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DarkStar One

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7.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 33 critic reviews
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Based on 19 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: CDV Software

Developer: Ascaron Entertainment

Genre(s): Space Combat, Action, Adventure

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: August 14, 2006

Summary

DarkStar One is an open-ended action/adventure title set in a huge universe populated by a variety of unique alien races. Players will take on the role of an intrepid young adventurer, Kayron Jarvis, as he explores space, upgrading and customizing his ship – the DarkStar One. The game's story, written by renowned German Fantasy and Science Fiction author Claudia Kern, will immerse players in a tale of action and intrigue as Kayron searches for answers surrounding the death of his father. Players can take a number of different paths and approaches to earn money and upgrades as they solve the mystery of the death of Kayron's father. One may play as trader, mercenary, smuggler, pirate or a combination thereof, customizing tactics to suit individual playing styles. A fully customizable and upgradeable ship – the DarkStar One. Players can create a fast attack boat, heavy cruiser or other combined style of ship from parts purchased or captured from enemies. More than 200 weapons, shields and equipment upgrades -- including rockets, torpedoes and mines, each featuring a special tactical or trade benefit. [CDV Software]

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Computer Games Magazine

This is not a stingy game. Nearly everything you do will earn you some sort of profit, but it's about the long-term gratification. [Oct. 2006, p.66]

My Gamer

The breadth of the world in DarkStar One which is part of what makes it such a great game can also be adownside as well.

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GameSpot

This game "gets" the template of 1985's Commodore 64 classic Elite in a way that many other space-trading games released over the past decade or so didn't, thanks to its emphasis on the mid-'80s classic's simple principles of buying low, selling high, and blasting pirates for fun and profit. It comes with a few minor problems in the fit-and-finish department, but the game is still an outstanding return to the frontier spirit that made Elite so memorable.

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Eurogamer

The key element of the game, of course, is combat and here it excels...Compared to many of its peers, Darkstar One may seem slight - but what it does, it does expertly.

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Boomtown

It was fun to play a space action game that used trading to get you into opportunities for a fight rather than study for a degree in advanced intergalactic economics.

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PC Gamer UK

It's clear that Darkstar One is the most amusing space game in many months. It's just a shame that it weighs in like a cash starved version of "Freelancer," without any particularly inventive ideas to back up its broad scope and sense of ambition. [Sept 2006, p.98]

IGN

But for sheer shoot 'em up fun in outer space, enhanced with enough peripheral activities to make things interesting, there isn't much out there today like it.

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Digital Entertainment News

A good solid game worth the price of admission.

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GamingExcellence

DarkStar One is the game you might have played before, but everything that you’ve seen before is done just as well here, if not better and still makes for an enjoyable experience.

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Next Level Gaming

If you have been looking for a space combat game this is not the end all game, nor is it the best trade sim ever or exploration game, however it does combine all three of these options better than most of the other games out there that have tried to put them all together.

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eToychest

Though hardcore 4X fans might stay away due to the game's melting-pot depth, DarkStar One is a fun career-oriented romp that deceptively allows for a lot of personal freedom in play style in a style similar to Privateer that not many games have been able to recapture.

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GamerNode

It is DarkStar One's repetitiveness that decimates its chances with anyone other than space-sim buffs. While it's addicting, the gameplay just isn't varied enough to fulfill the game's potential greatness, nor keep you engaged for the game's lengthy storyline.

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Pelit (Finland)

The streamlined gameplay helps a little, but the game itself is too repetitive and simplistic. There is no real freedom, and the galaxy turns out to be beautiful but dull. [Sept 2006]

PC Gameworld

Not a terrible game, but far from a good game, DarkStar One finds itself right in the middle, orbiting the planet mediocre.

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GameZone

Even when completed, you can go back and play it over accepting different missions and/or playing with a different style.

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Strategy Informer

Darkstar One is as cold and empty as space itself once the novelty of trading or being a "system rebel" wears off.

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PALGN

Constricted. It isn’t so much that Darkstar One is a bad game, it’s just that the developers failed to optimise on good ideas - it seems as though they took the easy way out rather than expand on them.

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Yahoo! Games

As good as the combat is, Darkstar One is too simplistic to evolve into a real classic. It's a great look back at a fading genre, but lacking a stronger story and economic system, it's not likely to foster a major revival.

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VideoGamer

It's visually appealing, easy to pick up, and the combat has a nice competitive edge to it. But this feeling doesn't last as long as perhaps it ought to. Once you've plundered your way through all the game has to offer, the lack of variety is clear to see and the story isn't good enough to hold things together.

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Games Radar (in-house)

Fortunately, it's easy to detach yourself from DarkStar One's story and immerse yourself in the moment-by-moment excitement of traversing a sometimes-hostile galaxy in a hot-rod of a ship.

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1UP

If you've been craving the flavor of hot ion bolts and heat seekers, but can't bear to reinstall Freelancer yet again, DarkStar One should hit the proverbial spot.

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Gamezilla!

With a bit more beefed up graphics and a major fix on the controls it would have been a must buy, still, there is an awful lot of fun to be had playing Darkstar One.

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Worth Playing

While it does have some minor deficiencies that affect its replay value, it should satisfy any cravings you have for blowing away intergalactic pirate scum. The story is engaging, and despite the bad voice-acting, the game kept me coming back to see what happens next.

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GameShark

The problem is that veteran fans such as myself will have a field day in pointing out the game’s vital flaws, and the technical bugs alone don’t’ really help either.

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Computer Games Online RO

The simplicity of the trade system, some shortcoming regarding the interface, the lack of variety for missions and solar system design – all these could have been forgiven if Darkstar One would have had multiplayer.

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Gaming Nexus

A failed epic, DarkStar One refuses to dig into the depths inherent to the sci-fi genre, and largely comes up with what they aimed for: A cheaply fun but ultimately shallow, forgettable experience. The graphics taste great, but the gameplay is less filling.

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PC Zone UK

The X series' universe is much more dynamic and vibrant. DSO does story better, but very little else. [Oct 2006, p.72]

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PC Gamer

Though not the game "Freelancer" fans have been waiting for, space-adventurers will still find plenty of targets to blow up here. And we'll take what we can get. [Oct. 2006, p.105]

PC Format

Hour after hour of repetitive gameplay. In space, no-one can hear you snore. [Aug 2006, p.99]

G4 TV

A bunch of nice ideas and fun combat wrapped up in a fairly bland game. There’s nothing particularly deep going on here, but it sure is a big galaxy.

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ActionTrip

The biggest problem that Darkstar has by far is the fact that it simply feels like a pale copy of other, far more successful games in the genre.

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GameSpy

It's enjoyable for a few brief moments to blow away vessels in a manner that harkens back to the classic Wing Commander. The thing is, without a robust economic engine, an interesting and dynamic universe to explore, or even a decent storyline to follow, DarkStar One is destined to sink into the black hole of gaming obscurity.

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games(TM)

Essentially it's the same five minutes of entertainment repeated over and over again and it quickly becomes wearing and repetitious. [Sept 2006, p.118]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Comi gave it a4:
Game itself is nice, but its completely full of bugs. If you can stand the bugs, the game is fine, but for me, the bugs kill the game. Thumbs down to Ascaron Entertainment for releasing such a shamefully buggy game.

Wayne W. gave it a7:
So tell me what space games have come out that can offer a ship that can be upgraded so many ways,and you can see evolving and morphing throughout the game? The critics o this one seem to omit that fact,and the fact that it lends itself very nicely to the story. My single complaint is the repetetiveness of the missions taken on in the trade stations,looks to be about 6 or so of the same type and exact briefing on EVERY single station! That being said, this is still one of the most pleasant surprises I have had in a space game since KoToR. Bug eyed terrans aside (grin)This game is fun, does tend to get boring after about 4 hours or so, but by that time It's time for a soda break any way.

Elliot N. gave it a7:
This game has very good graphics but the story line is very loose like Freelancer and also the pirates are extremely easy to beat once you get to a certain point in the game. Also the battleships are too easy to beat. Also it's very easy to get money and upgrade and finding artifacts making your ship "indestructable". Although this is the best space game I've played yet it just isn't that thrilling.

Rob E. gave it a7:
A reasonable game throughout, but ultimately unremarkable. Smooth space fighting along the lines of wing commander. Decent story, typically corny euro dialogue. Don't expect the depth of X here. To upgrade your ship, you have to collect the magic boogers or whatever. They're marked on the map. go there, fly in the asteroid, collect them, move on. This process was boring enough that the devs included the option to bypass it by flying to the space station instead. All in all a great space engine that is hindered by uninspired gameplay.

Mobius gave it a4:
I found this game to be far to system hungry, the frame rates where dreadful and just found it unplayable. my advice would to to Play EVE online or pick up Freelancer.

Alex D. gave it a10:
It's the bomb. Seriously. I haven't had this much fun since Colony Wars: Red Sun on the Playstation. And X-wing before that. You just don't get seem to get decent space shooters like this any more. If you liked those, you'll love this. Equipping your ship with an absolute arsenal of weapons and then kicking some pirate butts in glorious 3D (play it on a projection screen) -- what's not to like?

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DarkStar One

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