Review by: Josh Horowitz
Published: September 14, 2001

As I’ve mentioned before, flight simulators have held a special place for me when it comes to computer games, especially space combat simulators. They are often associated with better-than-average graphics, responsive controls, and nifty sci-fi settings. I’ve been a fan of the genre ever since Origin’s Wing Commander and LucasArts’ X-Wing series — titles demonstrating awesome gameplay and gripping storylines. Joystick and keyboard at the ready, I spent countless hours enjoying my control of a powerful, futuristic combat vessel, unconstrained by the boundaries of gravity, fuel, and ammunition. My one regret with these games was their linear nature: you could never really go and do your own thing outside of your mission requirements. That changed with Elite and later Origin’s Privateer, one of the first space combat sims that let you go freelance across the galaxy on piracy and cargo running missions. No titles have really attempted to pick up from where Privateer left off — until now. Particle Systems, a company based in Sheffield, England, presents their latest space combat and piracy sim that tries to make popular the notion of lasers, eye patches, and the space-faring expression “arrg,” Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos.

Edge of Chaos begins where the original Independence War left off. For those unfamiliar with the I-War storyline, here’s a recap: In the future, as resources on Earth run dry, mankind begins to explore the outer reaches of space. Soon a new “Linear Displacement Technology” is discovered, allowing pioneers to travel to distant stars, colonizing planets and establishing a foothold in outer space. Earth and its new colonies become known as the Commonwealth, protecting its interests with massive space-going navies. Over time, however, peace is disrupted as some colonists begin to object to Earth’s interference in their affairs. These dissenters, known as Indies, consist of pirates, terrorists, and underground political movements. A large-scale conflict begins between the Indies and the Commonwealth, known as the Independence War.

As the sequel opens, many years have passed since that great conflict. In the remote “Badlands Cluster,” Asteroid miner Felix Johnston and his 12 year old son, Cal, eke out a living far from the Core Systems. Suddenly, Cal watches as Felix is murdered by the cruel head of a large corporation, Caleb Maas, over alleged financial debts. Players start the game as Cal, who will later grow up to be a powerful pirate leader feared and respected throughout the galaxy. Along for the ride is Cal’s computer-simulated guide, a Max Headroom-esque long-dead war hero named Jefferson Clay, as well as a cast of colorful smuggler and pirate characters. Your job is to restore freedom to the outlying regions of space currently held tight in the grip of corporations like Maas Industries, as well as exact revenge for your father’s death.

Like in I-War, you control spaceships, but this time around, they are one-man craft. Players in the original had to switch between various stations and participate in the action from a third person view. In Edge of Chaos, the interface has become more automated and streamlined to allow full control from a typical first-person perspective. Some of the missions are linear, but your acts of piracy can take you anywhere you like throughout a vast galaxy of planets, space stations, bases, and jump points.