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In the 24th century, conflict is still a part of everyday life. This is especially the case in the Badlands Cluster, located on the fringes of known space and is for all intents and purposes a backwater region that has a “Wild West” feel to it. People came to the Badlands in order to have a supposedly better life. These people were usually miners, traders, or settlers who just wanted to make an honest living. Of course other things like human greed followed shortly afterwards. After the events of the original I-War, a new government called the Alliance was formed. Unfortunately it too eventually succumbed to the corruption that inevitably crept into every government in mankind’s history, rendering it ineffective in governing its far-flung colonies. Desperate to maintain some semblance of stability, the Alliance bestowed unheard of levels of power to various corporations in the hopes that their wealth will be able to provide for the upkeep of the government’s infrastructure. Like a communist’s worst nightmare, the Alliance became all but a figurehead as the corporations gradually controlled most of known space and eventually used heavy-handed methods in order to protect their corporate interests and support the lavish lifestyles of those who live on Earth. There was little the common man of the 24th century could do against the corporations, especially in the Badlands. That is, until Cal Johnston came along.

Cal, the main character of the story, is sort of the 24th century equivalent of Robin Hood. At a very young age, he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of Caleb Maas, the heir to Maas Industries, one of the corporations that set up shop in the Badlands. Luckily, his father bestowed upon Cal a unique gift before he died, in the form of a portable computer that carried a one-of-a-kind simulation of a certain war hero named Jefferson Clay (think Max Headroom with a bad attitude). Shortly afterwards however, Cal was framed by Maas Industries for a crime he didn’t commit and was sent to prison. Fifteen years later, he manages to escape with a band of rogues that he became acquainted with during his time in confinement. With their help Cal resorts to privateering in order to make ends meet, to help other rebel factions against the tyranny of the corporations, and to gradually build up the means to avenge his father’s death. Thus, in I-War 2 it is your job to guide Cal to his eventual goal and kick some “corporate ass” along the way…

Although the background story may seem a bit daunting to some, I-War 2 luckily requires little knowledge of the original in order to be enjoyed. Not far into the game, a handy encyclopaedia of I-War’s universe (including weapons, technology, and politics) becomes available to the player. Those of you who would be otherwise initially intimidated by I-War 2’s controls will probably thank the developers for including a series of tutorials that are cleverly and seamlessly integrated into plotline in the early stages of the game. Veterans of I-War would also probably find these missions as great refresher courses in addition to being informative because they introduce some of the changes from I-War 2. One thing veteran players will notice is the streamlined command interface that is accessed by the POV hat on joysticks like the Microsoft Sidewinder. Thus, it’s now possible to toggle between the various “stations” of your ship without having to press different buttons and switch “views” since everything is now accessible from the main HUD, which has the result of greatly reducing the complexity of piloting a ship. Another thing about I-War 2 is that the damage model for ships appears to have been simplified greatly, since I’ve never experienced a component failure during combat. The hull integrity always appears to fail before any components get damaged or destroyed (if they do). Because of these factors, the game actually feels a bit more “arcadey” and fast-paced and less “simmy” than its predecessor although you will still have to contend with the “Newtonian physics” model that appears to have been carried over from the first game.

Speaking of components, the method used to obtain them is quite simple really. You “liberate” them or the items that can be used to trade for them. In fact, this is sometimes necessary in order to replenish ammo supplies or to obtain that special upgrade that would make your current mission a bit easier. Thus, it is in your best interests to make an occasional detour from the main story in order to engage in a little piracy. These short periods of freeform play gives you a chance to relax, and explore the world of I-War 2 before diving back into the thick of things. Back at your base (which is actually the old pirate hideout of Cal’s grandmother, Lucretia Johnston), an inventory screen shows the number and types of weapons, equipment or cargo that you have in your horde and it is possible to “recycle” them for materials to be used in the manufacture of other items (provided that you’ve somehow obtained the blueprints for them in the first place, of course). Your base also allows you to customize your ship as well before embarking on any mission and with so many weapons at your disposal so you should have no problems selecting a weapons loadout that matches your fighting style. Unfortunately, there is no way to save any of your custom configurations so it can get rather tedious switching components back and forth each time you want a customized configuration other than the defaults provided.

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