http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/month/shooter/space/Windows/origin/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> This Month's Most Popular Games Tagged 'shooter, space, Windows, origin' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/month/shooter/space/Windows/origin/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> en-us Set in the year 2654, Wing Commander tells a tale of mankind's struggle for survival in a ferocious war between the Human Confederation and the warmongering Kilrathi Empire, a fierce bi-pedal feline race.





"You're a starfighter pilot, the best of the best, but nothing in your training prepared you for action this hot. Deep space dogfights against Kilrathi aces are deadly, and the future of humanity is on the line each time you fly!


Wing Commander puts you in the middle of the most intense starship action you've ever experienced outside of a movie theatre. But in Wing Commander, you're the star!"





The majority of the game takes place within the cockpit of various space fighters. Depending on how well one performs while in action, the player may find themselves on the winning or losing path thus altering the plot accordingly. Medals and the respect of your wingmen are gained if performance is exemplary, in turn leading to a more effective attack wing. In between space-flight missions the player is free to roam the legendary carrier "TCS Tiger's Claw" and have conversations with their fellow crew mates, learning more about the horrors and triumphs of the bloody war that is now being fought.


When Wing Commander was released in 1990, the in-game graphics and space-combat engine were a step above all other products during that period. The game was even one of the first to use the new Sound Blaster for PC's, adding to the already cinematic feel of the game.


The strong script and characters which has been a staple through out the series are the primary reason why the Wing Commander has gained such a strong following over the years. That combined with movie-like presentation and strong gameplay has made the venerable Wing Commander a classic among gamers and critics.





Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 11 Feb 2007 07:47:45 Wing Commander I: The Secret missions is the first mission add-on pack for the hugely succesful Wing Commander I.





"Wing Commander: The Secret Missions is another thrilling chapter in the continuing saga of the TCS Tiger's Claw. A human colony has been obliterated by the Kilrathi. Now they challenge the defenders of humanity to a deadly game of hide and go seek. You must cross into enemy space in pursuit of the Kilrathi strike fleet, only to face their latest secret weapon....a weapon capable of destroying an entire world."





With the incredible success of Wing Commander, Origin pioneered the concept of game expansions with the Secret Missions add-on disk. Fans of the first title in the series were treated to an intense campaign where the pilots of the Tiger's Claw were tasked with an important covert operation. A new Kilrathi superweapon was being tested aboard the Sivar Dreadnought. Although the Claw hurried in response to its distress call, the populous Goddard Colony was annihilated before help could arrive. The Claw was the only ship in position to penetrate deep behind enemy lines, pick apart the fleet that attacked Goddard and ultimately destroy the Kilrathi secret weapon.





Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 27 May 2007 09:26:37 Wing Commander I: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade is the second mission add-on pack for Wing Commander I.





"The Secret Missions 2: Crusade, another exciting chapter in the saga of the Tiger's Claw! In this campaign, a huge Kilrathi fleet maneuvers toward a planet of peaceful, primitive natives. After a Kilrathi renegade defects with the crew of a small destroyer, you'll fly one of their fighterships in undercover missions.


In these new secret missions, you must discover the truth behind the Kilrathi "holy war" before the Warriors of Kilrah can destroy you and the Tiger's Claw!"





Wing Commander I was a huge success and Wing Commander II was in development during 1991. Origin used their experience with The Secret Missions to craft a second expansion pack, The Secret Missions 2: Crusade. WC2 was shaping up to be a huge story driven adventure, so the developers took this opportunity to establish a backstory with SM2. Characters such as Tolwyn, Thrakhath, Hobbes, Jazz and Doomsday were introduced. The TCS Austin appeared as a method for characters such as Angel to survive the impending doom facing the Tiger's Claw in the WC2 intro. In each Wing Commander game the character must face the potential death of wingmates, but in SM2 the first major scripted loss occurred when Bossman died. The tension and emotions were ratcheted up another level for this expansion, and the game created a great environment for Wing Commander II to launch into.





Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 27 May 2007 10:15:10 The Kilrathi Saga is a compilation that contains the first three Wing Commander games in a package that is playable in Windows. It is extremely rare and valuable...The Kilrathi Saga was a grand compilation of the initial Wing Commander trilogy and its four expansion packs. Dropaway cockpits, remastered audio and improved joystick options were among the list of improvements. The biggest selling point was native speed-limited support for Windows. Initial sales were low because many fans still readily had computers running DOS to play older Wing Commander games.




The game received a second printing in 1998, but many fans were still hesitant to rebuy games they already owned. By the turn of the century however, a huge shift from DOS to Windows had occurred and everyone was scrambling to get a copy. Although the July 2000 edition of PC Gamer included the Kilrathi Saga version of Wing Commander I on its cover disc, auction prices on eBay soared to well over $300 for the full set. Wing Commander fans struggled to find copies until 2005 and the improvement DOS emulation. Although Kilrathi Saga has exciting extras, minor glitches and the solid performance of the original Wing Commander games in DOSBox has relieved the intense price pressure on the game.

]]> 28 May 2007 09:26:51 Privateer 2: The Darkening is the sequel to the original Privateer. However it does not coninue from the original story. Privateer 2 is set in an all new and unseen part of the Wing Commander universe - The Tri-Systems.



"You regain consciousness, and the unfamiliar faces around you inform you that you've lost your ship in an accident. You're new to this cutthroat world of Tri-System privateers, and now your only order of business is survival. You've got just enough credits to afford a new ship, but it's going to need upgrades if you expect to live for long. The sector is full of people willing to do business, but who can be trusted? Legal or not, it's time to trade, travel and battle your way through a place where high risk means high yield and those with the brass reap the rewards. "







Wing Commander Privateer 2 was created in the wake of Wing Commander III as the cinematic video step up for the Privateer subseries. Erin Roberts developed the game with a more modest budget in the UK. The main character, Ser Lev Arris, was played by Clive Owen. He was supported by Christopher Walken, David Warner, Jurgen Prochnow, Mathilda May and John Hurt. The game took place about 120 years after Wing Commander IV in an isolated pocket of space known as the Tri-System. Planet Anhur was been home to humans for some two thousand years, and the locals independently developed faster-than-light drives from the Confederation. The futuristic setting lets players utilize advanced jump gates, short-range time travel devices and massive cargo haulers. In addition to the traditional build-up phase and story portions of the game, Privateer 2 peppers the experience with random cinematic mini plot missions. Certain upgrades are only available once these subplots have been completed, and entire character arcs are explored with recorded video cutscenes separate from the main story.










Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 28 May 2007 09:59:46 Wing Commander: Secret Ops was the first game to be distrubted in episodic form over the internet. It is a continuation from the storyline told in Wing Commander: Prophecy.











"Intense Battle Scenarios: Multi-stage capital strike missions create larger, more intense battles.
New Weapon Technology: Command the galaxy with new rapid fire weapons such as the Dust Cannon, Cloud Burst and Mosquito Missiles.


Powerful New Starships: Introducing Cerberus, Confed's first "Quick-Strike" Carrier, new Cruiser, Destroyers and civilian cruiseliners.


More Intense Story: Continuing where Prophecy left off, join the Confederation Intelligence Services and fight for mankind's very survival."











Wing Commander Secret Ops was a bold experiment in episodic internet distribution. Beginning in August 1998, one episode was released each week for eight weeks. New fiction and backstory was released on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and a corresponding mission pack came out on Thursday. Depending on their perfomance, players were given a password which would influence the fiction they read the following week. After the experiment was concluded, Secret Ops was bundled and sold in the Prophecy Gold collection. The story put Lance Casey and his squadron aboard the TCS Cerberus Quick Strike Cruiser. They fought the alien Nephilim menance once again, but this time the point of incursion was in the inner core of the Confederation. Along the way new revelations about the insectoid race were uncovered and Confed appeared resolved to take the fight to enemy in the near future.











Want to learn more about Wing Commander? Visit WCnews.com or Wing Commander Universe.

]]> 28 May 2007 10:39:06