[Roanoke]

I got it after seeing FS2 made no2 in PCZone's top10 space shooters and couldn't find X3....

[QuantumDelta]

Those two games should not be mentioned in the same sentence!
FS is FAR to Awesome(with a capital A) to be associated with the X series.

As for me.....demo disk, before FS1s release, picked FS1 up on release immediately.

[Klaustrophobia]

i don't really remember how i heard about it or when it was, only that i first played fs1 after fs2 was already out of print, and couldn't figure out why the hell i couldn't find FS2 anywhere.  and i thought FS1 was supposed to be a descent sequel.

[Starkweather]

My grandpa got the FS1 demo disk with a joystick that he bought for MS Flight Simulator, I was really into flying games; I must have played it about 50 times. I always loved going to his house to play it, I didn't play FS2 until 2006, played as much as I could with the SCP (computer was aging) until my joystick went kaput. Recently got a laptop with a decent gaming card and joystick specifically for the SCP, glad to be back.

[Mongoose]

I'm amazed how many people remember what years they first purchased/played particular games.  I couldn't pin it down if you paid me to.

I first saw the box for FS1 at the house of a friend who introduced me to the Descent series, but I thought it was just some weird spinoff thing, so I didn't look into it.  Later on, I saw the ad for FS2 that was on the Descent 3 CD sleeve and thought it sounded kind of interesting, but I still didn't know much about it.  (It's weird to think of a time when "Vasudan" and "Shivan" were strange words. ) I eventually learned more about the series and tracked down a copy of FS1, which I loved from the moment I started playing; I later bought another copy with the Silent Threat pack-in.  As for FS2, I had to content myself with replaying the demo to death until Interplay had that limited-run 20th anniversary edition, which I snapped up as soon as I heard about it.  Granted, it was $50 to the current GOG $6, but it was obviously more than worth it.

[Klaustrophobia]

20th anniversary? o.0

you did better than me, i got the "sci-fi sim of the year" edition on ebay for $80.  i was under the impression the extra content was NOT available freely on the internet. 

[Polpolion]

My brother borrowed it from a friend in 2000 and I in turn borrowed it from him and played it. I loved it, but then my brother had to give it back. Then in 2005 or around then I found the HoTU version of the game (anyone still remember that?) and played it about a million times without the voice files and stuff. Eventually, I got all of the files from someone's FTP server and had the full game.

[Mongoose]

20th anniversary? o.0

The 20th anniversary of Interplay, not FS.  It's an odd naming scheme.

[headdie]

first played FS when i bought a copy of PC format with the demo on the cover disk and a lengthy (p)review in the mag.  I had to play on my sisters computer as at the time my video card wasn't supported by the game, its amazing how long it takes to get bored of defending the Orff

[Delta_V]

I discovered FreeSpace when I found an FS2 set at a second hand store for about $2 back around 2004.  I never found an FS1 disc, but I played FS2 for years, back before I had high-speed internet and had nothing to do on the computer.

[wolfen]

I joined on here July 2 2006, which means I started playing Freespace in June of 2006 ( apx) I had no mods back then, just the retail games, it was fun as H***, and STILL the best game around, the graphics in Freespace are better than ANY modern game.

[Klaustrophobia]

i played retail from the time i got it until january of this year. 

[Timerlane]

I vaguely remember the day I got FS1(holding and looking over the Typhoon box with the fold-out flap, and finally deciding to get it, partly due to the 'Descent' name), and FS2(Oh, a sequel. ~grab~). Both were totally previously-uninformed purchases I happened upon at CompUSA(IIRC).

I had been a fan of the X-Wing/TIE Fighter games; the FS ETS system was a good bit more logical than the X-Wing energy systems(My X-Wing has to drop from 100 MGLT to 88, just to trickle-charge my lasers?), and afterburners made for much more dynamic combat(the TF Missile Boat did have the SLAM system, but that was the only thing remotely comparable). Those were the things I recall striking me first(obviously, the SW universe had more narrative to draw from).

[Dark RevenantX]

Hooked from the latter FS2 demo mission.  Two cruisers, a corvette, and a destroyer (all three races), and all four ships' beam weapons, with a fair bit of explosions while both assaulting a capship and escorting a transport from fighters and bombers, complete with all of the beam weapon colors flying around.  You're even dropped in the mission right as two fat terran beams light it up.  It was the finest demo mission I had ever played.  A perfect showcase of the game.

[X3N0-Life-Form]

Actually, I had never played the full game until 2007. And it was my brother who acquired it (he never finished the game btw).

We had the demo back in 1998, so I was able to identify the game.
/* Childhood memory MODE : ON */

Spoiler:

I remembered  :
     the shape of the mara & the herc 2 ;
     that there was a nice nebula ;
     that there were flak gun on capital ships ;
     that the good guys' beam were blue, whereas the bad guys' were red ; (SGreen : fires once every two months )
     blue beams shooting down torpedos ;
     the name Gamma Draconnis ;
     the two types of missiles ;
     the two types of primaries ;
     that there was a big ship at the end of the second mission, with big orange beams ;
     and of course, the name of the game : freespace 2 (but I don't think I had realized that the universe had nothing to do with Descent) ;

[QuantumDelta]

FS2s Demo in '98? I'd be impressed!

[Satellight]

Confusing with FS1, childhood memories are sometimes a little bit strange 

OR it is a very special edition 

[X3N0-Life-Form]

Yeah, I've never been very good with time location.

[DOCTOR DOOM!!!]

My Auntie got a Freespace 2 "demo" back in 1999ish with a gateway PC.  Also came with a star trek game that I couldn't even get to install!  The disk for Freespace said "DEMO" but it was the full game!  I was awestruck by how realistic the graphics were and the explosions!  However I didn't play it very often cause it was hard to get used to all the controls.  Couldn't get past the 3rd training mission so after eventually skipping it, i got stuck on Field of battle not knowing how to find any Vasudans.  A couple of times I got labeled a traitor for blowing up my wingman so they blew me up a couple of times.  After that one time without being a traitor, I jumped out and was able to continue the game until I got stuck on Clash of the Titans for YEARS!  Used to start over the Campaign and play to that point and eventually I beat it and the game!

Eventually I found out about Silent Threat and Freespace 2 prolly while searching for help to beat Clash of the Titans.  I seen the 3 disk set for Freespace and Silent threat in a Gamestop (I think it was a Babbages at the time) and in about 2005-2006ish after NEVER finding a Freespace 2, I ordered one off Ebay!   

[Drogoth]

My dad got the demo when I was 5, back in '98. We played it together, he bought the full game shortly thereafter.

I played FS1 for 7 years before discovering FS2 (weak marketing, plus the fact that I didnt use the internet much) but when i was twelve I found a copy of FS2 and played it

I discovered the SCP about 3 years ago, despaired in the lack of FS 3, and didnt really pay attention to any mods. I've been lurking on the forums for years though >.> <.<

Started playing through mods a few months ago. Brilliant stuff. Brought whole new life to the game... plus mediavps makes it look just amazing.