New player question

[iverga60508]

If I want to begin with saga ecosoft, what game would you start with?

[RAVEN.myst]

First off, disclaimer: I am strange, so my opinions are not likely to be conventional
Secondly: although this question comes up from time to time, it's still damn difficult to answer

My advice: if you have the means and the time, I would start as early in the series as possible, and work your way from start to finish. In the end, you will likely end up settling into either X3TC/AP or Rebirth.

If you want to "skip to the end", I can't tell whether to get X3TC/AP or Rebirth without knowing you a WHOLE lot better (my own suggestion: X3TC, then take it from there.)

All the titles are noteworthy in some way:
- X:BtF was the start of the series, and as such is a milestone.
- X-Tension is the reworked/expanded X:BtF that enhanced the game considerably (I took a quick look just to know what it's like, and then skipped it, because I had already played subsequent titles, so I didn't need to linger.)
- X2 is... well, X2 for me is where the series really started, and I think it's a real masterpiece, a classic. It holds up surprisingly well even today, IMO.
- X3 Reunion was an evolutionary step, and an overhaul of the graphics (for both good AND ill, in my opinion.) It marks the birth of "the modern X" (IMO.)
- X3TC was a quantum leap in gameplay evolution, vastly expanding the game not only in terms of content quantity, but in quality and diversity, adding not just more to do, but more TYPES of things to do, and more ways to do things (among many other "mores")
- X3AP is a refinement of X3TC. On the surface its changes seem relatively minor, but are actually deceptively subtle and fundamental. [For me, so far this one represents the high-point in the series.]
- X Rebirth - this is a difficult one: what can be said about it is that it tends to elicit strong responses, whether for or against. It is revolutionary in some ways, and a step back in others. In short, it's rather different, and it's somewhat unfair to try to shoehorn it into the sequence. It represents another graphical overhaul (and again, for both good AND ill), as well as adopting new approaches to many aspects of the genre - some will certainly live on is games to come.

I hope the above helps a little more than it confuses
Good hunting!

[birdtable]

Need more information about preferred play style... Younger players require less challenge and more instant reward/gratification (not a slight on younger players it is just the existing game environment that has been pushed by major developers in recent times) .... Older players seek out a little more challenge.
The modern era of X games I would say start with X Reunion and develops from that point onwards..... To start before Reunion you would more than likely be aware of limitations / graphics /mods etc.
X3 TC and Albion Prelude differ slightly and are very much down to individual preferences.. plenty of choices for differing gameplay.
X Rebirth is a different animal again,, can be more frustrating but contains a vast scope of choices ,,, Trade, Empire, Pirating or just plain Space Shooter plus all four can easily be intertwined into an enjoyable experience.
Which ever you choose you can be guaranteed of one thing .. exceptional value for money.

[RAVEN.myst]

Which ever you choose you can be guaranteed of one thing .. exceptional value for money.

I second that - in my case, it's certainly true that I have played more hours (actually, make that YEARS!) per unit currency, of X games (heavily concentrated in X2 and X3TC and AP), than any other series, even previous favourites of mine that I had previously played obsessively (and here I include such luminaries as the Command & Conquer series and its "spin-off" the Red Alert series, the Warcraft and StarCraft series, the Diablos, Freelancer, Elite - the original one, Supreme Commander, Sacred 2, the Dragon Ages and Mass Effects, Aion, and many many others, both earlier and later than the listed examples... few come even remotely close in terms of numbers of hours spent.) So, definitely top-notch value for money!