Descent: Free ~UPD~Space-The Great War
In an epilogue, a narrator speculates the Shivans were not necessarily evil, stating that they were "great destroyers but also the great preservers", and that their role was to exterminate other species who advanced beyond their ordained place in the cosmic order; the Ancients were targeted as they subdued or annihilated countless other species in building their vast empire. The narrator postulates that had it not been for the Shivan's intervention, the Ancients would have likely grown too powerful for the Terrans and Vasudans to survive against, and thus theorises that the Terrans' expansion would have made them a threat to any other fledgling species.[17][18][19]
Descent: FreeSpace-The Great War
Other splits included comparisons between the game and that of Wing Commander: Prophecy and X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter; while some felt the game combined elements of both with better qualities and a strong story,[5][11] others felt it had simply taken inspiration from space simulation classics, offered very little in original ideas,[3][7] lacked depth in the story, with some suggesting the player could have had a greater role in the outcome of the game's story,[5][6] and that they were simply playing a "very sweet looking arcade title" with considerable detachment from some of the game's elements.[6][9] Despite the splits in opinion, many felt the game's AI was well designed, from the wingmen being competent and performing orders without issues, to the enemy vessels acting in concert with each other during missions,[4][6][8][10][11][48][54] yet one reviewer was dismayed that the game's screen size was fixed and could not be changed.[3]
Volition's classic is back. Descent: FreeSpace is the quintessential old school space shooter. With a deep story, great graphics and engaging battles against fighters to capital ships it keeps you moving. Breakout that flight stick and enroll with the Grand Terran Alliance today.
Expand your own galactic empire across new stars, advance technologies, and challenge great alien powers in this immersive 4X grand strategy game. Build sci-fi colonies, and starbases to gather scarce resources. Explore a unique galaxy full of secrets, great perils, and infinite possibilities.
Descent: FreeSpace: The Great War was released in 1998, to great critical approval, combining fast-paced gameplay with an excellent story and equally excellent mission design. The expansion pack Silent Threat was met with something less than complete approval, (A restoration of the main Silent Threat campaign was released by fans in 2008, under the name Silent Threat: Reborn) FreeSpace 2 was released shortly thereafter in 1999. Despite being as well accepted as its predecessor, it was deemed a commercial failure, a fact attributed to Interplay's lackluster publicity for it.
Silent Threat, the GTA and PVE have unified under the Galactic Terran Vasudan Alliance (GTVA). The player begins flying a fighter for the 53rd Hammerheads squadron of the GTVA against rebel fighters trying to destroy fleeing Vasudan transports. Before long, the Shivans return in greater force than seen before, utilizing a subspace gate of unknown origin. Although their task force is quickly defeated, greater danger lurks in the nebula that lies at the end of the portal. Shortly after the defeat of the Shivan force, the GTVA unveils its ultimate weapon, the GTVA Colossus, "the largest spacefaring warship ever constructed." The Colossus quickly crushes all NTF resistance in the Epsilon Pegasi system, a heavily contested system. The NTF sensing their chance with the Colossus out of position, attempt to run the blockade of the subspace gate, called the Knossos. Only Bosch's flagship, the NTF Iceni successfully makes it through. At this point, the player is transferred to a Vasudan fighter squadron as part of an officer exchange program. During this exchange, the GTVA sights a Shivan ship of colossal proportions: the juggernaut Sathanas. The Sathanas crushes all opposition on its way to GTVA space before being stopped at the last minute by a bomber wing and the Colossus. Sensing victory, GTVA Command presses the advantage into the nebula, only to find an entire fleet of juggernauts waiting for them. A frantic retreat ensues, and the Colossus is destroyed buying time for civilians to escape from the nearest GTVA system, Capella. Command tries the only thing that could possibly stop the juggernaut fleet: collapsing the subspace nodes to Capella to stop the fleet from destroying still more systems. Two destroyers, laden with warheads, are detonated inside the node, attempting to seal it in the same way the Lucifer collapsed the Sol nodes. The plan is a success, and the fleet is stopped from spreading, but not before causing the Capella star to become a supernova by some unknown means.
FreeSpace spawned a great community, and the release of the source code of the game led to the Source Code Project, which enhanced FreeSpace in all the ways possible. For more information visit Hard Light Productions
10. Radio, RIAA: mandatory FM radio in cell phones is the future: Radio stations are willing to fork over $100 million a year to music labels, but in return they want Congress to make FM receivers mandatory in portable devices. The labels think having an FM radio in every Droid and iPhone is a great idea, and both sides hope to go to Congress soon. 041b061a72