Episode 36: Freelancer

Retro Spectives

Freelancer was meant to be the chosen one. Announced in 1999 by Chris Roberts (of star citizen fame), it seemed to promise complex factional interactions, a cinematic storyline and engaging dogfighting all in one accessible package. But as time went on, and Chris Roberts moved into more of a consultancy role, the exact nature of Freelancer was revealed as something not quite as ambitious as what was previewed.

So what is it like to play Freelancer today? Can a reduced version of what was envisioned still produce a meaningful and fun gameplay experience? Or is it just a hollow shell of a game, best left forgotten in the wake of modern titles like Star Citizen?

On this episode, we discuss:

• Does Freenlancer’s mysterious and intriguing story of factional conflict get the payoff it sorely deserves?
• How much freelancing do you actually do as a freelancer, and is it as enjoyable to pursue as the main questline?
• Do long travels doing nothing through space bring the star system to life, or is it just wasting our precious time?-

We answer these questions and many more on the 36th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Does Freelancer have places worth exploring that we didn’t find? Are there any essential mods that drastically change the experience for the better, or did we nail it? Let us know what you think, and what exactly we got wrong on right, on our community discord server!