Disappointing... but few options
I'm slightly surprised that more space sim games aren't released - yes it's a small market, but there is so little competition that every game is seen in at least a semi-positive light. DarkStar One is a prime example - I picked it up two days after it's release, hoping for a prettier Freelancer. It impressed me, even if I couldn't max out all the graphics settings. The combat is very similar to Freelancer, which is a good thing in my book. The ship upgrade system was different - I preferred Freelancer's system of buying new ships to increase your capabilities, but I can see the appeal of building an attachment to one ship and increasing capabilities as you choose. The story is generic, big twist at the end revenge fantasy.
However, it's flaws quickly manifested themselves. The missions were repetitive - go kill these guys, or go pick this up, or escort this dude from base A to base B, etc. Granted, Freelancer's filler between story missions was similar, but what made Freelancer appeal to me were the difference in the systems and regions of space. In DarkStar One, every system is so obviously built from the same template that it's embarrassing - jump gates are ALWAYS oriented at point A relative to planet B, space station between them, a few lucky systems get an asteroid base, ad nauseam. Basically, you see the first system, you've seen 90% of the game. Traveling through Freelancer had the feeling of traveling through a universe, and going from point A to B had multiple paths, each with it's own difficulties. Traveling in DarkStar One felt more tedious, not so much exploration as being stuck in a fun house hall of mirrors.
To summarize, DarkStar One is an average game. Being in a genre that doesn't see new games often, many fans wear rose-colored glasses for new releases, so they're usually treated nicely. This includes me - if this was an FPS, I wouldn't have dreamed of spending $40 for this game (which I unfortunately did). My advice: if you find it for $5, give it a try; if you see it for $10, they're trying to rip you off, and need to be punched in the d!$k.