Freelancer is considered one of the last classic, open spacefaring games before the genre went dormant for roughly a decade. It was released in 2003 to critical fanfare and lackluster sales, which essentially killed any hopes for a sequel. It was developed as the sequel to Starlancer, but takes place far enough in the future that playing its predecessor is optional, since both stories are self-contained. The game's main features include a single-player story-based campaign, as well as a completely open multiplayer environment, thus staying true to the game's title.
One way the game broke from genre conventions was that it focused on mouse-based movement and combat, instead of the joystick design that had been a staple of PC gaming until the mouse essentially replaced it. During the golden age of open space simulators, a joystick was basically a requirement, and part of the reason was that a mouse was not yet a completely standard piece of equipment. By the time Freelancer was released, the roles had reversed, with the joystick becoming an accessory, and every computer essentially requiring a mouse to operate the base user interface.
