| Starpoint Gemini 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Little Green Men Games |
| Publisher(s) | Iceberg Interactive |
| Engine | LGM Games' proprietary Whale2 Engine |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Space trading and combat simulator, Role playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Starpoint Gemini 2 (abbreviated to SPG2 or SG2) is a space trading and combat simulator developed by the Croatian-based Little Green Men Games (LGM Games) development studio. It is a direct sequel to Starpoint Gemini , which was released in 2010.
StarpointGemini 2 is a full 3D space sim/RPG. The in-game world is the Gemini system, which consists of various cohesive star systems. [2] Players captain one of around seventy ships, controlling a single vessel rather than a fleet, although wingmen as well as ship’s officers will be available for hiring. The game features pre-scripted story missions, but also randomly generated “Freelance missions” that rely on player’s actions and allegiances. [3]
At the beginning of 2014, LGM Games became an official Oculus Rift developer and have begun implementing support for the VR device. Their stated plan is to "make all the necessary modifications in rendering and resolution in order to allow players to experience all Oculus Rift is capable of offering". [4]
The player can choose to play campaign or freeroam mode. The game features an extensive space simulation gameplay where the player is put in control of capital ships instead of more classic approach of controlling fighter based vehicles.
The player has a high degree of freedom in the game. Available professions include space pirate, trader, privateer, asteroid miner, gas miner, scientist, explorer, salvager and lawkeeper. The player is open to explore these professions freely, but there is a set class that is picked upon character creation. The three classes are Commander, Gunner and Engineer. Commander is specialized in fleet augmentation and Gunner in offensive capabilities. Engineer is mix in between while also featuring support skills.
Players can utilize control of their weapon batteries and turret based weapon system. Depending on their ship's preset conditions, they can equip a fixed number of weapon types to their ship, which also have preset locations on the ship and turret firing angles. Furthermore the player can increase or decrease the number of turrets placed on the ship. Weapon system feature light weapons (beams/railguns/plasma) and heavy weapons (missiles/shockwave).
The shield system also follows more unconventional approach by splitting them in four parts instead of a usual single system. Players can use four skills which differ depending on the class selected and can use equipment to augment combat abilities. All this allows for a more tactical and faster paced gameplay.
In the campaign mode, the player starts out as Adrian Faulkner, a 22-year-old son of the legendary Gemini League hero, Gabriel Faulkner, known best for his endeavors in the last Gemini war. The player struggles to unveil the mysteries of his father's death and his efforts to save the Gemini from foreign invasions. Along with the main story quest line, the player is also able to pause his main story progression in order to enjoy features that the freeroam mode provides from the start.
The player is thrown into a vast universe with a starting ship to explore and play freely. There are no obligations to complete any quests, and it is essentially a sandbox experience where players can choose to play as they like.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | (PC) 74.08% [14] (XONE) 70.00% |
| Metacritic | (PC) 70/100 [15] (XONE) 71/100 |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| IGN | 8/10 [16] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 80/100 [17] |
| Strategy Informer | 75/100 [18] |
| COnline Gamers | 82/100 [19] |
Starpoint Gemini 2 has been generally favorable by critics. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the game 74.09% [14] and 70/100. [15]
Patrick Carlson from PC Gamer described the game as one of the most positive and relaxing game experiences he has had in a long time. [17]
Nicholas Plouffe from Canadian Online Gamers thanked the developers for making him lose himself in his own little world. [19]
Nick Horth from Strategy Informer praises the game for its pirate system: "Want to be a despicable pirate, preying on weak transport ships and poorly defended mining stations? That's fine, knock yourself out." [18]
Di Lorenzo Baldo from IGN Italia describes the game as "the best balm to heal the wounds left open after the disastrous X Rebirth" [16]
According to LGM, the game sold more than 400,000 copies as of February 2019. [20]
Vendetta Online is a twitch-based, science fiction massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Guild Software for the operating systems Android, Linux, Mac OS X, iOS, and Microsoft Windows. It uses the NAOS game engine, a fully real-time flight model and combat system, to offer first-person/third-person shooter-style player versus player and player versus environment battle action against the backdrop of a massively multiplayer universe. Vendetta Online shipped as a commercial MMORPG on November 1, 2004 with a subscription-based business model, although it has been running continuously since April 2002. Vendetta Online is available to play across a wide array of platforms, including the Oculus Rift virtual reality display, allowing all users to directly interact in a single, contiguous galaxy. It is also notable for its twitch combat and fidelity to real physics.
Elite Dangerous is an online space flight simulation game developed and published by Frontier Developments. The player commands a spaceship and explores a realistic 1:1 scale, open-world representation of the Milky Way galaxy, with the gameplay being open-ended. The game is the first in the series to attempt massively multiplayer gameplay, with players' actions affecting the narrative story of the game's persistent universe, while also retaining a single-player mode. Elite Dangerous is the fourth game in the Elite video game series. It is the sequel to Frontier: First Encounters, released in 1995.
Sins of a Solar Empire is a 2008 science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Ironclad Games and published by Stardock Entertainment for Microsoft Windows operating systems. It is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that incorporates some elements from 4X games; its makers describe it as "RT4X". Players are given control of a spacefaring empire in the distant future, and are tasked with conquering star systems using military, economic and diplomatic means.
Arma 2 is a 2009 tactical shooter simulation video game developed and published by Bohemia Interactive for Microsoft Windows. It is the second main entry in the Arma series and the third installment in the series overall. The game is set in the fictional Eastern European country of Chernarus during a civil war between the Chernarussian government and communist revolutionaries, and follows escalating tensions when the United States Marine Corps is deployed to defeat the rebels.
Starpoint Gemini is a real-time simulation/role-playing game for PC developed by Little Green Men Games, published by Iceberg Interactive and released December 15, 2010. It received 4 sequels: Starpoint Gemini 2, Starpoint Gemini Warlords and Starpoint Gemini 3.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011.
Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a virtual reality company founded by Palmer Luckey that is widely credited with reviving the virtual reality industry. It was the first virtual reality headset to provide a realistic experience at an accessible price, utilizing novel technology to increase quality and reduce cost by orders of magnitude compared to earlier systems. The first headset in the line was the Oculus Rift DK1, released on March 28, 2013. The last was the Oculus Rift S, discontinued in April 2021.
Strike Suit Zero is a space flight combat game developed by Born Ready. Strike Suit Zero seeks to revive the space combat genre by introducing "strike mode" as a new element to the dogfight-based gameplay of classic space combat games. Strike Suit Zero takes its inspiration from numerous different franchises, most notably Elite and related franchises: Homeworld, Freelancer, Colony Wars, Star Wars, Gundam, Macross and FreeSpace. The game is built on a proprietary engine. It was released for Microsoft Windows on January 23, 2013, and for OS X and Linux on August 9, 2013.
Assetto Corsa is a sim racing video game developed by the Italian video game developer Kunos Simulazioni. It is designed with an emphasis on a realistic racing experience with support for extensive customization and moddability. The game was first released through the Steam Early Access program on 8 November 2013, and officially left Early Access as final release version on 19 December 2014.
Superhot is an independent first-person shooter (FPS) video game developed and published by Superhot Team. Though the game follows traditional first-person shooter gameplay mechanics, with the player attempting to take out enemy targets using guns and other weapons, time within the game progresses at normal speed only when the player moves; this creates the opportunity for the player to assess their situation in slow motion and respond appropriately, making the gameplay similar to strategy video games. The game is presented in a minimalist art style, with enemies in red and weapons in black, in contrast to the otherwise white and grey environment.
Obduction is an adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds. Obduction is considered a spiritual successor to Cyan's previous adventure games, Myst and Riven. In the game, the player finds their character transported to strange alien worlds but with human elements within the settings. The player must explore and solve puzzles to figure out how to return home.
Eve: Valkyrie was a multiplayer dogfighting shooter game set in the Eve Online universe that was designed to use virtual reality headset technology. Originally launched for Microsoft Windows for use with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, CCP Games had announced they plan to enable cross-platform play between the three major VR systems: the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, and the PlayStation VR. Released in March 2016, the game had two game mode options: Chronicles could be played in single player, while Combat allowed eight by eight combat PvP missions. Reviews generally criticized the limited plot and limitations of single player mode, although the described "arcade experience" was praised for having intuitive controls and "exhilarating" dogfighting features, with PC Powerplay dubbing it "arguably the best VR experience currently available for the [Oculus Rift] platform."
CastleStorm is a 2013 game developed by Zen Studios for Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U. A remastered version titled CastleStorm: Definitive Edition was released in 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A free-to-play mobile version titled CastleStorm: Free to Siege was released in 2014 for Amazon, Android, and iOS. The game also received a virtual reality adaptation for Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and PlayStation VR. A sequel titled CastleStorm 2 was released on July 31, 2020.
3030 Deathwar is an open world action-adventure game by British developers Matt Griffiths and Mic Newsam as Bird in Sky, mostly known for the Redux version which was released in 2017.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is a real-time tactics video game developed by Tindalos Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive. It is set in the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, and is specifically an adaptation of the miniature wargame Battlefleet Gothic by Games Workshop.
Little Green Men Games is a Croatian video game developer. The company began in 2006 with producing its first video game Starpoint Gemini developed with custom made engine called IC Whale Engine in 2010. Their second game Starpoint Gemini 2 was released in 2014, followed by 3 downloadable content, made with LGM Games' proprietary Whale2 Engine. The latest installment in the franchise, Starpoint Gemini Warlords was released on May 23, 2017 on Steam and GoG. It uses the proprietary Whale 2.5 engine.
Starpoint Gemini Warlords is a blend of space trading and combat simulator, role-playing and 4X video game developed by Croatian-based Little Green Men Games and published by Iceberg Interactive. Starpoint Gemini Warlords is a spin-off title to the space sim Starpoint Gemini 2, which was released in 2014.
Radial-G: Racing Revolved is an indie racing game, which was developed by Tammeka Games and was released on March 28, 2016, for the Oculus Rift. HTC Vive and Razer OSVR support via the Steam version was released April 5, 2016 and is going to be released on Sony PlayStation VR on September 12, 2017 for EU regions with U.S. dates to be announced.
Star Conflict is a free-to-play dynamic massively multiplayer online space action game. The gaming platform Steam describes it as an "action-packed, massively multiplayer space simulation game". The core of the game is PvP spaceships battles, PvE (Co-Op) missions and an open world. The game uses a free-to-play business model.
Starpoint Gemini 3 is a space combat and role-playing video game developed by LGM Games, currently in early access mode and set for full release later in 2019. The game is the third installment in the Starpoint Gemini series and a direct successor to Starpoint Gemini 2. Unlike the previous installments, the game focuses on story-driven elements and aerial dogfights, cockpit view and modular upgrades of the ship. The story is written by Darko Macan. The game utilizes LGM's proprietary WhaleX game engine.