Starpoint Gemini 2 (PC) Review

Games that deal with space often run into one major problem. Space is VAST! To travel the distance between the Earth and the moon is almost 4,000km, which would result in thousands of hours to travel at highway speeds for just one trip. Trying to convey such a thing in a game would result in the game being little more than clicking on a far-off point, heading off to do other things for several hours, only to return and have just arrived. Sadly, this is what Starpoint Gemini 2 has tried to do and is its major shortcoming.

First, the positive. Starpoint Gemini 2 is a very vast and deep game. Right from the start, how amazing things can get is pretty obvious. Within the first few moments of flight the player can reach a planet where they can attempt to land or smuggle themselves down, dock with a space station with a list of bounties for later, purchase multiple ships that can be stored in the garage, obtain multiple weapons systems, hire crew members, and buy a plethora of weapons and ship upgrades. The mere act of flying about can be amazing, as the game takes place in a fully 3D environment where one can go up, down, rotate, turn themselves about, and still be facing 'up' and head off in that direction for a lengthy time, allowing for a huge amount of exploration.

There are many paths to take, as well as the option of beginning as a simple trader - shuttling between the various starpoints to sell goods at a minor profit is equally as valid as going out on a hunt to track down those whom there is a bounty on, or heading out to salvage as much as possible. Many things, from hiring crew members to boarding and raiding enemy ships, can be done, as well, and the game offers a huge amount of potential depth for what it's worth.

However, the game is also very tedious, and many things cut both ways. Being able to explore a vast space comes at the price of said vast space being so vast that, often, the best course of action is to simply put the ship on autopilot when not actively exploring. The advantage of the immense depth comes at the cost of having so much depth as to potentially drown in what is offered, made all the worse by a tutorial that is both lacking and, on smaller screens, potentially eye-straining due to small text. The high cap on what a player can do is, equally, tempered by having them start off so weak and repeating the same actions for so long as to nullify those without a large amount of patience from the playerbase not willing to invest huge amounts of time into learning the ropes. This can turn an otherwise interesting game into little more than a few quick clicks before boredoms sets in.

Starpoint Gemini 2 is the sort of game where using a cheat code would be fully acceptable if only to help players get past the harsh start and learning curve to become fully fun and engaging.