Well well well. Where do I start. I remember picking up X:BTF from a local shop approx 20 years ago, in its clunky box with printed manual and a CD... boy have we come a long way from those days.

X4 is a space logistical simulation where direct ship control is part of the storyline and there is a LOT to do. It is not for the fainthearted... there is a LOT to learn. With that right off the bat, you can still be content in the game just flying around killing things, mining, trading to your hearts content and the plot lines are progressing with each new DLC. Games can take many many player hours to complete, some people have >300h per playthrough and the 'end' is the players choice. Its a sandbox galaxy. You can universe wipe, keep trading/fighting for those XTREME achievements or just watch the galaxy idle on by and see the infighting between races (all the while providing the ships for those fights).

PROS:
MANY unique ships to control and use depending on your play style.
Decent plotlines that will keep the player intrigued and maybe make them want to go back and play previous iterations of the game to understand the lore
Well thought out economic struggles with AI behind the scenes to compensate in most scenarios
MANY mechanics within the game that provide a lot to do
Future updates look to enhance the game to a level unprecedented in the X universe.
Logistics fans? eat your heart out... Running an empire is not easy

CONS:
Learning curve... its very easy to jump in, very hard to master. There is a LOT to learn. Not all of it is written about, some of it is trial and error. Discord / Reddit / YT videos (if they are remotely in date) will help you. Community written articles, maps and tipsNtricks will be very helpful.
You need a decent system, i.e SSD and a reasonable CPU/GPU to get it running efficiently. The game is heavily dependant on CPU due to how it simulates an entire universe all at once.

Bugs: (DO NOT LET THIS TURN YOU AWAY). They are there and they are in every game. There is a strong community dedicated to reporting and getting these fixed. The devs are respondent and patches are frequent. Nothing game breaking lasts for long at all (hotfixes will be shot out faster than a mass driver for the game breakers) and the minor issues usually have a workaround.

Overall
10/10. There is a reason I have played this series since its initiation. If the base game isn't enough, once you 'complete' that then you start modding... which opens up a whole new world.

Well well well. Where do I start. I remember picking up X:BTF from a local shop approx 20 years ago, in its clunky box with printed manual and a CD... boy have we come a long way from those days. X4 is a space logistical simulation where direct ship control is part of the storyline and there is a LOT to do. It is not for the fainthearted... there is a LOT to learn. With that right off the bat, you can still be content in the game just flying around killing things, mining, trading to your hearts content and the plot lines are progressing with each new DLC. Games can take many many player hours to complete, some people have >300h per playthrough and the 'end' is the players choice. Its a sandbox galaxy. You can universe wipe, keep trading/fighting for those XTREME achievements or just watch the galaxy idle on by and see the infighting between races (all the while providing the ships for those fights). PROS: MANY unique ships to control and use depending on your play style. Decent plotlines that will keep the player intrigued and maybe make them want to go back and play previous iterations of the game to understand the lore Well thought out economic struggles with AI behind the scenes to compensate in most scenarios MANY mechanics within the game that provide a lot to do Future updates look to enhance the game to a level unprecedented in the X universe. Logistics fans? eat your heart out... Running an empire is not easy CONS: Learning curve... its very easy to jump in, very hard to master. There is a LOT to learn. Not all of it is written about, some of it is trial and error. Discord / Reddit / YT videos (if they are remotely in date) will help you. Community written articles, maps and tipsNtricks will be very helpful. You need a decent system, i.e SSD and a reasonable CPU/GPU to get it running efficiently. The game is heavily dependant on CPU due to how it simulates an entire universe all at once. Bugs: (DO NOT LET THIS TURN YOU AWAY). They are there and they are in every game. There is a strong community dedicated to reporting and getting these fixed. The devs are respondent and patches are frequent. Nothing game breaking lasts for long at all (hotfixes will be shot out faster than a mass driver for the game breakers) and the minor issues usually have a workaround. Overall 10/10. There is a reason I have played this series since its initiation. If the base game isn't enough, once you 'complete' that then you start modding... which opens up a whole new world.