Okay, you know more about the game's back story than you do of your own lineage, but what you really want to know is, "How does it play?" Well, if you've played one "space-combat sim," you've essentially played them all. FreeSpace 2 doesn't represent a dramatic departure from the classic Wing Commander or X-Wing/TIE Fighter games, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. What the game does offer is a few "tweaks" to those games and its predecessor, the first Descent: FreeSpace. One of the biggest hang-ups about those classics was the feeling of being "trapped in a bubble." Space-sim engines have classically treated the player's ship as though it were a fixed point, with all of the action coming towards the player instead of the other way around. Adding large objects made the pill a little easier to swallow - having large carriers and battle-stations (something FreeSpace 2 has in spades) gives the player a reference point and a greater illusion of motion. In FreeSpace 2, it feels as though that barrier has been broken, or at least bent, perhaps owing to the game's roots in the "first-person shooter" genre that Descent was born in. These FPS roots also help alleviate another minor problem with the space-combat genre - hopelessly inadequate keyboard and mouse control. While I wouldn't give up my trusty FlightStick for the world, I found FreeSpace 2 remarkably easy to play with both the mouse and keyboard, something that becomes an exercise in frustration in other games. If you don't like the way the controls are set-up, you can change everything from key mapping to joystick sensitivity and "deadzone" (how far you have to move the joystick before the ship responds).
FreeSpace 2's greatest strength lies in its atmosphere. Titanic capital ships exchange volleys of fire as fighters buzz like angry hornets around them, com-chatter fills the cockpit as warning claxons try to keep your attention on the volley of incoming missiles, and beam weapons cleave through even the mightiest of the behemoths like a hot knife through butter. Missiles seem to hover away from your ship for just a moment, as if considering the situation, before streaking off toward their intended targets. When they hit, you're treated to nice blossom of fire and shrapnel. When they miss… well, at least you'll have a few seconds to admire the gorgeous backdrop before being blown to smithereens. Luckily, you have your wonderfully informative and not-too-distracting HUD to keep you from losing track of your opponents. It can get a little annoying in the midst of heavy combat, when you have about a bazillion other things demanding your attention. And things will be demanding your attention. The ships and weapons of all the species in the game are unique and well rendered. That, coupled with the eye-catching scenic backdrop and creative lighting effects, will give you more than your fill of Halloween eye-candy.