Apex Legends vs Star Raiders

Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale built around squads of “Legends” with unique abilities, praised for its fast, fluid movement, gunplay, and ping communication system.

Star Raiders is a pioneering first-person space combat simulator for the Atari 8-bit family of computers, developed by Doug Neubauer and released by Atari in 1979. Players step into the cockpit of a Star Raider fighter craft to engage the invading alien Zylon fleet across the galaxy, utilizing forward and aft first-person views and a streaming 3D starfield to navigate. As the Zylons attack Earth Federation starbases, players must warp through space to intercept them before bases are destroyed. Careful resource management is essential, as taking enemy hits can damage critical ship systems including shields, computers, lasers, and visuals, requiring strategic trips to starbases for repairs and energy replenishment.

• Excellent gunplay and movement
• Free to play
• Great non-verbal comms
• Strong hero design

• Pioneering first-person 3D space combat graphics
• Complex gameplay with tactical resource management
• Influential killer app that inspired generations of space simulators
• Engaging system damage mechanics that impact survival

• Squad play can frustrate solos
• Grindy cosmetics
• Steep aim skill ceiling

• Outdated visual fidelity by modern standards
• Can be challenging to master system controls
• Limited to single-player experience