The first thing I have to say about this game DLC is that it is big; really big. Like “Space” is big. This is because the DLC is full of space and it’s also “full of stars.” Fans of the X3 games should really be excited to get their hands on this expansion!
Space Combat/Trading sims have come a long way. After choosing the role of a PeaceKeeper, orders are issued, several jumps are taken, and into combat tracking the Red invading ships. There is little help is given since this is a DLC, intended for those whose already own X3: Terran Conflict, but beyond sifting through the keyboard controls there wasn’t much necessary even for a starting player to learn. As soon as you know about the orange goal guiding arrows and Red enemy reticle tracking, you are set for a trip through space like none other.
Visually this DLC is stunning and the gameplay is smooth with level transitions that are nice and quick. With such huge areas to try and find prey, the HUD does an excellent job of showing you range, color (Friendly, Enemy, Gate, the list goes on), and stats for shielding and damage. There is some assistance for aiming that can be turned on several levels if you need a little help or off entirely for the gamers who want to walk a tougher road.
As I was playing, X3: Albion Prelude really brought back great memories of long nights playing Colony Wars or the like, except for at the fact that it had a much higher level of detail, play depth, and immersion. A fair amount of my gameplay time was spent just approaching ships to look at their level of detail. All in all, the game was looked amazing. The only distraction from this was some FOV distortion you can see in the lower left corner. However, that could very well be an artistic choice by the Developers to make it feel bigger.
Clearly Egosoft is driven to provide more content to their fanbase
, and X3: Albion Prelude looks to be another great addition to their collection. The main downside to existing X3 players is that there is no save-game import from other X3 games, but this is forgivable. After all, it is a “Prelude.” At the cost of $9.99 you get a lot of bang for your buck and such a great deal that it is hard to pass up the chance to participate in all the conflicts that lead up to the other X3 timelines.
