So, what are some good recent games?

[Rhydderch Hael]

Freelancer sounds like it has the same sort of faults that the game previous to it in the series had, Starlancer. As a small scale snub-fighter sim, the game engine and graphics are great. However, the storyline was stale to the point of implausibility, the characters badly flat, and the banter between pilots was horribly trite and heavy-handed (never elevating above grade-school jibes). And when I say the missions were closed, I mean closed. Your backseater appears to do nothing else but push you through the mission script (activating the jump drive or ordering a landing if you decide not to) and haul your ass in for execution if you kill one of your own crates through friendly fire.