X2: The Threat

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 241 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
X2: The Threat Game Cover
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In X2: The Threat, play as Julian Gardna and experience a new generation of space simulator games. Explore 130+ sectors with improved graphics, discover new ships, and upgrade your systems with a scripting engine designed for X². Engage in combat with new weapons, mine asteroids, and expand your empire through trade and factories.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 241 reviews
story15 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • X2: The Threat offers a vast, open-world experience where players can choose their own path, whether it's trading, combat, or building an empire.
  • The game features a complex economy and dynamic trading system that rewards strategic thinking and planning, making it highly engaging for players who enjoy simulation and management.
  • Despite its dated graphics, the game has a unique atmosphere and depth that many players find immersive, with a rich universe to explore and interact with.
  • The steep learning curve and unintuitive controls can be overwhelming for new players, often leading to frustration and confusion.
  • The graphics and cutscenes feel outdated, which may detract from the experience for players accustomed to modern visuals.
  • The game can be slow-paced, requiring significant time investment to progress, which may not appeal to those looking for immediate action or gratification.
  • story109 mentions

    The story in the game is present but largely optional, allowing players to engage with it at their own pace or focus on the sandbox elements of trading and building. While some players find the storyline easy to follow and appreciate its progression, others criticize it for being unengaging and poorly organized, with frustrating mission designs. Overall, the narrative serves more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central focus, with many players preferring to immerse themselves in the game's expansive universe and economic systems.

    • “The game does have a storyline, but it does not get in the way of the sandbox elements; you can return to the storyline at any point.”
    • “The storyline is interesting to say the least, but don't expect a happy end...”
    • “The x universe has a rich and deep backstory with game mechanics that make you feel like you are in a living universe.”
    • “Characters suck, storyline sucks, but the fun of flying the ships... trading... building your own stations are fun as hell.”
    • “The missions logs are so unorganized.”
    • “The storyline for this game isn't that long, or particularly enthralling, but X's real draw is its sandbox style outlook to economic empire-building in space.”
  • graphics41 mentions

    Overall, the graphics of the game are considered outdated and blocky by modern standards, often described as "unsightly" or "pathetic," particularly in cutscenes and character animations. However, some players appreciate the charm of the older graphics and find them acceptable within the context of the game's engaging mechanics and expansive world. While later iterations have improved visuals, many still feel that the core experience remains enjoyable despite the graphical limitations.

    • “The graphics are unreal, big world very hard to get the hang of the game but once you do it's amazing worlds with all kinds of things to do, you can just build an empire, or you can fly around trading and fighting pirates, you decide, very awesome game, hardly has an end game at all, it just keeps going.”
    • “Graphically, it is naturally an upgrade over what we had in x-tension - greater poly counts, better texture resolutions, bump mapping, stencil shadows for whatever reason.”
    • “The graphics are fine and still stand the test of time today.”
    • “Graphics, sounds, animations and general overall presentations are pathetic, especially for the year of release.”
    • “I usually don't mind older graphics that much, and with some games I even find it charming, but in this case, it just looks bad.”
    • “While the character graphics in the cut scenes aren't great and the dialogue is a bit wooden by today's modern standards, x2: the threat is a great introduction to trading-based games.”
  • gameplay28 mentions

    The gameplay of the space trading simulator is described as complex and vast, offering hundreds of hours of engaging content, though it comes with a steep learning curve and challenging controls that may deter some players. While the core mechanics are solid and rewarding, particularly in sandbox mode, many users find the initial experience tedious and the interface cumbersome. Overall, the game excels in creating a rich, immersive universe, but requires significant investment in time and effort to fully appreciate its depth.

    • “After playing it all these years later, I actually played it far better and understood a lot of mechanics. It's a very complicated and vast space trading simulator with so much to do, and you can spend hundreds of hours building your space empire.”
    • “The gameplay is solid; there are some clever mechanics (capturing Xenon ships is both a challenge and very rewarding), and there is enough to keep you occupied after the main story if you want to become a production mogul.”
    • “Although it has a steep learning curve, half the game is played in the menu screens, and certain gameplay elements could use extra depth; it still delivers an overall atmosphere and style of sandbox gameplay that I keep coming back to and haven't found anywhere else.”
    • “While perhaps this game may have decent gameplay, the controls are very complicated which makes it very unplayable.”
    • “Most people will quit after a few hours of gameplay and label it a mediocre experience and they'd be right to do so; X2 is not a game that impresses in the beginning, it is a game that requires tremendous investment in time and effort before you start to understand and appreciate the scope of the game.”
    • “While this is often excusable with decent gameplay, I couldn't even get into the gameplay because the controls are difficult as hell to understand.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while ship capturing has improved and is less tedious than in previous versions, the need to manually equip ships and manage production chains can become cumbersome. The early game is particularly criticized for its slow progression and high resource requirements, leading to a tedious gameplay experience, especially when managing large fleets. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as flawed and detracting from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “Outside of common exploits, that all the guides point you to, the gameplay at the beginning seems tedious at best - you make close to nothing, and everything you can do requires hundreds of thousands of credits invested.”
    • “And even then, managing a huge combat fleet can be tedious.”
    • “Micro-managing a fleet of just 50 ships and like 2 dozen factories is super tedious.”
  • atmosphere7 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique and immersive qualities, with hand-drawn backgrounds and a distinct aesthetic that many players find superior to newer titles. Despite some gameplay limitations, the overall ambiance and sandbox style create a compelling experience that keeps players returning, highlighting a nostalgic charm that sets it apart from its sequels.

    • “The style and atmosphere is vastly superior.”
    • “The later games may be larger and have better combat, but I really miss the aesthetics of X2, and it easily has the most immersive atmosphere of the series.”
    • “The x3 games (Reunion, Terran Conflict & Albion Prelude) may have more polish to them, and arguably a bit more content and options, but I feel like x2 has more 'atmosphere'.”
    • “Although it has a steep learning curve, half the game is played in the menu screens, and certain gameplay elements could use extra depth; it still delivers an overall atmosphere and style of sandbox gameplay that I keep coming back to and haven't found anywhere else.”
  • music7 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with a mix of peaceful ambient tracks and humorous soundscapes that add depth to the experience. Players appreciate the strong cyberpunk vibes and the cozy yet moody sound design, making it a standout feature that complements the game's aesthetic. Overall, the soundtrack is considered excellent, contributing significantly to the enjoyment of exploring space.

    • “It was so beautiful and peaceful, and the music was great.”
    • “Station design is great, and overall, while X-Tension was cozy and glowy, X2 is darker and moodier with strong cyberpunk vibes, even more accentuated by dark gray UI and new additions to the soundtrack.”
    • “X3 takes some of the soundtrack as well.”
    • “You have to play the game to hear the humorous soundtracks in the background while docked at space stations.”
    • “I can spend hours just floating around space listening to the ambient music and running away from a massive fleet of kick-ass Borg-type aliens.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its classic, absurd dialogue that consistently elicits laughter, such as the memorable line "prepare a disco immediately!" Players also appreciate the amusing soundtracks that play while docked at space stations, adding to the overall comedic experience. However, some players find the final mission frustratingly difficult, which detracts from the enjoyment.

    • “This ancient game is hilarious! It has the classic unbelievably stupid dialogue that Egosoft is famous for, such as 'Prepare a disco immediately!'”
    • “You have to play the game to hear the humorous soundtracks in the background while docked at space stations.”
    • “That one still makes me fall off my chair laughing every time I hear it! The game itself is in fact very good, but the last mission is dreadful. I have only ever completed it once, and it took me sixty attempts to do it. Really not cool.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Users report that older games face stability issues primarily due to the lack of native support for DirectDraw in Windows, leading to potential graphical glitches during emulation. Additionally, some games are described as very buggy, with poor-quality cinematics contributing to the overall instability.

    • “The main problem with these older games is that they require DirectDraw, which isn't natively supported by Windows anymore, and emulation can cause graphical glitches.”
    • “A very buggy game; the cinematics were amusingly poor.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The game features no microtransactions, which has been positively received by users, indicating a focus on a complete experience without additional costs.

    • “No microtransactions, which makes the game feel fair and enjoyable.”
    • “The monetization model is transparent and doesn't hinder gameplay.”
    • “I appreciate that there are no pay-to-win elements in this game.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players often express a sense of nostalgia and regret for not engaging with the game sooner, highlighting its emotional impact and the connection it fosters once played.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

20hMedian play time
29hAverage play time
2-66hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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