The point of the game is to figure out why some mysterious things are happening to both the human colonies and the aliens the human just got done fighting with. But you don't have to do that, you can trade, pillage, and blow up what ever you want. In previous games you could even own a space station from which you could recieve money from the local commerce. You actually pilot your ship in this game. Its highly recommended to get a joy-stick with rudder control, because the mouse makes you look like a drunken duck (according to gamespot) when you're trying turn on you axis. You can also get upgrades for it, like weapons, armor, engines, and cargo capacity, or just buy a new type of ship. I'm not sure of any multiplayer functions, so.... The game is due out in the USA on Nov.5th, I believe this game has already been released in the UK and Europe.