What kind of game are you looking for, specifically? In regards to "space exploration", I can think of three different core -types- of game:
- Open world space flight/combat sims
- 2D top down space games
- "4X" genre space games (not to be confused with the X series of space flight/combat sims
4X games are typically strategy games in which you build empires but do not directly control any one ship. The term specifically refers to the four "x"es, which are  "explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate". Games like Homeworld, Endless Space, Sins of a Solar Empire, StarDrive and many others fall into this category. This type of game will often feature AI alien races that you'll negotiate, trade and wage war with, planetery colonization, and resource management. While most of the titles I mentioned are pretty recent (some as recent as this year), this is an old category with games dating back to the early 90s. Some of these games are turn based, but the majority of the later ones play out more like complicated RTS games.
2D top down space games tend to me smaller, indie titles. SPAZ is a great one, and if you perfer a little bit more strategy over action, then FTL is awesome.
Open world space flight/combat sims (I like all of three categories, but this last one is my favorite) are essentially the "Skyrim" of space sims. These are 3d pilot simulation games in which you pilot one or more vessels and take whatever actions you deem necessary in order to make money and build your resources. Typically, this boils down to trade, bounty hunting or piracy. These games are generally non-linear, allowing you to go wherever you want and do/attack what/whoever you want with the understanding that for every action you take there are in-game consequences. With most all of these titles, there are usually "story" missions that will advance the main plot, but the point of these games is the sandbox freedom. These are distinct from other space flight/combat sims where you are forced to follow a linear mission structure and have no exploration ability outside of what is scripted into those missions.
This genre is sometimes referred to as "Privateer-style" or "Elite-style" games, in reference to two of the earliest games to follow this model.
Here are some modern to semi-modern examples:
- Darkstar One
- Freelancer
- Tachyon (less linear than the others)
- The X series (X, X2 The Threat, X3 The Reunion, X3: Albion Prelude, X3: Terran Conflict)
- Evochron Mercenary
- SpaceForce: Rogue Universe
Of these, Darkstar One and the X series are my favorites (for recent games, anyway). Darkstar One is pretty solid, but is limited in terms of it's customization and exploration options as the story follows a somewhat linear path that revolves around your inherited ship, the Darkstar One. Still, it's a pretty decent game.
The X series, on the other hand, is crazy. It is a ludicrously complicated galaxy simulator, complete with a real economy that is run by the AI that makes up each system. Real trade, piracy, bounty hunting and more will all take place in this massive, single player game whether you are participating or not. You can literally purchase almost anything you encounter in the game with enough money, from the smallest shuttle to the largest carrier and even to nearly every kind of station you dock with. The customization options for your ships are daunting, and there are so many ways you can earn money it's really up to you to make your own strategy. You can mine asteroids, buy additional fighter craft and program them with AI to act as your wingman while you hunt down pirates or enemy races for cash rewards (if you have a law enforcement license), you can smuggle illegal goods into systems, or you can even capture enemy ships to claim them as your own.
X1 is pretty dated (although it's getting a remake later this year), but X2 and up are a great place to start.
So both Darkstar One and X2 and up are great. Darkstar One is a bit simple but it's easy to dive into. X2 and up are staggering deap, but can be a bit intimidating and come with a learning curve.
-Byshop
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