Hmm, X3 looks interesting. I remember playing Privateer for hours upon hours as a kid. Of course, I think that was because the version I got had that issue where if you failed the first mission at New Detroit, the computer would not allow you to redo the mission nor did it inform you that you couldn't continue the storyline. Haha! I went to every planet looking for someone in the bars to give me a mission. Ah those were the days.
In any case, how does this compare to Freelancer? Also, do I need a joystick to play? I looked at the GoGamer site and it says you can use joystick and keyboard/mouse. I still own a joystick but I don't have a gameport on my sound card anymore.