I think this is the game that trumped Elite as top space sim. The presentation was on a new level, and the world felt lived in despite the comically stupid antagonists. The heavy Battlestar Galactica influence certainly helped with the presentation and while the gameplay felt pretty simple, it was also easy to pick up and play, making you feel like an ace pilot more often than not. The concept of the story changing depending on whether you were succeeding or failing missions was also really cool.