sci fi addict in need of a fix, please help me choose what to buy

hi - i'm hoping someone might be kind enough to help me choose a new game. i've narrowed it down to a shortlist of three choices, and i'm now looking for people that have played these games to let me know what they're like. i know there are plenty of official reviews out there, but you can't beat the un-bias opinions of the everyday gamer (i strongly suspect many official reviews are not totally neutral...)

ANYWAY, as the title suggests, i like sci fi games. i loved elite, freelancer, alpha centuri, and am now looking for that next ultra playable sci fi romp. i liked the look of sins of a solar empire, so that's pre-ordered and out of the equation, but until it's released i need something to keep me going.

- DarkStar One

- Starcraft II

- Lost Empire: Immortals

above are the 3 games i've short-listed, has anyone played these? if so are they any good? tbs, rts and space sims are all fine with me, all i really care about is the playability. well, that's about it... if there's a game that you think i should get that's not in my list, do please mention it... okay, thanks for your thoughts and any feedback you can offer.

kuub

Since when was StarCraft II out?

yep, my mistake, starcraft II isn't out for a while yet. but if you haven't heard of darkstar one and you like space combat sims, you should consider downloading the free playable demo. i've only tried it briefly, but first impressions were very promising. great graphics, great UI, good playability. reminded me of freelancer a little.

don't know anything about nexus the jupiter incident or X3 reunion though... they both look pretty decent, but that's half the problem, how do you choose which one of the several good space shooters is the one to go for? also i'm not sure i want to commit to a 4 year old game when there's so much tempting new stuff on the horizon (sins of a solar empire, starcraft II, tom clancy's air combat, disciples III). i've made the change to a directx10 system, so i figure i may as well try some games that push the system a little. darkstar one is tempting because it's new and looks and feels solid, it's got a try-before-you-buy demo, and it might just keep me off the streets unil more directx 10 games are released.

i did try eve online, but didn't like the fact you were trapped inside your ship. i'd just finished playing AO and really missed the social element of face to face chatting. without a personalised toon it felt kind of souless and anonymous...

anyway, i appreciate all the comments and suggestions, and have decided to play to the end of my new free demo to see how darkstar one pans out. if it's found lacking, i now have a couple of fall-back games that you have kindly recommended.