One final gripe involves the background filler material. Some of it is really good, on a par with System Shock or Deus Ex. Some of it is barely disguised advertising for the multiplayer component of the game (which is equally disappointing). And some of it is just utterly useless crap. The big offender is the "mysterious little girl running across your path" NPC that shows up everywhere. If you want to do an homage to Aliens, then let the player talk to her. Build a mission or two around her. If you want to do an homage to F.E.A.R., then build a mission or two around stopping her. What finally happens with her not only makes no sense, it just irritates me with its "WTF?!" ending.

It's not quite worth the effort to chuck Space Siege out the airlock, but its extraneous mass that could be put to better use.

Despite showing promise throughout, Space Siege never dares to throw itself bravely beyond the confines of mediocrity and familiarity. Perhaps if it were driven by a script written with the panache of System Shock, or the gripping, edge-of-seat action of Mass Effect, it would be able to hold its own in today's sparkling climate. Perhaps if its aesthetic value were not so varied and unpredictable, it would hold some artistic merit. Unfortunately, despite serving well as an idle distraction, Space Siege proves completely lacking in the quality of Gas Powered Games' previous releases, and as such remains a thorough disappointment from start to finish.