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      <h5><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">//<a href="../../../index.html"><font color="#7C420E">loonygames</font></a>://<a href="../index.html"><font color="#7C420E">issue 
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              <h5 align="right"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#00025E"><img src="../../images/icons/shelf_final.jpg" width="191" height="240" align="left"><loonystart>Vol. 
                2, Issue 9<br>
                January 27, 2000<br>
                </font></b></h5>
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              <div align="center">
                <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000FF"><i><font color="#904C10" size="3">The 
                  Top Shelf:</font></i></font></b></p>
                <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000FF"><i><font color="#904C10" size="6"> 
                  Freespace 2</font></i></font></b></p>
                <p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">by 
                  <a href="mailto:hb@loonygames.com">Noel &quot;HB&quot; Wade</a></font></p>
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              <p align="left"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="../../images/letters_new/h.jpg" width="26" height="39" align="left">ere&#146;s 
                a novel concept: An alien race threatens the human race. It&#146;s 
                a kill-or-be-killed situation, and we&#146;ve got to take to the 
                stars in our space fighters (many of which are developed from 
                ships found in the previous game in the storyline) to defend civilization 
                as we know it. If you&#146;ve EVER played a space combat sim in 
                your life, you&#146;ve probably heard this whole spiel before. 
                In fact, with a few notable exceptions (like <b>Battlecruiser 
                3000 AD</b> and a few forth-coming products) - space combat sims 
                haven&#146;t changed much in many years.</font></p>
              <table border="0" align="right" bgcolor="#D7B582" width="98" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
                <tr> 
                  <td height="43"> 
                    <div align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http:/home/loonygames/loony.timedoctor.org/content/cgi/image.pl?image=/content/2.9/shelf/images/fs1.jpg&amp;w=640&amp;h=480&amp;back=/content/2.9/shelf/index.php&amp;name=The%20Top%20Shelf"><img src="images/fs1_sml.jpg" width="96" height="72" border="0" alt="click to enlarge!"></a></font></div>
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                  <td height="18"> 
                    <p align="center"> <i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1" color="#000253"><ignoreme>Dang 
                      there's a lot on that screen (40k)</ignoreme></font></i></p>
                  </td>
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              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Unfortunately, 
                I can (with conviction and a clear conscience) say that <b>Freespace 
                2</b> is following directly in the well-trodden footsteps of those 
                before it. In fact, it seems that it is almost stepping in the 
                exact boot-prints of previous games. However, rather than jump 
                right into the details, I want to take a moment to acknowledge 
                that <b>Freespace 2 </b>does deliver fairly solid gameplay in 
                a tried-and-true format. I experienced no major bugs or hassles 
                with getting the game to work. I found no features notably absent, 
                and no features were boasted about that they didn&#146;t actually 
                provide. The game ran solid and required no crazy patching or 
                setting-tweaking.</font></p>
              <p align="left"></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Graphically, 
                the game is very strong. Textures are well done, and while poly-counts 
                for ships aren&#146;t high, good lighting and plenty of ships 
                on-screen at once help make up for it. Effects are done well, 
                although I personally don&#146;t like the lengthy &#147;death 
                throes&#148; that most targets go through before falling off your 
                radar screen. The game isn&#146;t revolutionary in the graphics 
                department; but its close to cutting edge for the genre, and is 
                clean and solid. Although I hold a special place in my heart for 
                the &#147;Babylon 5 Combat Sim&#148; that never saw the light 
                of day, <b>Freespace 2&#146;s</b> graphics come close to reminding 
                me of the battles and action from the <i>Babylon 5</i> TV show... 
                much lower poly counts, to be sure; but the look and feel of the 
                action are very similar.</font></p>
              <table border="0" align="right" bgcolor="#D7B582" width="98" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
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                  <td height="43"> 
                    <div align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http:/home/loonygames/loony.timedoctor.org/content/cgi/image.pl?image=/content/2.9/shelf/images/fs2.jpg&amp;w=640&amp;h=480&amp;back=/content/2.9/shelf/index.php&amp;name=The%20Top%20Shelf"><img src="images/fs2_sml.jpg" width="96" height="72" border="0" alt="click to enlarge!"></a></font></div>
                  </td>
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                  <td height="18"> 
                    <p align="center"> <i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1" color="#000253"><ignoreme>Purty 
                      (31</ignoreme></font></i><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1" color="#000253"><ignoreme>k)</ignoreme></font></i></p>
                    </td>
                </tr>
              </table>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sound-wise, 
                the game is fairly good. I think that some sounds are too transient 
                or &#147;arcade-y&#148;, but overall they keep you in the game 
                (I could pick a bone about sound traveling in space... but, I&#146;ll 
                let it slide for gameplay reasons). Voice acting is well done, 
                if not spectacular; and the background music for things fits decently 
                well &#150; if not exactly drawing your attention or making you 
                think &#147;gee, this stuff is good&#148;.</font></p>
              <p align="left"></p>
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              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></loonystart></font></p>
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<p><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2">Credits: Illustration 
  &copy; 2000 Dan Zalkus. This review is &copy; 2000 Noel Wade. All other content 
  is &copy; 2000 loonyboi productions. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited, 
  goldarn it.</font></i></p>
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