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Friday, January 02, 2009 |
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Space Trader
By JoeBob @ 12:08 AM :: 1696 Views ::  :: PC
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Indie developers have it rough. Due to having a relatively limited amount of funds to work with they are forced to cope with the fact that they cannot afford hyping their titles. Instead they must stray from typical genre conventions and create a truly innovative game in order to get noticed. Some examples of indie success include Audiosurf, World of Goo and Braid, titles which have nowhere near the backing power of an EA blockbuster, but still manage to attain a great amount of success through uniqueness. Space Trader is not particularly innovative although it is refreshing. It seems like ages since I’ve played a PC game which puts an emphasis on trading.
Space Trader is an indie title by Canadian developer HermitWorks which has a seemingly unappealing premise, trading various goods. As I said before this sounds like a bore fest, although the title actually proves itself to be quite the opposite, as it is endowed with some of the same addictive gameplay mechanics that make a title like Pokemon so successful. When I played the game I was so enthralled with the title’s simple gameplay mechanics that I actually strived to complete every extra mission and side quest. The title combines the addictiveness of a modern MMO like World of Warcraft and combines it with the classic gameplay of an economic trading game.
An old school economic trading game, Space Trader succeeds, however by today’s standards the game still manages to fall short. For starters the graphics are mediocre. The game looks like it could have been made in the nineties. Secondly the game has no sense of personality. The characters you trade with are all equally lifeless and bland. Nothing distinguishes one from the other. Another fault is that the title contains a bare bones story that is anything but interesting. There are little story elements throughout the game and the ones that are present seem extremely cliche. Lastly the game lacks the element of exploration which in my opinion is required for this type of title. The player is allowed to travel anywhere in the game world by simply clicking on that planet in their menu. This ease of travel may be convenient but in my opinion it is a convenience that detracts from the game’s entertainment value.
The game’s old school style is not only a negative aspect but a positive one as well. This game’s retro appeal comes in the form of FPS sections which actually occur quite frequently. Often times the player will be offered a job which involves capturing or killing a corrupt trader by force. If they accept this job then the game will shift to a Quake like FPS shootout against the aforementioned trader and his cronies. These sections are extremely fun and definitely the highlight of the title as they help to express the game’s retro charm instead of its various technical withdrawals.
Space Trader is an indie game that attempts to get recognition through its revival of the classic economic trading title. However the game falls short in a world dominated by big budget titles which strive to innovate. I would recommend purchasing this game digitally off of Steam for $10 if you are interested, however it is definitely not worth the $30 price tag that it is being sold for in stores, as no amount of well endowed females can save this game from mediocrity.
5/10
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| Comments |
 By
Scoop20906 @
Sunday, January 11, 2009 12:17 AM
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Thanks for the review. I saw this at the game store the other day and I was curious about it.
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Monday, November 23, 2009 2:55 AM
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abhi @
Monday, January 25, 2010 7:10 AM
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soha @
Monday, January 25, 2010 7:38 AM
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