Space Trader is a throwback to the days of yore when we spent all our time on BBS games that involved trading and strategy. That was the first impression I had and it was confirmed when Cameron Tofer from HermitWorks Entertainment said, "I'm glad you were reminded of the old BBS trading games, that's what we were trying to bring back to life."

But this game is so much more than just trading or shooting.

In the game you take on the role of a space-trader. In the first challenge your route is limited to Earth, the Moon and a convoy in between them. But don't worry, once you sort out that challenge you're given to bigger and better things including other planets like Mars, Venus and the Jovian system (Ganymede is the coolest in my book). Along the way you can pick up some bounties on the wanted criminals and become one yourself if you decide not to pay the taxes on your shipments and instead kill the MOA (Ministry of Accounts) agents.

Graphics: 80%

The textures for the NPCs are basic and the people look plastic-like in that late 90's sort of videogame way. Playing at higher resolutions with all the switches clicked on didn't make the game look spectacular, but it did still run rather nicely. Everything looks a little hazy like when they show you a dream in films. Even when I turned all the video effects to high and active the game still had something of a not-so-realistic feel to it. The skin textures are basic and in general the game is not visually stunning. The lines are often jagged and the people are plastic-looking overall. Even the plants look like what you might find in your local 24-hour petrol stop, plastic and lifeless.

But the range of settings is good and each location has its own look and feel. They also did a good job of filling space up realistically. Where you might expect to see a billboard there is one, graffiti, it's there. They even have graffiti on a billboard. Since most of the game takes place indoors there is not a lot of landscape to talk about. But be sure to look out the windows when you can, especially on the orbiting platform at Europa to catch a nice glimpse of the stars.

Sound: 75%

  The audio isn't perfect and I think it's meant not to be. The voice-acting of the NPCs ranges from a godfather-like hiss to a New York version of Scorpions "Come here" which then becomes "Come ovah errre." They are all completely stereotypical. Sometimes it is a little off-putting but overall I generally just laughed at the tongue-in-cheek over-the-top style. But after six or seven times of hearing the same line over it was borderline annoying.

In general the sound effects are good. They don't fall flat but they don't really stand out as amazing or cinematic. Each gun does actually have its own sound and when you shoot NPCs they react with sufficient noise. The music is a blend of ambient and soft techno but repetitive enough to become almost non-existent in my opinion. After a while I had totally blocked it out. When I realized that was when I turned it off completely and played some MP3s in the background.

Gameplay: 80%

The gameplay is fast and furious to borrow an overused term. You can hop from contact to contact in the basic trading menu or hit E for explore and move about in a first-person perspective to find some hidden contacts and stash. This is important because you do not have all the contacts in each station and this brings an extra piece to the puzzle. Not to mention there are other things in the game like hidden cargo and, as in real life, bartenders who know far more about things that are going on than actual bartending, like what bounty head is where and how much he's worth. The NPCs walk in strange directions including backwards and oblique angles, it just looks strange. Many don't move at all but simply stand their ground. Not very realistic but handy when you need to locate a particular trader.

Many of the NPCs have fairly non-interesting and useless information and it does not even pay to speak with them more than once. The game would almost have been equally as good without them though strangely void of everyday life. It would have been better had you been able to shoot them when they said something stupid. Of course I would simply go around shooting them all then.

The first challenge is a breeze and might take you only 2 or 3 times of playing through it to figure out and hit the $500,000 target. The second one is much more challenging, but this is also where the major flaw in the game comes in and is the major reason for deduction in this area. There is simply no save option. I find it hard to believe that you are expected to play through an entire scenario which could feasibly take hours to do without ever needing to stop. The Save option to save progress should have been one of the most basic of features, and yet it is totally absent from the game. I did manage to sit down and make $10 million as I played through the whole thing. But the save option is necessary because the third challenge is something like $25.5 million and could take some serious time.

There is a multiplayer option but it is local LAN only. I suspect it is two or more players attempting the same challenge at the same time to see who can make more money. Why there is not a full internet option is beyond me.  

Controls/Interface: 100%

The controls are great and highly configurable. We all know how much I like configuration options when it comes to games and this one has them all. You can even knock down the visual effects to make the game run more smoothly, but from what I saw the game hardly changes much with them on or off. You can also configure the sound options as well as key mappings so you can use your favorite FPS layout and device if you so wish. When you patch the software you have to input your registration key again. Even to go from version 1 to 1.04. Tsk, tsk... such a minor thing to have taken care of and yet they didn't.

Summary: 84%

Aside from graphics that are somewhat lackluster compared to what we have come to expect and the complete lack of a save option this is a good game, a fun game and worth the $19.99 retail price. If you loved the old BBS trading games and love FPS games then you will probably love this game as well. I have been playing it for around 15-20 hours now while doing this review and aside from having to dump my progress several times because I ran out of real-life time the entire experience has been good. So if you are the type who is willing to sit down and play though a whole challenge in one day then this is the game for you. If not, then maybe wait until they bring out a newer version with a save option in it. I hope they bring out a newer version with a save option.

Again, if you're one of those people that skips to the end to find out what the reviewer thinks, then read this.

It's all great fun, well-balanced and has a good deal of replayability. Even with all this the game still isn't perfect due to lack of a save option, but you just need to finish what you start and all is well. I suggest you buy it if it sounds interesting to you.

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