Best Naval Tactical Simulation Hands Down!
At first this game really doesn't seem like much. You start out as a neutral nation with a small Frigate, very few missions, and if you didn't read any of the online manuals then you are totally LOST. As a new player, this has the appearance of being a very complex game...and in a sense it somewhat is. But keep in mind, risk = reward and it really doesn't take long to get use to some of the features that seem to be really complex, such as manual aiming. Eventually everything starts coming together piece by piece and you realize the game isn't really complex at all...it just has a good number of great features.
READ ALL THE MANUALS AND GUIDES YOU CAN BEFORE PLAYING! I cannot stress that enough. It only takes like 15 - 20 minutes to read over the basic stuff and it will help you out in so many ways. If you wish to just rush in and blow ships up without reading anything....you WILL get fustraighted and quit. However if you have a general idea of whats going on, then your experience will be filled with fun.
This is an outstanding game and it's really got me hooked. Even though it's a MMO, there actually is no monthly fee. Yup, you heard right. You can play this game 100% free...however you recieve 40% less XP which in the lower levels really doesn't slow you down to much. And if you don't like playing with a negative xp modifer than a gold subscription wih +40% xp is only $7.99 (as of July 2008) which of course is cheaper than 99% of other mmo's out there and there's even a premium subscription in which you get the +40% xp AND an additional xp AND credit bonus for only $11.99 (as of July 2008).
So trust me, this is an outstanding game with a mature and help community however, it does start to wear a little thin after a few weeks.