X3: Albion Prelude! Never heard of it? I don't blame ya. But it's essentially this old-but-gold space trading sim with some twists: For one, the game actively simulates a galaxy-wide economy, shifting prices according to supply and demand, and shutting down factories that prove unprofitable. The bigger twist, though, is that it's not a space sim, but rather a 4X game in disguise. You're able to purchase or capture your own ships that you directly command and send them out on tasks throughout the playarea, some of which can be done autonomously forever. And since there's no limit to how many ships you can own, or how large a vessel you can fly, your typical endgame will see you commanding a literal megacorporation with a monopoly on every industry within the game's economy.
If that ain't enough, the mods I'm using add dynamic wars, and the ability to start your very own interstellar empire. Not bad, for a game from 2011.
