X3 Terran Conflict

In 1985 I got hooked on a game called ELITE. I still play it occasionally on my Apple II emulator. Now, almost 30 years later, many have tried to recapture the essence of Elite: open-ended, freewheeling space trade. EVE online. T Minus. The X series. They all try, and X3 is the second time I've tried an offering from this series. X3 may be an OK game, but it is overly complex (however, that may appeal to you), and somewhat oddly paced. Some aspects of the interface (especially management of resources later in the game) are ill conceived or badly executed. This game is aimed at the hardcore gamer, with a stunning array of options, configuration options, and a learning curve to match. Worse, X3 can be singularly unforgiving - a small mistake during the initial phase of the game can come back to haunt you countless hours later. Again, this may appeal to hardcore gamers - but not to me. The tutorial is, unfortunately, not up to the task (unless you are either dedicated, happy to experiment, or have experience with one of the game's predecessors). A definite turn-off, though, is that it is neigh on impossible to play X3 without a joystick. Combine this with long load times, and for me this game holds only little appeal. The graphics are nice, though.