11. FTL (Faster Than Light)
Star Trek fans continually lament they've never had a truly brilliant spaceship-commanding experience - but that's where FTL comes in. Putting you in an omnipotent role as the overseer of a ship of your own customisation, you'll embark on a cross-galaxy quest to deliver some plans to your allies - the rub coming with the realisation you're being doggedly pursued by a fleet of rebels. Although the game's map is pretty expansive in letting you do everything from docking and resupplying to rescuing stranded ships and communicating with potential adversaries, it's the combat that gives the most reward. A top-down perspective governs your field of view (the whole game has a very minimalist take, only focussing on the necessary information to get you by), but you'll have to think of every last part of interstellar warfare to succeed. The options to customise your ship are endless. Scanned an enemy ship and noticed where their warp drive is? Target that and they won't escape. Aim for the O2 supply instead and you'll suffocate the crew directly - but that means you can't then recruit them if you're victorious. All the while you'll need to prepare defensive strategies like opening specific exterior shutters to ventilate rooms where fires have broken out, deploy crew members to go blaster-to-blaster with any intruders, and ensure your own FTL drive is powered up enough to escape, should things go pear-shaped. It's a remarkable little title from a two-man team of ex-2K developers where replayability and experimentation is encouraged, something that for sci-fans of any description, is a must-play.