FreeSpace 2 is a 1999 space combat simulation computer game developed by Volition as the sequel to Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War. It was completed ahead of schedule in less than a year and released to very positive reviews but the game became a commercial failure and was described by certain critics as one of 1999's most unfairly overlooked titles. The game continues on the story from Descent: FreeSpace once again thrusting the player into the role of a pilot fighting against the mysterious aliens the Shivans. While defending the human race and its alien Vasudan allies the player also gets involved in putting down a rebellion. The game features large numbers of fighters alongside gigantic capital ships in a battlefield fraught with beams shells and missiles in detailed star systems and nebulae. Free multiplayer games were available via Parallax Online which also ranked players by their statistics. A persistent galaxy was also available as SquadWar for players to fight with each other over territories.