X - Beyond the Frontier

"When it comes down to it though, this is a deeply flawed game that just doesn't have the goods. I hope that the people behind it realize they made many mistakes and learn from them so we can have more great games in the vein of Elite and Privateer. X-BTF just isn't one of em."

"All I can conclude is that the game fulfilled all my expectations. There was a great void in this genre since the legendary Elite. Some games like Privateer 1 & 2 tried to fill the gap (and failed according to my opinion). Wing Commanders were great, Freespace 1 & 2 were good copies of their predecessors, I loved the X-Wings, but all I ever wanted was to play an enhanced version of Elite."

"The space sim genre has been searching for a game that rekindles the magic of Elite for some time now. For fans of Elite, X may appear to be a trip down memory lane, as X recaptures some of the longevity and magic of exploration that made its forefather a hit. With a very large galaxy populated by unique aliens, an interesting non-linear storyline, lots of great visuals, and interesting gizmos to upgrade your ship with, X during the first few sessions can be a joy to play. Poor design choices, and repetitive actions, keeps X from being as memorable and fun as Elite was. It is important to note however that the version I played, released by Southpeak, reaped in the benefits of being released after the THQ European release. By the time those here in the Americas got a hold of X, it already had benefited from a number of patches, and it shows. Many of the more dreadful bugs have been eliminated, but the poor design choices remain."

"X:BTF is totally absorbing once you get up and running. It will mercilessly rip your soul from your body, own you totally, and dance, laughing, on you private bits until you can drag yourself away desperate for food and sleep ……..cool"

"X is a fairly good game that could have been great. With more missions, a better flight model, and better pacing, it might have dethroned Elite. As is, it joins a long line of games like Privateer II that entertain but leave you wanting more."