X2: The Threat

The game has aged not so great. It sees all attached joysticks, including gamepads, but it can't read any of them. No axis, no buttons. The final reason why I think you should not get the game is the fact that it is broken. If you play the campaign you will eventually be tasked to go to the sector "Brennan's Triumph". Once you enter the sector you are forced into a cut scene where your ship just bonks its nose into the rim of the jumpgate repeatedly and after a few bumps the game just crashes. Now that I think about it, it might be a copy-protection issue. 20 years ago when I bought it on DVD in a box (yes, that's how we old people got games before Steam existed. Yes, Steam didn't always exist) I ran into copy-protection issues that looked like bugs as well. All but my own active ships would disappear, if I owned a station wave after wave of Khaak clusters would spawn until my station was destroyed or simply all factions would instantly and randomly turn absolutely hostile towards me.

Игра отличнейшая!А если сравнивать с третьей частью,то она ещё лучше становится.

Best game in the series (IMO)

Recommended for anyone who wants a great blend of story, sandbox, and classic X-Universe empire building. I am playing through all the X-Universe games and finished my playthrough of X2: The Threat. It's a large leap forward from X-Tension. The graphics and overall style feel like a big jump in quality, and the presentation holds up surprisingly well for its age. It also combines a proper storyline with the open-ended sandbox in a way that works naturally. The story itself is decent, and the cutscenes are neat even if the animations are a bit janky and the dialogue/voice acting leans into early-2000s cringe. What I appreciated most is the pacing. Characters actually tell you to go build up your money and factories between certain missions, so the game encourages you to explore the sandbox instead of rushing the plot. This is also the first entry with the Artificial Life system and scripting engine, which makes the universe feel more alive and opens the door for modding. Combined with the expanded economy and deeper mechanics, it’s a big step up from the earlier games. Combat is much improved, especially capital ship battles. Seeing massive turret volleys filling space while fighters weave around them is genuinely cool. The game also introduces proper carriers, and the whole combat experience feels more dynamic and satisfying than anything in BTF or XT. Automation and empire management are also better here. The property menu has improved filtering, and running a corporate empire feels smoother overall. That said, the universe is more dangerous, and the increased complexity makes the game a little less relaxing than the earlier entries. I played on my Legion Go, and while it worked, I had to set up an extra layer of controls for entering numbers and managing menus. It’s doable, but not as chill as X-Tension on handheld. Despite that, I really enjoyed X2. It strikes a great balance between story and sandbox, and it’s more stable, more fun, and (in my opinion) has better UI and controls than X3: Reunion which I am now in the middle of playing. I’d recommend X-Tension for players who want a more laid back trading empire experience, but X2 is the one I’d recommend to almost anyone interested in the series.

X2 erweitert X: Beyond the Frontier um viele Inhalte, verschlechtert für mich aber gleichzeitig Wirtschaft, Progression und Bedienung. Das größte Problem ist die fehlende Skalierbarkeit der Verwaltung. In BTF konnten Transporter einer Fabrik einfach in der gewünschten Anzahl zugewiesen werden. In X2 muss praktisch jedes Schiff einzeln gekauft, ausgerüstet, einer Heimatbasis zugewiesen und mit einem Handelsbefehl versehen werden. Bei vielen Fabriken wird dadurch nicht mehr Geld oder Produktionsplanung zum Engpass, sondern die Bedienung der Menüs. Das Bonus Pack(in der steam version enthalten) löst dieses Problem kaum. Viele Scripts machen einzelne Frachter komplexer, teilweise mit Pilotenrängen und langen Ausbildungszeiten, statt Massenkauf, Massenkonfiguration und einfache Gruppenverwaltung zu verbessern. Grundlegende sinnvolle Handelslogik wird dadurch unnötig hinter zusätzlichem Aufwand versteckt. Auch die Wirtschaft selbst ist dafür erstaunlich simpel: weitgehend feste Produktions- und Verbrauchsraten, stark standardisierte Fabriken und wenig echte Unterschiede zwischen Produktionsketten. Gleichzeitig sind Fabriken deutlich teurer und amortisieren sich viel langsamer als in BTF. Dadurch entsteht mehr Wartezeit und Verwaltungsaufwand, aber nicht entsprechend mehr wirtschaftliche Tiefe. Ähnlich bei den Schiffen: Es gibt deutlich mehr Auswahl, aber viel davon ist horizontale Variation mit unterschiedlichen Nachteilen statt klarer vertikaler Progression. X2 hat weiterhin eine gute Grundidee aus freiem Flug, Handel, Kampf und Fabrikbau. Für mich fügt es aber vor allem Reibung und Mikromanagement hinzu, ohne die zugrunde liegenden Systeme im gleichen Maß zu vertiefen.

have the original disk as well as steam version. a good fun game and time sink. Bad thing it wasnt made for win 11. Occasional crashes on the video cutscenes. Tip, ddont give up try to take a run at it from diff gates and directions to avoid crashes. On the paranid quest at priest rings i turned on Video record in options and poof i got past the repeated crash on exiting the station. After you buy the goods from the paranid agent and attempt to leave station it goes to a cutscene and crashes. turn on video record ingame and jope it helps you like it helped me. Anyhows its a great time killer and too bad you cant turn off the Kaak. They murder your transports and its annoying.

This is way too good. Picked this up when the Steam Summer sale started a week ago, first X game I have played, and can easily say this is the most fun I have had for under $2, at $1.12 Australian dollars this is an absolute steal. Well done to the team at EgoSoft for creating such an awesome space game, definitely will be buying more games in the X series.

trade,building,fighting,story line,what's not to like,the variety of ship's,and race's .game was bought liked it before I still have the game (on disc)

Very fun game to play and even replay. You can choose how you play and can put off doing the campaign for as long as you want. Build stations and get ships so you have a wide variety to choose from