In this age of mundane games, repetitive gameplay, and over-exploited genres, it feels good to have a little fresh air with some of the old genres resurfacing once again. The credit, of course, goes to the chivalrous independent developers who, still in this world of capitalist gaming industry, light our hearts with their spirit of creativity. One such genre that is gaining momentum by leaps and bounds is the “space simulation” genre. This time just at E3 2014, there were some groundbreaking titles that really inspired awe – quite an accomplishment given the nature of mediocre games these days.
Although it was my pleasure to experience all the newer games that will eventually hit the market, the one that really made my head spin and left me speechless was ‘No Man’s Sky’. This game literally cannot be described as no one has ever tried to build or even conceive of a game of such a scale. This is basically a massive procedurally generated game, which may sound simple, but as the saying goes, you have to see it to believe it. The fascinating views and strange surroundings teeming with unique flora and fauna on a seemingly strange planet are just the beginning of the story. This vast exploration game takes you on the journey to explore countless planets, and the best part is: you can have your own spaceship to fly into space and return to different planets. How big is the size of the world, you ask? Well, would you be impressed if I told you that each player will start on a different planet? Can you now imagine the scale of this game? In addition to the expansive universe, vibrant images and dynamic environments are just the sight of sore eyes.
What happens when the space simulation genre marries the first person shooter game? You get a game called ‘Dreadnought’. This free action space simulation game is just what E3 had been missing all along. We’ve all played fast-paced action games that require little thought and more reflexes. We’ve also seen previous space simulation games where your little pea-sized ship sometimes gets into a pathetic situation with a gigantic mothership of some sort, and you die wishing for that only if you had one of those massive ships at your side. provision. To fill this void in your little gaming world, ‘Dreadnought’ is filled right away. This massive free online game places you in a team battle where you fight enemy ships using skills and tactics (not reflexes). Have you ever played ‘World of Tanks’? If so, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
These are just a few titles of space simulation games that are going to make a lasting impression on this genre; However, a game that will not only revitalize the genre to the spine, but will also revolutionize the gaming industry itself is ‘Star Citizen’. Star Citizen is the largest crowd-funded Kickstarter project to date. With Chris Roberts, the lead developer of ever-green titles like Freelancer and Starlancer, at the helm, Star Citizen is on its way to becoming one of the largest PC-exclusive games in the industry. The reason this game is exclusive to PC is pretty simple: the consoles just can’t handle the demand for the graphics running in this game. Using modified Cry Engine 3, this game is set in an open universe with tons of exploration to do, battles to fight, and places to conquer.
There are many other games of this genre that are in development and very few on the market like EVE Online, Kerbal Space Program, Elite: Dangerous and Limit Theory and all only serve to show the rebirth of the long lost genre. It’s about time developers put on their creative hats and gamers open their minds to new things. Only then will genres like these really flourish, proliferate, and prosper.
