X Rebirth, the latest installment of the critically acclaimed X series by EGOSOFT is now available for pre-purchase at 10% discount on Steam and through the EGOSOFT Shop.
The X series tell the saga of space-faring humans and their struggles through exploration, trade, and war in what is known as the “X Universe”. First developed in 1999 by EGOSOFT, the series, now approaching 7 different titles, is a staple in the libraries of gamers who enjoy the sci-fi space simulation genre. It is very similar to earlier titles such as Wing Commander: Privateer and Elite in that the player assumes control of a character in a vast universe where they are capable of nearly any role, thanks to open ended “sandbox” gameplay. Multiple ships are available to pilot – such as freighters, fighters, carriers – and are freely customizable through features such as weapon loadouts and propulsion upgrades. In addition, there is a market with real-world ebb and flow of supply and demand and a captivating sci-fi storyline in a beautifully rendered graphics engine.
The newest installment in the X Universe takes place after 2011’s release X3: Albion Prelude. EGOSOFT said that the series will see a “fresh beginning” with the new title, boasting many features such as an updated interface, stunning new graphics, new characters and story line, more content in the sandbox world, and the piloting of only a single ship.
The number of first person sci-fi space simulation games released has been at an all time low for years. Once prominent developers of the genre now shy away from space simulator games. LucasArts released the last X-Wing series of games in 1999, while Origin Systems, the developer of the Wing Commander franchise, was bought out in 2004 by Electronic Arts. The last true Wing Commander game was Prophecy and its Secret Ops add-on in 1997.
The title of Rebirth is perhaps a sign for resurging popularity for developers in the genre. Strike Suit Zero by Born Ready Games was released in January of this year and by 2014 we may see the release of Chris Roberts’ crowdfunded title Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous by Frontier Developments, and Enemy Starfighter by Marauder Interactive.
X Rebirth will be released on November 15th for Europe and November 19th in the United States.
This article originally appeared on TheMittani.com, written by Andupor.
