X3: Albion Prelude took me by surprise. This large universe were you decide where you will go, what missions you will accept and where you will go is at first glance complicated and immersive. As you learn too play you find the game is well designed and has a storyline that changes depending on your actions. The design has made the universe dynamic and is designed for many hours of game play. The NPC interaction, sound effects ad music all mesh well together too set the atmosphere. This game has a lot of detail and is not just combat but economics as well. Just jump in and play .. It is fun and easier than it looksl give yoursel time to the game interface. My firsttime Ilan to jut see what it looked like .. 9 hours later I logged off.… Expand

The war is here ! And many of my merchant ships know it; bless the lost souls. This is a great addition to the X3 franchise and has kept me entertained for many, Many longs ours. Huge universe, ships and somewhat large learning curve. but once you begin to stick with it, The forums are full of great guides to help the new, this is a must of space sims. Looking forward to its new installment.

The promise of an open universe is what most drew me in to start, being held by the hand and led down an unchangeable path is not my idea of fun. So the promise of an open universe was very appealing, I wasn't disappointed! I enjoyed the mix of combat and trading, swapping from one to the other as the mood took me, engaging in reckless combat if I needed to burn off some steam or just chilling while doing a spot of trading. The trading was normally necessary to get some money to fix my ship after the reckless combat!

The graphics were breathtaking but just a bit to much for my average PC, I would love to see them on a top end machine, mind you I spent enough time ogling the pretties as it was so maybe I'm better off.

Taking some of the missions early in the game can be a mistake if you don't take notice of exactly what you have to do, because you just might find you have no hope of completing them. A bit of player discretion is required which I sadly lacked at the time.

Overall I found it an enjoyable game that you can easily find yourself loosing track of time while playing. The learning curve is a bit steep but well worth the effort.… Expand

On my personal scale, I give this game a 7.5. Be warned: this game is not for everyone. If you're all about quick pacing & instant gratification, you won't find what you want with this game. It can be a high-speed space combat game, with tons of explosions, and great particle effects for the laser weapons. However, that's only one aspect of the game. There is a deeper current of a universal economy that's been deliberately thrown out of sync to give you the chance to move in & make your mark as a trader, factory owner, or in some other capacity. You won't find everything you need to build your empire - it's a long process of setting yourself up with your own support network, your own fleet, and your own territory.

I've played all the X games, as I bought the super pack on Steam. Terran Conflict is actually a much bigger game, in terms of having more "out of the box" plots. In truth, Albion Prelude is literally an add-on to that game, using TC's same file structure. It has it's own plot lines, but there are less of them & they appear to be shorter. Furthermore, you really have to play TC to know what's going on & appreciate the story.

I feel that this is the reason why so many are unhappy with this game - because it is actually an expansion to TC that's not really an expansion. Rather than being able to build on the game you created in TC, which probably took you anywhere from fifty to a billion hours to create, you must scrap that & start all over again. To someone who doesn't thrive on this type of challenge, that can be heartbreaking, and deal-breaking.

There are new ships, new features, and the same old ability to pretty much create your own story in a sandbox of endless possibilities. But really...the reason to play this game is to find out what happened after Terran Conflict, and what will come in the future during Rebirth.

As I said at the beginning, I feel this is 75% of a perfect game. Overall the game engine has improved over Terran Conflict (which is expected given the gap in time). However, it's not 100% compatible with TC because not all the mods & player content can be used. It doesn't give you the option of utilizing your saves from TC to allow you to build on what you've already done. You get precious little in the way of new content, and are left to simply re-live the sandbox adventure you've already experienced.… Expand

X3: Albion Prelude is awesome fun. You can build huge fleets and command epic battles! The graphics are beautifully done, and a pleasure to behold. Majestic. I love the improvements over Terran Conflict, especially the stock exchange system. Update 2.5 released 24Jul2012 added Terran plots! I really wish that planetary landing, colonization, and planet unique resource/production/weapon manufacture were inclusive to make the game even more epic, but regardless, this is an awesome space game that once learned, provides hundreds of hours of enjoyment.… Expand

Simple. X3 is a game with all the downsides of a sandbox mmo only doesnt have the benefits. I can go on and on about which parts of the game are pathetic only that would just feed the fanboy trolls of this game. The fact that people "play" this game while setting the game and SETA and then keep the pc running for the night to get credits says enough. Its a boring grinding game with no end game goal to set for.… Expand

Fantastic game. Major improvements over Terran conflict. For anybody wanting to start the series, I'd recommend Terran Conflict though. A few of the 'features' of this game make it very unfriendly for those new to the series.

Changes made in X3 Albion Prelude (AP) are pretty much all changes that should have been made in Terran Conflict (TC). If you take it at face value, as a open end sandbox space combat/trade game that is meant to introduce the events leading up to the next X game in the series (rebirth), it is what it says. A person who never played any of the other X games will be quite content with what AP offers. However, for those who played XTC, it seems that all the changes that AP brings, such as expanded menu options, performance tweaks, ship boarding modifications, and a few extra ships, are all things that TC should have had but did not. The problem is AP lacks any of the meat of TC. They both feel like two unfinished halves of a greater whole, which sadly, comes across as an attempt to squeeze a few more dollars/euro out of the system they already had, while calling it something different.… Expand

Pro's: Beautiful graphics, complex economic and free range, seemingly dynamic campaign and very large selection of ships and stations to choose from.
Con's: At times very boring (Just waiting for something to happen, or searching for things), random crashes (not of the game, but of your ships in the game).

Opinion: I have been a fan of the X series and own each and every one. I do plan on continuing to buy this game in the future, however, with the release of Albion Prelude, I feel like protesting to the company a bit. Really, aside from more ships and a larger map, nothing is very new or revolutionary. Long periods of simply using time compression so your ships can actually get to a destination, coupled with very boring space flight makes me want to cease my support for the series. I do however love their dynamic free campaign. One is a part of a very realistic economy. I'd like to feel even more connected and see the results of my increased or decreased business with a sector.

Recommendation: Fans of the series, go ahead and pick it up. You'll be getting more of what you have signed up for in the past. However, don't you think its time to expect more from Egosoft?… Expand

This is more like it. A space opera!. Endless re playability and beautiful graphics in a massive environment. I have played most of the rest of this series and I was hoping for at least a bit more. I didnt forensically go into the differences but it is very clearly an X3 game. Nothing massively new but more of the same done well. It certainly feels a little more accessible than some of the others but that could just be my growing familiarity with the series. However, the game always feels like it lacks depth to me. A bit more human/Alien interest would really make this feel like a living breathing universe. I always felt like the game space in X3 games felt a bit dead but X3 AP does feel much more alive yet something is missing from what could be perfection. It would be awesome to visit a planet or a space station and walk through it engaging npcs etc face to face. If X3 had that it would attract a much broader audience in my opinion. That isnt taking anything away from a great open non linear game but I want to explore, see planets which feel unique or of a known type and engage with the folks on a space station for RnR. Recruiting crew etc. Adding some personalities to the NPCs etc would have dramatically. Suggestions for the Next Generation in the X series perhaps.… Expand

At first i was overwhelmed by its insane learning curve, and frankly, if i hadnt paid money for the game, i probably wouldnt stick with it. Started out as a humble merchant, and found a guide on youtube. The first couple of missions were pretty boring, but after i finally found a cargo bay extention, it started getting real enjoyable! Ive only built one complex yet, a bakery with a meat factory, and ive got a argon nova vanguard ship fully equipped. This game is probably the best space sim ive played ever. after 22 hours i still havent ironed out all the details, but the exploration, variety and sheer depth of the game is incredible!… Expand

Great game which continue with the gameplay and the dinamics his predecesors are famous for. The graphics are astounding and the economy model is pretty solid and unbalanced to allow you to "fix" it and make profit.

My personal problem with this game is that I have always wondered how the x series will fare if it would be a MMO game instead of single player. Then I met EvE Online, and suddenly, the X series just became more of an exercise of polish than a challenge.

Although I come back from time to time to watch my empire grow and command my fleets, nothing can compare to the powerful experience of a space sandbox with other human being interaction.

Nonetheless, the graphics are astounding (since there is no lag matter to worry about) and the pace and the saving features still make me play it from time to time when I want to keep away for a bit from the well known cutthroat EvE community.… Expand