PULSAR: Lost Colony

This game is such a gem, wonderful place to meet new friends and explore all the different roles and ships in this game.

Liar Dice

Fun space make brain go brrrr

This is somehow one of the most original and most classic-feeling games I have ever played. I'm absolutely enthralled and you should be too. I'm sad that I didn't get into this game when it was fresh, but it seems the devs have put in a lot of work and the game feels mature at this point. Even though it is about 7 years old, the game still retains a cult following that plays online together. I'll probably be a part of that cult for a long time. Pulsar manages to capture some of the best elements of classic action/FPS games while bringing profoundly original gameplay to the table. It wouldn't be too glib to call this game Star Trek simulator. You really get to run around in an epic spaceship doing all the bridgecrew stuff, helping people; generally being starfleet officers. Of course there are multiple factions and not all of them are so wholesome. This game conjures Half Life, Faster Than Light, Avorion, all in an online coop or single-player package. The influences are clear, and yet nothing I have played is anything like Pulsar. This game stands alone as an outlet for spaceship captaining fantasies to be lived out to the utmost possible in the boring, old, 21st century. Edit: I have to address some of the criticisms people have leveled at the game, because they seem to come from ignorance or unwillingness to play the game fully. People complain about there not being enough content to justify the price: I've put in nearly 90 hours and I haven't beaten the main campaign yet. I'm playing on Expert only on the largest possible galaxy and it's very fun because there are a ton of missions to keep you occupied. The thing is, you can't just use guides to look everything up and rush through missions. Exploring the game organically is the only way to get the most out of it. As for people's unwarranted complaints about the AI, these too come from ignorance or unwillingness to explore the game. The AI controls are pretty advanced. I haven't encountered this level of custom control over pawn behavior in a game that wasn't a very good colony sim like heavily-modded Rimworld or Dwarf Fortress. I have thoroughly enjoyed gradually gaining finer mastery over my officers as I learn ways to tweak their behavior. My bots are really great, including my engineer and scientist, which are tough roles to tweak. I will say that the weapons bot is not as good as a highly-skilled human shooter, but that's about it. There are times, like the asteroid mission, that I have to fly the ship myself, but it's doable. Furthermore, you can just go find and download people's AI settings if you don't want to become an AI tweaking expert yourself.

¡Bienvenidos a Pulsa: Lost Colony, el juego donde exploras el espacio profundo, te enfrentas a alienígenas hostiles y te preguntas constantemente por qué dejaste que Omar y Pedraza se encargaran de pilotar la nave! En Pulsa: Lost Colony, te embarcas en una misión para encontrar un nuevo hogar para la humanidad en un universo lleno de peligros y misterios. Sin embargo, no todo es tan sencillo como parece, especialmente cuando tus compañeros de tripulación son Omar y Pedraza. Estos dos son más peligrosos que cualquier amenaza alienígena, ya que su habilidad para estrellar la nave es tan grande como su incapacidad para entender las instrucciones del tutorial. Te encuentras en medio de una batalla espacial épica, tratando desesperadamente de maniobrar la nave para evitar ser destruidos por un enjambre de naves enemigas, cuando de repente escuchas la voz de Pedraza desde el puesto de piloto. "¡Creo que he encontrado el botón de autodestrucción!" grita emocionado, mientras tú intentas mantener la calma y recordarle que debería estar buscando el botón de los escudos. Pero Omar no se queda atrás. Mientras tú te esfuerzas por reparar los sistemas dañados y mantener la nave a flote, Omar está ocupado presionando todos los botones que puede encontrar, sin tener la menor idea de lo que están haciendo. "¡Al parecer he activado el dispositivo de teletransporte! ¡Prepárense para un viaje salvaje, chicos!" exclama, mientras tú te preguntas si alguna vez lograrás llegar a tu destino sin ser teletransportado al espacio profundo. Y luego está el clásico "backseat piloting", donde Omar y Pedraza no solo te dicen qué hacer, sino que también te critican cada maniobra que intentas. "¡¿Por qué estás yendo hacia esa estrella?! ¡Eso es lo último que necesitamos en este momento!" gritan, como si fueran los pilotos estrella del juego cuando en realidad son más útiles que un paracaídas en un submarino. En resumen, Pulsa: Lost Colony puede ser una experiencia emocionante y llena de acción, pero también puedes encontrarte con algunos compañeros de tripulación que harán que desees estar en cualquier otro lugar menos en el espacio. Así que adelante, prepárate para la aventura y los amigos desastrosos, porque en Pulsa: Lost Colony, nunca sabes qué te espera detrás de la próxima nebulosa, ya sea una amenaza alienígena o Pedraza y Omar presionando el botón equivocado.

Initially, I was a bit put off by the graphics. I was wrong to be. the devs were very clearly inspired by Star Trek, and it shows in the game in very wonderful ways. A ton of fun to play with friends. The exploration is surprisingly deep, the crew roles are all very engrossing. The gameplay is deep and fun. If you have four friends, or you're just really willing to make friends with strangers to play, I give it a full and hearty recommendation. If not, well, there are bots with customizable AI, so it may still be worth your time.