Hardwar (1998)
Genres:Simulator
Themes:Open world, Action, Science fiction, Sandbox
Game modes:Single player, Multiplayer
Story:On the barren moon Titan, within the city of Misplaced Optimism, scavenger operators and ram-runners fight for the right to courier the last of Titan's worthless riches.
Caught between the powerplays of neo-feudal corporations and mutant underworld cartels, there is only one escape. Off-planet.
...You're going to need all the Hardwar(e) you can get.Show more
Vote to bring this game to GOG and help preserve it.1 469
Really great and little known open ended "space" sim with a focus on trading. The word they created in this game isn't huge, but is very alive and has a dynamic economy that kept me busy for hours and hours. The flying mechanics of the ships and ability to buy property and set up your own trade empire is really well done without being as overwhelming as the later X series games.
As I exit the hangar in my flimsy hovering vehicle, and I see the cloud layers, the fog, the constant lightning, I realize I stepped into a truly alien world. Rough, dangerous, but also beautiful in an eerie way.
Just a few inhabited craters on some remote corner of the Solar System. It might not seem like much, but it's actually a lot. The grim colony is brimming with activity. Commerce, manufacturing, extraction, shady deals, killings, intrigue, politics, secrets and survival.
Harsh life and quick unexpected death. You wouldn't want it any other way. Rushing to exploit the newest opportunity. Chilling to the metallic hum of the hangar. Escaping by the skin of your teeth. Rolling in dough. Putting your mark on the world.
Your world, really. Because by now, this horrid place has become your home sweet home. And you wouldn't want it any other way.
Steam has this now, but they did some trickery to get Red Book audio running. I am tempted to buy it on Steam to see what they did as they certainly won't be emulating the original audio CD's. They probably moved the audio to MP3 or OGG or some such compression and then somehow point the game from looking at the CD to looking at the compressed audio tracks. However, the game will not know how to play said tracks (probably at least) so there has to be some sort of middleman type app to handle this.
Great game. One of the best from the era with your whole mission is to escape the moon Titan that you are trapped on and get back to Earth. No one ever leaves Titan. You will find a way if anyone can though.
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