Review by Dale Wilks

Name:         Privateer 2
Publisher:    EA
Format:       CD
Available:    Out now

Requires:

O/S:          DOS 5+
Processor:    P60+
RAM:          8Mb+
Graphics:     SVGA
CD-Rom:       X2
Soundcard:    all major cards supported

Tested on:

O/S:          Windows 95
Processor:    120Mhz Pentium
RAM:          32Mb
Graphics:     2Mb SVGA (Matrox Millenium)
CD-ROM:       x8
Soundcard:    AWE32 & Yamaha DB50XG
Controls:     Joystick

Privateer 2 - The Darkening

Ahhh, the 80s. They were the days. (I'm starting to sound like a right old git, aren't I?) Duran Duran, Texan bars, BMX bikes, Cheggers Plays Pop, and a game called Elite. I remember huddling around one of the school BBC computers, blasting Thargoids whilst making sure that a teacher didn't make an appearance (games were strictly forbidden), and occasionally dipping into my bag for a sneaky bite of my sarnie (so was eating in school). It was a groundbreaking game and everything, but some people found that a side effect of the open-ended gameplay was that they weren't sure what they had to do. A few years later came the Wing Commander series of games, which heavily featured space combat along with (particularly later on in the series) eye-boggling FMV and graphics, and a linear plotline. Almost too linear. However, plonked on a white horse and triumphantly tooting its bugle comes Privateer 2, a game which boasts trading, freedom, space combat AND a story (with FMV and big name actors). Gadzooks! Can it be true?

I must admit, I didn't play Privateer 1 much. From what I can remember though, it was a space combat game like (and roundabout the time of) Wing Commander 2, but instead of working for The Confederation you were a loner, a man of free will, a Privateer. You're a similar character in P2, but whilst you are able to go and be a trader, bounty hunter or whatever, there is an underlying plotline. Your character is called Ser Lev Arris (the Ser bit is a futuristic version of 'Mister') and he has awoken with little idea of his identity, his background, and to top it all he's forgotten whether he taped Eastenders. All he owns are the clothes on his back, and the money in his bank account. By interrogating people around the galaxy, he is able to slowly piece things back together.

The game begins with a lengthy FMV sequence which is more than a little confusing first time round; spaceships crash, you wake up in a hospital (your doctor is a bit of a babe, it must be said!) from where you're kidnapped, but your assailants are killed and, well, you get the idea. Anyway, at the end of it all you're left on a planet with little more than your trenchcoat, a wodge of cash and your Personal Access Directory (PAD). This is indeed a handy little widget, as it can be called up at any time and stores your email, keeps tabs on your status, provides a map of the current planets surface, and also accesses the game options.

Now you won't be doing much planet hopping without a ship, so that should be first on your agenda, and fortunately that particular task is easily completed. Each planet is littered with CCN Booths, which are kind of computer terminal affairs, with the accessibility of a telephone box. Upon entering a booth you are presented with a menu, the backdrop of which changes and shifts in a spooky (and quite neat) way. You can buy/sell/repair/upgrade a ship from here, but you can also check the latest news, look up public information on people/vehicles/companies, buy/sell cargo and check the bulletin board for requests for wingmen, assassins and window cleaners. Er, I meant couriers. Yus. There is plenty of ambient sound when you're on the surface, giving the impression that you're in a busy spaceport or whatever.

Having bought the best ship you can buy (ie. The cheapest) and equipped her with some basic lasers and missiles, you can opt to look at the map on your PAD and check out one of the bars, or you can take off straight away. Going to a location on the map often results in a piece of FMV, resulting in, say, a piece of information that you have to take up with another person, or something. The FMV isn't bad, although the future seems an odd place at the best of times. Actors such as John Hurt, Brian Blessed and Christopher Walken all make an appearance, and do their best to appear comfortable in a spartan world where the majority of buildings have clinically bare walls, and the bars are just the most bizarre places ever! The Surgeons Bar on Crius is a prime example, it consists of one room, decorated with open mouths and the like, and a troupe of dancers (which are apparently the results of surgical blunders and operations gone wrong hmmmm, sounds like another day in the NHS) who prance about and wave their arms to the music. The punters are seen to be drinking blue drinks out of what appear to be glass laboratory beakers. Yeeeeeeees. OK, well a glance at your PAD reveals that need to make a visit to another planet. So, you jump into your cockpit and whoosh! You're in space! (Taking off is automated)

Fans of the aforementioned games will quickly feel comfortable with the ships controls and displays, particularly the scanner which looks as though it has been lifted straight from Elite. As you pitch and roll, the sun is reflected with a lens-flare effect which looks nice. There are several pirate clans, who will all take a pot shot at you at any opportunity, particularly if you're escorting a large cargo ship. You acquire money by taking out a pirate, and so if you wish this can be your main source of income, rather than trading. All the pirate ships are recognisable by their ship class and markings, and they all look great when close up, with the light reflecting off them and everything. Some ships are small and fast, whereas some are huge and bristling with weapons. Take on a Monolith or a fleet of Capital Ships and you'll see what I mean. Fortunately a good selection of lasers, cannons and missiles are available (for a price), but it did seem odd that enemy ships seem to be able to avoid your missiles with ease. The military will also be encountered at times, and they will often join in a firefight if nearby so be careful not to hit them or life will become suddenly much harder! There is quite a lot of radio chatter between ships and pirates will often taunt 'Who shall I send the flowers to?' before blowing you to bits! The sound is particularly well done, with menacing in-flight music, engines roaring from left to right and different weapons making different noises. (A bit of artistic license there, as sound doesn't travel in space, but if you hear a 'thud! Thud!' noise, someone is shooting a bloody great laser cannon at you!)

As your bank balance grows, you can buy bigger and faster ships, with more armour and firepower. Some trading routes are extremely profitable, and before long you're carrying huge amounts of cargo between two planets, fending off pirates from all sides. As your kills increase so does your rating (another feature borrowed from Elite). There are some points in the story when you can't continue without a certain amount of money, so a fine balance must be struck between killing pirates, accepting missions (often a quicker way to amass money, but usually more dangerous) and progressing the story by visiting planets and talking to people.

Much like Elite, there is the dream of eventually owning the best ship with the biggest weapons, and having the highest rating available. At the same time though there is a quest that runs throughout, and the combination is a winner. Much like Elite, there is freedom in that you can fly to any planet whenever you like and do whatever mission you like, but many will just want to play through to the end of the plot. It's very well executed, with very nice graphics and effects, both in flight and on the surface. The video is a bit ropey at times, but all the same it's a very enjoyable game.

Editors Note: A few early versions of Privateer 2 were mastered from the wrong CD and contained bugs. Although most of these early copies were recalled by EA some still made it into the shops. If you buy one of these bugged copies you can obtain a patch from the EA web site. We experienced no problems with our full review copy, and the score reflects this fact.

Dale Wilks for Game Over!