Star sector is the best bang for buck game so far. A real time economy where choices actually matter. You can be a space pirate, trader or a mercenary. Anything is possible.
SpecsUpdate
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Fully simulated economy.
Different planets can have excesses or shortages of certain goods, can be affected by "missing" trade convoys, pirate or terrorist attacks and orbital bombardments - and you can make a profit of all of those things!
Pro Many different approaches to make money.
This game offers many career choices - bounty hunting, inter-faction military actions, trading (while taking advantage of recessions, unrests and the black market), smuggling, colonisation, etc.
Pro Very moddable
The modding community has found many unique ways to make this game more refreshing, even in the hundreth playthrough. Customize your experience to your liking with mods.
Pro Regular updates
The small development team keeps working hard - even years after release - to bring out regular updates that add exciting content.
Pro A wide variety of ships and weapons.
This game offers many different spaceships of all shapes and sizes and even more weapons and mods you can put on them, making a deadly efficient killing machine tailored to you.
Cons
Con Strange responses to what different factions dont like.
Pirates and space-terrorists are understandable. You are profitable, or go against our ideology? We try to kill you. But why are major (even friendly!) factions sending "expeditions" to your colonies to disrupt a specific industry just because they don't like your market share in a specific product? Why does that not count as a declaration of war, and why is the player suffering a reputation loss with them when they fail?