X: Beyond the Frontier

Moby ID: 3240
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The year is 2912. Kyle Brennan, an Earth pilot, is testing the new X-Shuttle, which can jump between parts of the known universe through wormholes. During the test jump, something goes very wrong, and Brennan ends up in an unknown part of space. He meets aliens of the Teladi race, who repair his ship and loan him some money. Unable to return to Earth, Brennan is all alone, owing money to an alien race, and yet unaware of the existence of the Argon race, who look surprisingly similar to humans and are threatened by mechanical beings known as the Terraformers.

X: Beyond the Frontier is a space trading and combat simulation, similar in many ways to Elite, set in the fictional X universe. Trading occupies the larger part of the gameplay. There are fifty-four star systems in the X Universe, each with space stations, solar power plants, shipyards, and other installations. By trading with them the player makes a profit, upgrading the X-Shuttle with new weapons, better shields, and increased cargo space. The player is also able to buy factories, which will generate money at regular intervals. From time to time, hostile ships will attack the X-Shuttle, which will force the player to engage in action-oriented space combat, using the weapons on board or ramming the enemy ship.

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95 People (94 developers, 1 thanks) · View all

Engine, Program, Designs & Realisation
Additional Design
Executive Producer
Assistant Producer
Music
Additional Music
Musical Advisors
Additional Sound Effects
Localisation Manager
Dialogues
Additional Dialogues
Additional Translations
Development Director
Localisation Assistance
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 72% (based on 27 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 36 ratings with 3 reviews)

X: Beyond Boredom

The Good
I remember when I was a freshman in high school, I came across a game that would change my perception of video games forever. One evening while logged into my local BBS, I downloaded (on a then blazing 14.4 Kbps modem) the original version of Elite. I was immediately taken aback. Here was a game that simulated a complete living breathing universe with multiple galaxies, composed of hundreds - if not thousands - of stars and stations that one can visit, and populated with the hundreds more spaceships that would fly to and fro from their destinations. Here was a world where you could be a merchant, a pirate or a bounty hunter. I loved it. I played it every night and kept track of the planets I visited along with their prices in a large loose-leaf binder that I made specifically for the game.

Since those days, many imitators have come and gone and few can match up to the grandeur that is Elite and its successors, Elite Plus and Frontier.

X: Beyond the Frontier is one of these imitators that unfortunately misses the mark by a couple of parsecs.

What did I like about the game? Well considering it was released in 1999, the graphics are nice as well as scalable for today's PCs. I was able to run it on my modern PC at a wide-screen resolution without any complications. The sound was pretty good too.

The Bad
Everything else.

The game is a still-born baby that dies before it even gets started. Only those with the patience of a saint or a Vulcan... or a Vulcan Saint could POSSIBLY get through the first few hours of trudging along at snail like speeds. Even the tutorial at the beginning is an exercise in pain. Once the game gets "started" you're already behind the eight ball.

What I would like to understand is: why did the developers feel the need to drop you into the middle of nowhere, crippled, penniless and defenseless? where's the fun in that? And considering that Elite got it right the FIRST time around, why fix what isn't broken?

The first few hours of gameplay consists of flying from one local station to another in order to make a paltry profit, only to repeat it a dozen times before you can finally afford an upgrade that will actually speed the game up for you.

Is it fair to compare this game to Elite? Absolutely! Since it tries to emulate it in every other aspect but the most important one, being FUN and leaving it up to the player on how they wish to play.

The Bottom Line
This has to be the first space trading/combat simulator whose pacing can best be described as GLACIAL. Perhaps only those with the aforementioned patience may find the game rewarding... I on the other hand will not plunk another minute of my life into this sad excuse of an imitation.

I'm off to play Elite!

Windows · by Anonymous Gamer (161) · 2006

Halfway between Privateer and Elite

The Good
Any homage to Elite is a welcome one and although X:BTF did little to push the boundaries, it was a laudable tribute to the Braben/Bell classic. Yes the universe was comparatively small, the flight dynamics were simplistic and the combat disappointing, but the atmosphere was tense and foreboding (helped along by the excellent Vangelis-a-like Blade Runner-esque soundtrack), and when you did manage to set up a few factories and get a grip of the trading, it opened up to be an excellent space adventure

The Bad
X:BTF was slated for it's slow pace, and while it does a take a few hours to get going, it was nowhere near as catatonic as Elite's early stages. That said the combat is disappointing (certainly not a patch on its contemporaries FreeSpace and Tachyon), and the graphics are typically boxy of a 1999 game. Compared to its high-end sequels X1 is almost retro in look and the story is as basic as any you'll find in the genre.

The Bottom Line
Someone had to keep the Elite dream alive and Egosoft did well, despite being lambasted by Elite's creators and a good few others. If you like space-trading games, X1 is as good as any you'll find and remarkably still very playable against its more recent sequels. Purist space combat fans may prefer the likes of I-War 2 and FreeSpace however.

Windows · by zzzapatero (4) · 2006

Good for an oldie

The Good
Resource management, small fights, realistic time management, an array of dazzling technology, replayability, and excellent visuals

The Bad
The economy is hard to grasp at first with a hard-to get learning curve.

The Bottom Line
If you like space-sims that don't focus completely on combat (though that is an option, if you purchase an upgrade to make yourself part of the Police Force), you'll like this game. There are quite a few nice goodies thrown in, including a nifty time compression drive that makes trips really really short (which is a good thing!). Essentialy, this is "Lost in Space", but with a entrepanuer feel to it. If you like trading and making money (like Hard Truck, 18 Wheels), than this is for you.

Windows · by EndersGame (1) · 2003

Trivia

One of the "modern" games with real nasty copy protection. It could be copied pretty easy and no one would expect it when just checking if it works - but somehow, pirate copies tended to "cheat" the player. You wouldn't get the right amount of money for goods, goods would be lost somewhere for no good reason, quests would be finished by the player and counted as not finished or vice versa - and the best: it could happen after hours of play :)

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Kasey Chang.

Additional contributors: phlux.

Game added January 31, 2001. Last modified January 20, 2024.