beanmix

I've played about 20 hours of Rebel Galaxy Outlaw (RGO) and I think it's a fun game. Don't let all the other negative user scores deter you, because I don't think they appreciate the homage and idea of the culture behind the game. It's not the greatest arcade-style or simulation dogfighter out there, true. No, it's not a successor to Freelancer or Privateer, but it pays homage. I also play(ed) Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen Alpha (maybe my grandkids will enjoy the full release one day), X3 & 4, Everspace, Star Point Gemini 2 & 3EA, Rebel Galaxy 2, etc. and comparatively this game still brought me hours of entertainment which was well worth the price tag I paid of $12. Each of those games has its own appeal. If you were looking for a "realistic" universe and HOTAS-capable flight SIM, go play Elite. If you were looking for a space-sim for your HOTAS setup, then quite frankly you were an idiot and maybe you should've watched the numerous gameplay vids before buying this. This game does what it set out to do and relatively well, considering it comes from a two-person studio. The controls do take getting used to but once you have the hang of it, there are really only minor complaints left (I play KB and not with a gamepad). The focus/follow mechanic is actually a good experiment and a mechanic that works for an arcade-style space shooter. The art style is the way it is for a reason and I, for one, really appreciate the homage to Wing Commander: Privateer, like the HUD and radar, cockpit styles. It's not "stolen" or "cloned" for the lack of originality. I think it is honouring the original in a creative way. For me, it brought back nostalgic memories of playing Privateer as a kid with a two-button joystick on a 14" CRT monitor and being in absolute awe, and I really believe this was the developer's intention. (I should note that I never once thought this game WAS a successor to Privateer either). The country-style-outer-space vibe is awesome. Yes, the story is "meh" but to be honest, not many modern games have such a super awesome story anymore either. The story is "ok" all things considering but yes, it feels like a filler to get you from point A to B. Some reviewer tried to liken RGO to Wing Commander III's combat. Again, you are comparing apples and jelly-f-ng-beans. Each set out to achieve a completely different objective and you should keep that in mind. I had my share of frustrations, like other users, with incomprehensible difficulty spikes in missions, but "ce'st la ve". It might take a retry or two but eventually, you figure out a way to scrag the bad-guys anyway. I give the game a 10 in an attempt to rebalance the aggregate score. It doesn't deserve a 10, no, a 7 maybe, but I felt that a lot of reasons people gave the game a low score (0-3) was merely because they totally misunderstood the concept and did not research the product properly before buying. They didn't get what they were expecting because they didn't know *what* to expect in the first place and consequently they gave the game an undeservedly low score without being objective. Expect an arcade game, not a simulation. Don't expect more than 20 hours of fun game-play, unless you do enjoy some repetitiveness (some people do). Expect retro graphics (just watch a f-ng youtube video before buying, please). Don't expect Privateer or Freelancer. Don't expect it would be a good fit for your dual-stick and throttle Thrustmaster or Vipril HOTAs setup. Don't give the game a 0 score in a review because you didn't do your own homework.