DarkOrbit, played and written up

Dark Orbit has been running since before most browser games existed, and it shows in the best way: the systems are layered, the map is enormous, and there is always another upgrade path somebody can explain to you at length.

You pick one of three companies, you mine and shoot aliens to pay for a better ship, and sooner or later you drift into contested space where other players are doing the same. The fights are slow and positional rather than twitchy, which suits a browser far better than a twitch shooter would.

It is the grindiest entry on this page and the one with the longest tail. People who like it do not play it for a week; they play it for years.

The parts worth the noise

• Space combat
• Ship upgrades
• Company wars

Who this is for

Players who like a long haul with company - the kind who enjoy a progress bar and a corporation chat window as much as the shooting.

If you want to be meaningfully strong in a week, this is the wrong game. Its rewards are measured in months.

How to start without wasting a week

Join a clan early, even a quiet one. Almost everything in this game is easier with two ships, and the map makes much more sense when somebody points at it.

Do not spread your credits across three upgrade paths. Pick the ship you want to fly and push one line until it is finished.