Star Citizen's latest video is pure space sim. Assembled for a recent presentation of developments in AMD graphics technology, the footage does more than show off all the polish that's being applied to the ambitious project. The video also works as a subtle vehicle for the highly-anticipated game's story.
But for me, it's the sense of perspective in the video that makes it work as a "sizzle" reel for the game. When space sims function well, a player gets to feel as if he or she inhabits the role of a starship pilot. Seeing how Star Citizen stitches together its various approaches to the idea of a space sim—a hanger, a profile of a space port, or a Vanduul ambush in an asteroid field—adds some weight to whatever narrative that will end up emerging from the game's universe when its pilots step out of the cockpit.
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