Star Control and it’s sequels came out years if not decades before Halo, Mass Effect or their ilk.
So when someone is telling you this game or that game is like that game or this game you hopefully will remember that some of them are copying ideas that haven’t been new since long before the Carter Administration.
Star Control 2 puts you in position as the captain and leader of a ship destined to try and save Earth and the Universe from oppression by the Plot Enemy “The Ur-Quan Hierarchy”. It’s one part space strategy game with plenty of action combat. Presently it’s free as released under Open Source licensing and I highly recommend giving it at least a few minutes search in YouTube. I’m not really sure what I’d compare it to at this point as the style isn’t really like anything else I’ve played..
..Wow.. I’ve never had this problem..