Po stovce hodin strávených s joystickem v ruce si konečně připadam že bych o téhle hře mohl něco vědět. Takže zaprvý: Není to špatná hra. Jestli skvělá, či dobrá to záleží na vás. První překážkou při rozhodování je vaše inteligence - dokážete pochopit obsáhlé a jednoduché menu ? Pak už jsou brány otevřené a neni problém se zabavit obchodem, přepravou osob, bojem, pašováním, nebo dobýváním sekroru po sektoru. Když je řeč o sektorech, herní mapa se skládá z... ehm... hodně sektorů. Každý sektor je stejně velký (asi - jsou hodně velký, ale většina sektoru se nachází mimo veškerou civilizaci) a jsou v něm umístěné brány do jiných sektorů, továrny, obchodní stanice, servisní doky a loděnice. Sektory můžete buď překonávát ve skafandru (pokud jste dost blbý na to, aby jste ztratili svou loď), nebo v jakékoliv lodi kterou jen budete chtít... ehm... pokud si na ní vyděláte, že ? (nebo přepíšete uložený pozice, ale to neni taková sranda) Co se týče NPC lodí, je s nima celkem sranda, například když je donutíte vyhodit náklad, nebo je přeberete, dost to povzbudí váš účet. ...Cože ? Né, já nejsem pirát ! Dokazují to například mé hrdíné činy, když jsem přepadl pirátskou loď, zabavil cenný ilegální náklad a následně ho ukázal Argonským úřadům, když mi skenovali nákladní prostor ...jen si to trochu špatně vyložili, tak jsem měl co dělat abych to stihnul na pirátskou stani... policejní stanici samozřejmě. Zkrátka je zde hodně věcí které můžete dělat a hra je na vás nevyhrne hned, časem si získáte důvěru, kapitál a majetek (problémy taky) a tím si otevřete nové možnosti jak si vydělat ještě víc a... to si doplníte sami.

90%

An hour or so into the game, I'm given a transporter ship and a mission to ferry some civilians from one sector to another. Accompanying me is my employer's daughter, Saya (who bears an uncanny likeness to Alyx Vance). Just as I'm approaching the last jump gate separating me and my destination, Saya's voice crackles over comms: "...I think we're being followed...I swear I saw a pirate ship." We pass through the gate and my heart sinks. A dozen pirate ships were waiting for me. I hand the controls over to the ship's computer and hop in the aft turret to lay down some desperate cover fire. The intelligent auto-pilot system gracefully and effectively dodges the brightly colored emmisions from the enemies' gamma impulse rays as I fire wildly into space.

This is a transport vessel; unequipped for a sustained firefight, and woefully ineffective against a sorty of pirate ships. We aren't going to make it. But then, I remember that I have a ship docked in this sector: an M5 class Argon Discoverer light reconnaissance fighter craft. I call up my shipboard computer and access the ship to ship command console. I order my fighter to fly out into space, then I retake manual control of the transport. This plan might just work. I close the distance between my two craft to about 400 meters, rolling and weaving all the while to avoid the enemy projectiles.

Commanding the transporter to dock at the TerraCorp HQ, I eject into space. Saya's voice on comms again: "W-what are you...where are you going? You can't just leave us here!" I ignore it, my plan already seeming foolish enough without her to remind me. I jetpack over to the Discoverer and enter the ship. Payback time. Locking onto the nearest pirate ship, I engage the ship's thrusters and begin pursuit. My M5 has the weakest weapons and shielding available, but I don't care. I have to protect the civilians; I have to protect Saya.

The majority of the pirate ships turn to face this new threat. Two still chase the transporter. I throw my ship back and forth, narrowly dodging would-be kill shots, but still sustaining heavy damage. Shields critical. Hull at 43%. This plan was suicide. I lock on to the transport to track its progress. 200 meters out from docking. A few seconds away. With renewed hope, I turn my craft around and fly towards TerraCorp HQ and the transport. I just might pull this off.

Suddenly, one of the pirates tailing the transport increases its speed and positions itself between the station and the transport. I'm 2 kilometers out, just out of effective firing range. I can only watch as the pirate ship fires a volley of lasers directly into the cockpit of the transport ship. The transport erupts in flames, spirals out of control. "No," I hear myself utter, "no no no..." The transport ship careens into the station and explodes, and with it, my passengers. My ship's computer makes an announcement: "Attention, your Argon Express has been destroyed by a pirate Orinoco in sector Home of Light."

Saya, my employer's daughter and my character's potential love interest, dead. The pirates break formation and scatter, their mission accomplished. My M5 is crippled, my S.E.T.A. booster, one of the alpha impulse ray emmiters, and my duplex scanner all destroyed. I haven't the time to mourn, however, as I'm already receiving a message from my other employer: the Argon Secret Service. "Welcome to X2," I think to myself, as I fly my busted ship back to TerraCorp HQ.

X2 improves upon Beyond the Frontier in almost every way. You can now fly any ship, leave your ship in a space suit, and trade and command stations remotely. Combat has been heavily refined, the story line improved, graphics modernized, and the universe expanded. This is the one of the few times I've ever seen a sequel outshine its predecessor, and I know that I'll enjoy every second of my journey across the X-universe.

X2: The Threat navazuje na svého předchůdce a v kombinaci obchodního Elite a akčního Starlancera přináší obrovský vesmír s ještě větší paletou herních možností.

Příběh vás v budoucnosti dalekého vesmíru postaví do role zlodějíčka, kterého krátce po zatčení opět propustí, jelikož jeho otec je velké zvíře v megakorporaci TerraCorp. K tomu dostanete vlastní loď a zaměstnání, takže hra může začít.

Příběh je docela dobrý, byť ne vyloženě skvělý, ale bude vás určitě zajímat. Často je výpravěn také mimo kokpit lodě a nechá vás zdánlivě vybírat možnosti v rozhovorech. Animace postav jsou sice docela nepěkné a vaše postava nemluví, ale na dobu vydání to nebylo zas tak zlé a hlavně ani po letech se nedá říct, že by to nějak moc rušilo. Je to pořád lepší styl posunu příběhu než pouhé textové zprávy, které zde také jsou. Samotný vesmír byl pak v době vydání naprosto famózní a vypadá velmi dobře i po letech. Navíc jej můžete sledovat z krásně vyvedených kokpitů, po kterých se můžete i rozhlížet.

Kromě příběhu ale hra nabízí spíše obrovské pískoviště, složené z mnoha vesmírných systémů, mezi kterými se budete pohybovat pomocí skokových bran či později díky hyperpohonu. V každém systému jsou pak různé továrny, farmy, loděnice, servisní doky, elektrárny atd. a navíc je ovládají různé rasy, se kterými budete také budovat vztahy. Bude tedy jen na vás, do čeho se pustíte. Hlavním cílem jsou zde peníze, takže budete muset trochu zapřemýšlet, jak je vyděláte, protože v tomto vesmíru je vše šíleně drahé. Spoustu věcí je navíc potřeba získat i do příběhu, takže peníze zkrátka sehnat musíte.

Jediné vodítko, které je k dispozici, je příběhová zpráva, kam máte letět. Takže se můžete prvně pustit po příběhu, ale už od začátku je vám celý vesmír otevřen, akorát se vám ho hra nijak zvlášť nepokusí představit. Tady si prostě skoro na vše musí hráč přijít sám, což možná někoho odradí. Navíc vše trvá velice dlouho, takže pouhý přelet od jedné stanice k druhé zabere klidně několik minut, pokud si nevšimnete, že vaše loď má nainstalovaný jakýsi urychlovač času. Tohle může na první dobrou odradit fanoušky rychlého a akčního Strarlancera či Freelancera, ale určitě se vyplatí vydržet a na všechno přijít. Hra se vám odmění. Také ovládání a herní menu je složitější, protože budete obsluhovat všemožná udělátka a zadávat rozkazy, ale jakmile vám to přejde do krve, zjistíte, že je to vlastně geniálně jednoduché.

Na začátku tedy máte obyčejnou průzkumnou loď, která se moc nehodí na obchod ani na boj s piráty, ale zase je docela rychlá. Takže jednou z možností je hledat na stanicích jednodušší přepravní mise, které vyžadují spíše onu rychlost doručení. Takže první kredity se začnou sypat. Jenomže, abyste se dostali k další práci, což je i převoz lidí na různé schůzky, potřebujete koupit podporu života do nákladního prostoru, což kredity zase vezme. A takhle to je pořád, protože hra má stále mnoho věcí, které prostě chcete mít a vše je velmi drahé. V jedné misi navíc dostanete polorozpadlou transportní loď, takže můžete taxikařením postupně vydělávat na její opravy a vylepšení, aby vám později umožnila rozjet mnohem větší obchod. Nebo si pořídíte silnější bojovou loď a půjdete lovit piráty, nebo se sami stanete pirátem. Je to prostě zcela na vás. Později pak můžete koupit i vlastní stanice, továrny apod. a vybudovat celé impérium, se kterým si podrobíte vesmír!

X2: The Threat je zkrátka ohromně komplexní hra a nabízí nepřeberné možnosti, jak se zabavit. Není rozhodně pro každého a také není tak svižná a akční jako některé jiné tituly, ale skrývá opravdu hodně kvalit. Bohužel to slovo skrývá je potřeba vzít doslovně, protože není úplně přístupná a na vše si budete muset přijít. Každopádně později, když do jejího systému proniknete a obstaráte si třeba silnější bojovou loď, tak vám poskytne i dostatek té akce. Není to dokonalá hra, ale skvělá je teda určitě!

X2: The Threat is the continuation of the X saga and is, for it's time, the quintessential space game. That is not to say it starts off that great. Most people will quit after a few hours of gameplay and label it a mediocre experience and they'd be right to do so, X2 is not a game that impresses in the beginning, it is a game that requires tremendous investment in time and effort before you start to understand and appreciate the scope of the game.

As the game starts up you're treated to some low quality cut-scene with poorly modeled people trying to cover up their lack of animation, you're then booted into the game with little instruction on how to do anything and a tutorial that is so completely useless at actually teaching you anything it might as well be a deterrent to keep new players from learning the game.

You will spend your first few hours struggling with your flight controls and trying to figure out how trading works stopping every once in a while to curse at the unintuitive HUD and the lazy save game system.

But then, at some point between frustration and throwing your PC out the window you will discover something. This game is awesome once you figure it out. X2 like it's predecessors doesn't want to tell you want to do, it simply wants you to do. Want to be a pirate? Go do it. Want to be a trader? Go do it. Want to be bounty hunter or a mining mogul? Go do it. Change your ship, create a fleet, manage vast networks of trade ships and mining complexes, you are free to do as you please in this vast and open universe.

There is a storyline hidden somewhere out there between the stars. The game starts you off in the classic role as a prisoner getting one last chance at redemption and as you progress through the game a story will unfold, if you want it to. The storyline is entirely optional and most people will probably end up ignoring it most of the time in favor of the open-ended gameplay that is at the core of X2.

The game is quite beautiful as you float between the stars and watch the myriad of anomalies, space stations and ships that make up the various star systems you visit. The character models and the cut-scenes however are of a much lower quality and will often make you dread having to speak to somebody aboard a space station.

All in all X2:The Threat is a great game, if you can get past the insanely steep learning curve.

X Games are a genre unique unto themselves. The game is basically a sandbox universe made up of multiple sectors or solar systems connected by jump gates.
The main objects in the sectors are factories which consume and produce products; and different kinds of space ships flying about doing different tasks; such as freighters collecting or delivering products, military ships defending the sector, pirates doing their business (they don’t bother you too much), and a mysterious enemy called the Khaak (that will bother you relentlessly).
You can choose the role you want to play. Be a pirate hunter; steal their ships and sell them for profitsss. Become a pirate yourself if you want. Or become a business magnate; build a commercial empire with factories in multiple sectors and your own fleet of freighters. Get rich so you can buy the high-end ships and equipment and go and conquer the universe. It’s really up to you.
There is a storyline you can follow if you want. It’s not great really; but you can drop in and out of it as you like.
X2 is not an arcade dog-fighting game. If that is what you want you will be disappointed. The game requires a lot of time & patience to learn and play. For those who like sandbox simulation games, with an emphasis on building an empire from scratch X2 The Threat is excellent. Although that said the subsequent iterations have improved the gameplay and graphics. So if you want to play just one X game this might not be the one to choose. The whole series is available here on Steam, so do a little research and decide which one you want to jump into.
(ps I have the game on Steam but I played a retail copy)

Ha je buggnutá v jednej časti a to skoro na začiatku pri pátraní po zemi. Vôbec sa to nedá prejsť.

Nevím proč bych tomu dával více času. Intro a další filmečky které než vás pustí do hry vám zřejmě zaberou déle než celá hra. Soudě podle začátku hry a Intra přiběh je něco do čeho šlápnete na ulici a uděláte ehhbhl .

Economic simulator IN SPACE! You will HATE this game if you expect to fly around blowing stuff up like a bad Wing Commander clone and I will laugh at you for it. This game is for people who extract joy from maximzing profits as they dominate the market on space weed and use their illicit drug money to build an armada to destroy entire races because a transporter from a neighboring sector bought all the energy cells for their worthless wheat farm.

Do you like spending long hours establishing your empire?
Do you like big learning curves?
Do you like working a second/third job?
Do you want to wreck the economy?

If you answered yes to those questions you will enjoy this game, otherwise just go away before you become another one of those people who just doesn't get it and hates the X series without really knowing why. Unless you hate Rebirth, that's different.

First Impression Only.

After trying for weeks to get comfortable with X3, I thought I would step back and try X2. Much better pace! I would highly suggest anyone trying to get the hang of X3 to do X2: The Threat first. It is not so much the story line, but the overall feel of the game. While the controls differ sleightly from game to game, as they are approached differently, what you NEED to do is still the same.
With that said, the game is VERY reminisance of FREELANCER in many ways, and not X3. For starters, X3 has no player/NPC 3rd person visuals and comes across more as a serious EVE ONLINE style, where X2 seems to be more story oriented.

The voice acting is great (above par for the year it came out), however, it can seem diminished by the horrid NPC artwork. - So bad in fact, I did not have difficulty staring at the close-caption in order to avoid looking at them - YUP they are that bad.

But that does not take away from the game. X3 takes some of the soundtrack as well. So when completed with X2, and you decide to move to X3, it will still feel familiar, albeit more mature feeling. You 'll have a better understanding of the controls and how to move about as well.

If you're like me, and want to be an X fan, try this one first. It helps a lot to go into X3

X2 is very complex, and overwhelming when you start to play. The learning curve from X:btf to X2 is huge.
(Xbtf wasn't exactly easy to play at the start)

It'll take several hours and lots of time in the training menu before you feel confident and start to really enjoy it.
This was the first X game i played when it was released, I accidently ejected from my ship, couldn't get back in it, then put X2 down and was scared away from the series.

However 13 or so years later i tried again. And the verdict is............. I LOVE IT.
freelancer held a special place to me, but after learning X, freelancer seems rubbish.

I would seriously recommend playing X:btf first!
Also this game looks so amazing after playing the first one.
The biggest bonus is all the information i wrote down on the first game (like a universe map) meant i was able to find the places X2 was trying to send me really quickly, and i knew what the factories required and where to find it instantly, which was a god send.
Not having to learn all the tradable resources and factory requirements, aswell as controlling the ship was a huge weight off my shoulders.