Right when I first heard about Space Run; before I heard about it's depth, before I knew about it's personality; I was intrigued. This could be the game that I finally get to feel like I'm a member of Futurama's Planet Express delivery ship. It might not be the Futurama simulator I've been waiting for, but it is something much more unique. A tower defense game at heart, Space Run features a remarkable sense of personality and humor that balances well with the challenging depth and customization issues. It may not do much that other games don't, but Space Run is a unique game that's well worth it's bargain price.

"What Space Run lacks in originality it makes up for in humor and personality."

Despite my initial interest, the protagonist of Space Run isn't Fry or even Bender, it's Buck Mann, a smarmy pilot who is a combination of every smart ass smuggler you've seen in games, TV and movies. He's equal parts Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds and a complete blast to play as. It's fun to watch him interact with his clients in well-done fully voiced cut-scenes. What Space Run lacks in originality it more than makes up for in humor and personality. I loved watching Mann crack wise at the expense of his enemies and clients. Even if we never see a sequel to Space Run, I'd love to see Buck Mann again somehow.

Your main goal in Space Run is simple, at least it seems like it at first. You take random transport jobs from clients across the galaxy and are charged with going from point A to point B. Some missions have you moving simple cargo like supplies but you'll eventually get enough reputation where you'll be able to take on larger and more dangerous deliveries like nuclear bombs and ship parts. Before you even set off on your mission, you're tasked with figuring out how you're going to load all of your cargo on to your ship since putting it on unevenly will result in you your ship either being too slow or not being able to take off at all. Oh, and a fair warning to you when you start taking the larger missions - be careful how you load those nukes.

Once you get your ship up, you'll face opposition from everything from asteroid fields to space pirates looking to steal your loot. You'll have the chance to outfit your ship with different thrusters and weapons to deal with these threats but be warned, due to the game's somewhat steep difficulty curve you'll never truly feel like you're prepared enough to deal with everything. A large part of this is due to the fact that any one mission can have a number of different enemies, each with different ways to dispatch them. Say you navigated that asteroid field perfectly, there could be ships on the other end, some that are dispatched with a simple rocket, but others that take some time and strategy to get through. For better or worse, you'll always feel challenged in Space Run but just how challenged will rely on how well you're able to use the upgrade system.

"The upgrade system is deceivingly deep..."

Each of Space Run's missions are graded on a reputation system and better reputation scores equal bigger payouts, which also equals better upgrades for your ship. The upgrade system is deceivingly deep and you're going to be spending a good amount of time tinkering with different combinations of thrusters and weapons to better equip your ship to deal with any threats you'll come up against. There's a lot of trial and error in Space Run, especially in the later stages when you're transporting a lot larger cargo but it's still incredibly satisfying to finish a mission with a great reputation score. I should add though that it's also incredibly satisfying to watch your ship blow up thanks to the game's retro yet visually detailed look.

I was surprised with how much I enjoyed my time with Space Run. It's filled with personality, charm and most importantly depth that matches the constantly changing difficulty curve. There may not be a whole lot of new content here in Space Run, but it makes up for it by creating it's more than made up for with it's personality and depth. If you're looking for a cheap and fun strategy game to waste your time with, don't overlook Space Run.