This is such an incredible game, and packed to the gills with fun. Flying through space is blissful, the planetary battles are gripping, the trading is a treat, and I've run out of adjectives for the text adventures and arcade shooter sections.

This is one of the few games I've played that I did not want to end - there are so many things to do, it's like 5 games in one. If you were bored stiff by Galactic Civ, buy this instead.

Any complaints? Some of the translations are a bit rough, but that just adds to the "alien" flavor of the game.

I bought this game off a clearance rack at a closeout store for four dollars. It sat on my shelf for a while so I could finish some other things, and I was hesitant to install it after reading so many accounts of "StarForce copy protection" wreaking havoc on their computers. Honestly, I think alot of geniuses installed the game and forgot to put the play disc (disc 1) back in the drive. I've had no problem with it whatsoever.

Alot of the other reviewers have already gone into explicit detail about what makes this game so great... I felt the need to write a review because I beat everything and anything the game has to offer and don't know what to do with myself for the moment now that I can't get anything more out of it. It's really that good, and that addictive. Translation, presentation, implementation is all nearly flawless, now I hunt for any "Cinemaware Marquee" products I can get my hands on. My computer isn't so great, so it was very satisfying to play a recent game (2006) that forgoes graphics that are out of the reach of my system and puts so much attention into the gameplay, strategy, and AI. Seriously, the NPC's can do anything you can do, short of exploring new planets and black holes. I woke my roommates up swearing because another Ranger had gotten to a planet that received a shiny new prototype ship I had researched on the game's "planetary search function", saved up for game weeks (real life days), and had driven through four star systems to buy... he got there one day before me and passed by me with it as I approached the space-dock. This sort of reaction may sound like I wasn't enjoying myself, but I was mostly just floored by the fact that people can and do make products like this.

Word of advice to players: do yourself a favor and play on Easy, or at least use the mercifully planned custom difficulty to tweak some of the money and enemy strength settings. Unless you like waking up your roommates with swearing, as I noted above. While I was learning the ropes on Normal the Dominators were conquering system after system, killing many of my fellow rangers. After buying the best gear available at the time and spending thousands of credits to convince a planetary government to dispatch a battle fleet, I charged into an occupied system (just far enough behind to not get shot first!) and barely made a dent before all my allies were crushed and I had to jump back to where I came from... now needlessly short of alot of cash, having had no time to safely collect floating loot from fallen enemies and allies (Dominators, aware of your intentions to collect their superior technology, have a nasty habit of destroying any and all space debris they fly by, leaving you with the options of filling your airlock in the heat of combat or killing them all and cleaning up afterwards) and with a hefty repair bill to boot. Don't be ashamed to run from every ship you see, pirate or otherwise, while you make a lot of merchant shipments and save up for your days of glory, and make good use of the "search function" to keep an eye out as new technology hits the market.

I don't mean to write a strategy guide as part of my review, but explaining circumstances like this should truly inform you of just how different your playing experience will be. The best I can explain is... Grand Theft Auto (in its 2D roots and freeplay glory)+ Strategy RPG + Space.

As soon as I finish typing and click submit, I'm going to install Space Rangers 1 (graciously included in the retail box, a hell of a bargain for four dollars). Hats off to a handful of small companies with a truck-ful of big ideas.

I purchased the game based on Bruce's assertion that Starforce had been removed. I don't know how he got a copy that didn't include Starforce but the version just delivered by Amazon does include it.

Hopefully Amazon will accept the return.

Space Rangers 2 is pure fun. It reminds me of an old game named Privateer that ran on DOS. You run around the galaxy in your spaceship fighting, trading, doing small missions and buying upgrades for your ship. You can play the game as a fighter, merchant or pirate. Part of the game includes a StarCraft like element where you fight in a real-time strategy mode, but for those who don't like that kind of action you can skip those missions entirely. You start off as a weakling and build up as the game goes on acquiring rank, skill, money and reputation. You can also hire other rangers to work under your direction as you build skill so that when you get into battles you bring your entire "entourage" with you.



The game is highly addictive and you will find yourself engrossed for hours (or days) at a time. The Space Rangers 2 development team has done a great job of creating a totally unique genre with this game. If you're into flashy graphical games with weak story lines and marginal game play development this title is not for you.

This game is like StarshipTrader, a web game that I played online once, but with better graphics and more activities.

Oh, yeah ... is StarForce that bad? To the people who purchased this game: Have any of you had bad experience with the version of StarForce that was included with Space Rangers 2?