Hardwar

The Good
The freeform style of the world you play in.Upon completing the plotline I instantly started a new world with no intention of playing through the plot again. The ai pilots act intellegently and in a totally non-scripted way.They actually react to things you do and changes in the gameworld. I'd say it was the open ended nature and amount of ways to play the game I found so attractive.

The Bad
The network support for the release version of the game was generally laggy,sometimes to the point where it would become unplayable but this was resolved after the U2.0 update pack.

The Bottom Line
The sheer richness of the gameplay really leaves no need for the linear plot,there's enough to keep you occupied for many,many months,even years.As soon as you start a new game the first thing that hits you is the feeling of a vast living,breathing world with many things going on all over the place.Everything seems totally dynamic,whatever applies to the player also applies to the ai pilots.Another great thing about the game is the massive amount of ways you can play the game. Some players opt for the combat orientated style,looking for bounties,killing and looting to make their way in the world.Others may make their living by trading in the many products of the city,and opening up their own businesses.The latest version of the game even promises to allow players to go as far as opening up their own factories. The network option enhances things further,power struggles often emerge between two powerful players and from looking at the way the online community is heading as well as the additional options that appear in every new update pack,the game is gradually evolving from it's humble "single-player-with a couple of network options thrown in" title into something far greater.The future of the game lies in it's growing multiplayer support and options.It may well become the sci-fi equivelent of ultima online.