Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War
"Descent: FreeSpace" was well received as a single-player space simulation that integrated all the desired features of its genre, from competent AI wingmen, to the presence of large capital ships that not only dwarf the fighters piloted by the player, but also explode spectacularly when destroyed. However, the game's multiplayer mode was criticised, as it was plagued by lag and inaccurate tracking of statistics. An expansion for the game, which was less well received, was also released in 1998 under the title of "Silent Threat", and focuses on events after the main game's campaign with the player working for an intelligence branch of the Terrans' armed forces that later attempt to overthrow the Terran government. A sequel to "Descent: FreeSpace" entitled "FreeSpace 2", was released in 1999 to critical acclaim.
New Game Plus
A slight variation of this is the clear game (also known as a "post-game scenario"), a special mode that is played after finishing the regular game. In this mode, the player is given the ability to continue playing after the story mode is completed, allowing them to see the effect of defeating the antagonist on the game world and complete any remaining side-quests. "Dragon Warrior II" for the NES and "EarthBound" for the SNES are early examples of this. Other games return the player to the point just before the last boss, such as Zelda and "Star Ocean" series, "Mega Man Legends 2" and "Dragon Quest VIII". Some games like "Fallout 2" do not make mention of a clear game, but rather allow the player to continue playing after completion with no side effects. The clear game in "Mass Effect 2" is notable in that characters that died during the final mission stay dead, effectively locking quests that involved these characters. In many games with this feature, new challenges and levels are opened to give the player an extra goal; each of the ".hack" games featured a bonus dungeon after completing the main mission objective of the games. One of the most notable gaming franchises to use a clear game feature is the "Pokémon" series.