it's got fantastic combat plus qutie a lot of mechanical depth. It's more of a open world game with RPG mechanics, but... what it does it does pretty damn well.
It's been called out a few times so I need to get to Star Valor 🚀
Surprised Freelancer was not on here, or Starfleet Academy that came before Klingon Academy.
Pity you did not mention Galaxy on Fire 2, it is available on Steam but largely forgotten.
Avorion was really great but it really dropped the ball in the endgame… the grind and those final enemies was too much.
Empyrion is amazing, can not recomend it enough.
Really? I was about to buy it but there are so many negative reviews that I gave up.
@@L3r4k I had it from ages ago, tried it in the past and it was nothing special back then. I went to look at it again when I was thinking about playing Space Enginers and I was shocked by how great it is. I ended up having a server for the family and its still going (unmodded). The interface is confusing at first, but once you get past it there is tons of depth. I realised that the reviews (good and bad) tended to have huge playtime hours. Its very deep, sometimes clunky and looks amazing (sunset on a planet) to basic (sharp contrast) when you meet npc´s, they look like they are from a game from 2005. :D As an experience, its been the best thing I´ve found in ages (I liked ARK in the past, Conan Exiles and I play Elite Dangerous). Its an odd one, but worth checking into.
what i need is information about recent space sims beyond E:D and SC to justify buying a new HOTAS
A new toy needs no justification
most space games are just weird and oftentimes feel nonrewarding and clinical. having said that, i liked the older wing commander and privateer series a lot.
Just found house of the dying sun recently. Great game. Just very short.
I'm playing it again myself on the Legion Go! It is a tad short!
ΔV: Rings of Saturn is punishing and needlessly frustrating and confusing.
Amazed Strike Suit Zero didn't make the cut.
You should add Freelancer.
Empyrion is a really good game
15 of these i have
Love it ! Great content ! keep going
p/d: still hurts me how little love there is for stationers
Fractured Space is missing !
Thank you for including Absolute Territory and A-Spec First Assault. I'm currently working on improving controller support and UI for A-Spec for the next update, then I can start focussing on adding more content which should come out at a fairly quick pace with the main game mechanics in place.
Enjoying them both! Will keep featuring as you improve 🚀
forget them all and try to survive 2 hours in frontier elite 2
the first time playing frontier elite 2 is rough because the newtonian physics + real time take a bit of getting used to!!
I been playing Star Trucker..it's a solid game that's a bit management as well as a driving sim in space..
I have Space Engine, even though I didn't see it on the list, Freelancer was a great game to play. When I was younger I also played the demo for Independence War 2
you forgot freelancer
Surprised to not see any of the 3000ad's Battlecruiser/Universal Combat series up here. It's the original "star citizen" scam. and borders on so bad it's good but it's still mostly bad.
Still impressive to have had a seamless space to ground full spectrum space game in any capacity nevermind 24 years ago....even if it was kinda terrible I still sunk a lot of hours into it.
Always one for the future and I've played it!
Klingon Academy is still my gold standard for story telling and combat in a space sim!
I preferred the original Independence War for the hilarious Jefferson Clay character! I still laugh hysterically at the line, "Now, if you should ever manage to ask me a question that doesn't insult my experience and intelligence, I dare say I'll force a civil answer out of myself."
Not the most expansive of games but I still have a found remembrance of Microprose's Lightspeed and sequel, Hyperspeed.
The best StarTrek games were the 25th Anniversary TOS adventure game and TNG - A Final Unity.
Both hit that sweetspot of part Bridge-/Ship gameplay and away missions on planets. Exactly what StarTrek should be about.
All these space games and NO mention of Freelancer??? Incomplete list.
Well you missed the point completely 😂😂😂😂
@@LTGamingRUclips That may be, but it's predecessor Starlancer is rarely talked about, if ever! A great space combat sim in my opinion.
36:37 That's what she said..
Space sims are my fav. My owned titles include Avorion, X2, X4, Rebel Galaxy, IW2, DarkStar One, BattleStar Galactica Deadlock (missed that one!), Freespace 2, Elite Dangeous, Elite (C64 original), Emperion. I'm sure I've missed a few. Watch LT Gaming all the time for upcoming new space sims to wishlist.
We always appreciate the support and glad we added to your games! More to cone :)
No love for Freelancer?
Does anybody notice that 33:25 Arvoch Alliance and 51:35 Evochron Legacy SE have the same footage? So which is correct?
They are made by the same person with the same engine but the footage is completely different?
@@LTGamingRUclips My mistake, i just saw the same cockpit and assume that the footage was the same, sorry about that :( Nice presentation by the way :)
@@Sysyfos No worries I was worried id edited it wrong lol
beluga.
I had a lot of fun with Helium Rain. Until i reached the point where i'm supposed to program the AI ships, and that's where i lost all interest. The GUI for setting up those is just... just awful. And i mean, more counterproductive and unwieldy than X series has. So that's where i left it. Sadly, because otherwise it's nice little game.
Random comment 😂
No Starsector or Transcendence ;-;
Starsector was featured on another list.
"can't stand a female main character" no... you tell people like that to grow the hell up and stop being sexist.
i can attest Delta V is fucking awesome
owned, still play, *not* forgotten: Space Engineers. Empyrion. Avorion.
owned, will probably pick up again: Evochron Legacy, Void Destroyer 2
Space Engineers averages I think well over 5000 players at a time on Steam, I don't think that qualifies as "forgotten".