The game Space Rogue pretty much started the concept of flying individual mission and open story game play. You start out as some kind of cosmonaut working for some kind of space federation. When the vessel you are stationed aboard (Princess Blue) encounters a derelict vessel in deep space, you are sent out to investigate all by you lonesome. After you board the derelict ship, the Princess Blue is destroyed by an alien race called the Manchi. The Manchi are basically a race of human sized ants that fly ships the curiously resemble Romulan Warbirds on Star Trek.
Miraculously as the sole survivor, you are now alone in deep space onboard a ship with a suspicious history. That's pretty much the extent of a fixed storyline for the game. Once you take control of the ship, you now have the freedom to survive the universe however you want.
Once you begin actual gameplay, you can earn your living in several ways. First (and most fun) is being a pirate. You fly around tracking whatever ships you can come across. From the uber-powerful Titan-Class vessel that are cheap imitations of Star Destroyers (Star Wars), to the weak and poorly armed cargo ships that you can coerce to surrender their cargo. As fun as it is, there are disadvantages. If you encounter
the Titan ships, they will try to capture you for the bounty that'll be placed on your head. If you have a bounty, then you'll be charged or forbidden from enter a space station or landing on a planet. The other downside is that you may not be able to acquire that many credits to spend. And upgrades are expensive. Also you could be considered a bounty hunter if you choose to attack other pirates for the bounty. This is just as dangerous if not more.
The other choice is being a legitimate merchant. You buy supplies or cargo and deliver them to a star system that has a high demand for certain items. Cargo varies from medicine and exotic pets, to contraband. Having to deal with contraband is a little tricky but not too much, especially since you can obtain forged papers from a gambling robot. Naturally if you choose this profession, this puts you in the crosshair for pirates.
If you want to play the game for the storyline, it has a great one. You primarily start by taking a mission for a Duchess to locate an associate who went insane. After taking the mission, there are plenty of NPCs with missions that are challenging enough to make you pull your hair out. This all leads to a long series of events that take you all over the game system.
The game is divided into two modes of operation. When you walk around outside of your ship on a space station or a planet, you are taken to a sort of bird's eye view. While in flight mode, you are moved into a first person mode. Either way is fun. Walking around drunk after hitting up the local cantina is a blast. Flight mode can make you dizzy if you aren't careful.
Overall, the game is a great choice. The graphics are primitive compared to today, but a great game to take up a lot of time.
