SubSpace

The Good
There's a definite sense of community amongst those who play this game, or used to. Although I haven't been very active in SS for a year or so, I can still pop into CHAOS Zone and see folks who've been around since back in the beta days. I can hang out with my old squadmates, or run like mad from old enemies still hell-bent on my destruction.

The gameplay's easy to get into and not so easy to master, though a week or two of practice in the introductory "Alpha" zone should get one well on one's way to developing good fighting skills.

It is very easy to communicate with other pilots, far more so than in other games of this genre.

The Bad
As with any other multiplayer Internet game run by independent server operators, you'll occasionally run across Zones in which the ops cheat, or let their friends cheat. Fortunately there are many more Zones in which this doesn't happen.

I don't recommend this game for small children. Lots of nasty stuff gets said in most of the Zones I've seen.

The Bottom Line
Virgin ran this game as a free, open beta for a couple of years before releasing the game (with, sadly, very little fanfare). Although VIE is pretty much gone, SubSpace remains, now available for free (and legally so) from http://subspace.ds98.com. It's as active as it ever was, too, with many "pro" leagues, regular tournaments, and a variety of user-run provide gameplay styles to suit pretty much any taste.

So, what IS SubSpace? It's a multiplayer, internet-only space shooter in which ALL your opponents are other humans. You and up to ninety or so other ships fly around in an enclosed arena and blow the stuffin' out of each other. Depending on the zone one is inhabiting, one may or may not have teammates to prolong one's survival. Some zones are simple kill-or-die, some have Capture-the-Flag-style game play, and some even allow hockey/soccer-like play. Some zones are "super" zones (in which rapid-fire weapons given in bountiful amounts, and energy to match), while others are more sedate.

You'll find all sorts in here, going from honorable dogfight-loving pilots to crass lameballs (like myself wink) who prefer to delve into the cheesier side of the game. Some folks are nice, and others, well... aren't. Happily, one can easily block messages from unpleasant players (and block the obscenity that frequently rambles across the public messaging channel).

Speaking of messaging... this game has the best interplayer comm system ever devised. Want to send a message to every? Type it and hit ENTER. No special keys required. Team, channel, and private messages are not much harder to send.

I say the best thing about SubSpace is that there's a niche in it for anyone... if you want to stick with dogfighting and leave the flag-game to the strategians, you can... or vice versa. Hang around long enough, and you'll make friends, enemies, and a reputation for yourself.

All in all, this game's certainly worth the couple of weeks' play it takes to get the hang of the various ships and weapons. Exercise a little patience and you may be in for one of the most engrossing gaming experiences around, shooter-wise.

The Good
From the minute I loaded version 1.09 from the demo disk that shipped with Red Alert , I knew I had found something special.

The simplicity of this game is beautiful. Easy to learn, difficult to master. Imagine, if you will, Asteroids with hundreds of players, rowdy power-ups, safe zones, and mad trash talking via built in chat. Add a spectator mode for lurking and multiple game types for those who want more structure than just "Chaos". Does multiplayer gaming get any better?

Sure it does. Open beta test it for around 2 years, build a huge underground following, tweak every last bug right out of the code ... then release and include a server with the game and your multiplayer classic lives forever. I can't say enough good things about this game. I turned all my friends on to it and now most of them are hopelessly addicted! :)

The Bad
VIE could have done a better job promoting and marketing this game, and turned it into the phenomenon it deserved to be. (In many ways it is one anyway, so ...) Unfortunately, for many reasons, this didn't come to pass. Fear not, however, the designers are currently working on Infantry , another massively multiplayer soon-to-be classic!

The Bottom Line
Go right now to "Related Sites" and download a copy. It's free, it's fun, and it is totally fantastic.

The Good
In this game you get to meet people from all over the world...then kill them. I enjoy the soccer, capture the flag and deathmatch types of gameplay the most. It's very addictive and there's always new game types being added. I participate in several of the competitive leagues that are available and they're my favorite part of the game.

The Bad
The game can be frustrating at times because it's filled with many skilled players..and occasionally they get the best of me.

The Bottom Line
This is a massively multiplayer 2d spaceship game. There are 8 different ship types. There are many different types of gameplay such as capture the flag, deathmatch, hockey, soccer. There are competitive leagues, a very good chat system and many special events and arenas. The game is also always evolving and being improved upon. I must warn you: this game can be very addictive so watch out!