Infogrames sends along this press release with word that Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos is now shipping to retail outlets throughout the US. Here's a bit of their description of the sequel to Independence War, which has been available in Europe for a couple of months now (story):

As in the original Independence War, this sequel continues to focus on the logistics and physics of a space simulator while incorporating an action/adventure element with a rich, emotion-evoking storyline and dynamic characters. New to the series is a revolutionary graphics engine, allowing for such effects as rust, decay and wear on ships and stunning fire and flare effects. All ships in the game are modeled using the same textures and details as the ships in the computer-generated movies.

Other features made possible by the new technology include superior non-linear gameplay spanning 16 star systems and the ability to interact with dynamically created space traffic over hundreds of different locales. An innovative user-friendly interface allows 90% of the game's functions to be accessed by joystick.

Independence War 2 allows players to command four playable ships with over 100 weapons and upgrades that can be used in near-infinite combinations. With Internet and LAN multiplayer support for up to eight people, gamers can play DeathMatch, Capture the Flag, Bomb Tag or design their own scenarios. Watch the space opera unfold!