Star Control II

The Good
Where to begin? Probably number one is the humor. For a game about genocide, revenge, misplaced loyalty, and possible galactic anihilation, it features some of the funniest alien dialogue ever seen in a game. Despite having played all the way through it 4 or 5 times, I'm still rolling every time I boot it up. (especially the Thraddash) Then there's the backstory. Few games have ever been given a universe as detailed as this, and it's absolutely mesmerizing the first time you play - especially when it forces you to realize that the supposedly All-Evil bad guys are far more sympathetic than you could imagine. The action sequences are wonderful, the exploration element is masterfully done, and the "SuperMelee" feature is almost too addictive for words. Plus one of the best soundtracks to ever appear in a game.

The Bad
The first portion of the game, building up your ship to the point you can survive combat, takes a little too long. It's not bad on the first try, but rather annoying upon replay. Also, while most would disagree with me, I think your ship gets too powerful by the end - you reach a point that you can basically incinerate any ship in space within five seconds. While, after a couple weeks of playing, it's nice to not have to worry about getting killed in random combat, once the novelty wears off it gets a bit tedious. (plus, by this point, you're kind of feeling sorry for all the Ur-Quan you're having to frag)

The Bottom Line
No matter what you have to beg, borrow, or steal, find a copy and play it. You probably won't play a better game ever.