Wing Commander
Once upon a time, in the now-gone magazine Datormagasin, there was an article about this new game for the PC. Basically, it was a space-combat sim, owing a lot to Star Wars. It needed a souped-up 386 with a Soundblaster soundcard and a 256 color graphics card to run smoothly, and it was great. It was Wing Commander, it made people want to upgrade to be able to play it,and no-one believed it could be converted to a lowly 7 Mhz Amiga. But it was, and it was just as great. The thrill of moving in on a Kilrathi cap ship, surrounded by nasty Dralthis, and with the event-sensitive music in your ears, is right up there with the finest moments of space combat on any kind of screen. I haven't played the original PC version, only the Kilrathi Saga version, but the only difference is that the music has been re-orchestrated. Now, it sounds almost as good as the Amiga music did, and it plays a little bit smoother.
And, above all, the mood is back, much because of the music and the small sequences. After the briefing, you see the pilots running to their ships, accompained by sirens and quick-paced music. Then, you see yourself sitting in your ship putting on your helmet while the cockpit closes and the mechanic finishes checking your ship. Then, you are placed inside your ship as it leaves the hangar and the mission begins. Those sequences and small details add tons to the cinematic feel of the game, and they're not so long that they pull down the pace or get boring.
Nothing gets boring in this game, by the way. Action comes fast and thick and the missions aren't too long, you always get that lust for revenge when you are shot down. And there are medals and promotions and praise from your commander and your friends if you do well. It simply feels so good to play you won't even miss the Death Star.
Another great thing about the game is the fact that the story is affected by your actions. If you fail a mission, you can go on playing, but if you fail too often, the tides of war will turn in favour of the Kilrathi. There are small sequences showing what happens elswhere in the war. If you do well, the sequence will show a victory for the Confederation. but if you don't, the Kilrathi will be the victorious in the sequence. It really makes you feel like the outcome of the war is in your hands, and that's a good feeling ...
Chris Roberts sure knew what he did with Wing Commander, but things didn't exactly slow down after it. More missions, sequels with movies galore, and more Kilrathi to waste. And now, he's finished the Wing Commander movie. Considering he was inspired by Star Wars in the first place, you might say that the circle is complete ...
