Everyone talks about the collapse of the adventure game market, and somehow that eclipses the other major genre of the 90's, the space sim/shooter/shooter. I have fond memories of the golden age of space gaming, games like Descent, Wing Commander, and TIE Fighter, for example, and have always wondered how this genre disappeared.
There have been a few recent attempts, but DarkStar One is first game for the 360 that really captures the feel of the epic series of the 90's. The bottom line is that DarkStar One feels like it could be part of any one of those series; there's a ton of story, a wide variety of missions, and it's just plain fun. The game is cheesy, no doubt, and the graphics are out-dated (it's a port of a PC game from a few years ago), but it captured the spirit and the gameplay of a genre that has been dead for 10 years.
There are plenty of flaws, but it's hard to come in anything but first when you're the only one in your race.
