Escape Velocity! Kinda like Privateer but better.

yeah i was wicked addicted for a while back then. i think i played EV:Nova, which is the third one?

i ended up a little disappointed after a while. it does have a big master narrative that you can get into in a number of different ways

here we go, nice little screenshots:

http://curmudgeongamer.com/images/articles/20030916095120945_2_original.jpg

http://curmudgeongamer.com/images/articles/20030916095120945_1_original.jpg

I used to play this relentlessly in college for about 3 years.
What version are they on now?

3rd one. EV Nova.

it run okay under OS X? I've never bothered to try.

Don't know. I would assume so, since Ambrosia is mac-based. I've only played the winders version.

And speaking of Privateer, here's fun fact:

Clive Owen starred in the live-action bits of Privateer II.

Ah, the 90s.

hahaha whoa I still have Privateer II, I should fire it up and check that out

haha: found this in a GIS:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671578324.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://www.wcnews.com/newestshots/full/p2tamessaames2.jpg

http://www.wcnews.com/holovids/cinematics_privateer2.shtml

Holy shit, guess who else was in this:

http://www.wcnews.com/holovids/shots/full/p2davidhassan1.jpg

http://imdb.com/title/tt0117391/fullcredits#cast

        David McCallum	... 	Canera Captain

	Don Warrington	... 	Canera Helmsman

	Christopher Walken	... 	David Hass

	John Vernon	... 	Fark

	John Hurt	... 	Joe the Bartender

	Clive Owen	... 	Lev Arris

	David Warner	... 	Rhinehart

	Brian Blessed	... 	Uncle Kashumai

	Amanda Pays	... 	Third Assassin

	Jürgen Prochnow	... 	Xavier Shondi

and a bunch more folks, who i don't know since i never watched Coronation Street or EastEnders...

http://www.wcnews.com/holovids/cinematics_privateer2.shtml

Holy shit, guess who else was in this:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0117391/fullcredits#cast

unfortunately the sound is fucked up on my computer or I'd be playing this for the cutscenes right now. I never did play it, it was just something someone game to me and has sat in a box for 10 years.

gave

EV Nova is superb game, and I enjoyed it immensely when it came out. However, because the enemies are all AI-based and don't get better as you do, it's possible to carefully equip a ship so it's an unstoppable destroyer. So towards the endgame, it's not particularly challenging.

The game designers seemed to believe that the most powerful ships would be slow "aircraft carrier"-type capital ships which launch fleets of flighters and have heavy guns, but actually the best ships are highly upgraded mid-sized ships with maxed out speed. My upgraded class E Starbird (if that's the name; it's been a while) could wipe the floor with any large capital ship.

If they made a new version with internet multiplayer it would be the best thing ever.

flighters = fighters obv.

Also, according to this game, the Irish have taken to the stars. You meet up with a guy who gets into fights in a Terran bar. On certain planets, Guinness Barrels are a trade commodity.

Yes! Different countries conquered their own planets, so the Brits have one with old-school pubs while the Irish have a mercenary planet you can ally with if you save the guy in the bar fight.

Irish have a mercenary planet you can ally with if you save the guy in the bar fight

Ah ffs!!! That's ridiculous, FU Escape Velocity, you are teh bitch. But:

Also, according to this game, the Irish have taken to the stars(...)On certain planets, Guinness Barrels are a trade commodity.

I have to admit this is kind of cool... </hypocrisy>