It Just Ain't The Same...
Sep. 19th, 2003 03:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_gneechI've been sneaking in games of Tachyon: The Fringe over the past couple of weeks to get my space opera fix, but while it's a very well done entry into the genre, and while Bruce "If Chins Could Kill" Campbell's voice-overs are always entertaining, it's just not what I want.
What I want is the original Wing Commander.
Mind you, I have the original Wing Commander[1] on a shelf upstairs, but it came out in what, 1991? and is not playable on any computer in the household. As a matter of fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that at least some parts of the game are on 5 1/4" floppy disks. This is a problem.
WC1, WC2, and WC3 were retooled and packaged together in a set called Wing Commander: The Kilrathi Saga, which I didn't get when it came out because I had all of the titles and was on a limited budget, but I'm wishing I had, now. When it shows up on eBay, it tends to go for upwards of $150. Problem is, I'm not even sure I could run that any more ... it was written for Windows 95, and I'm on XP these days.
Of course, the graphics and gameplay of anything before WC3 look extremely primitive by modern standards, but even with blocky talking heads and only 27 views of each ship, there is a certain evocative feel to the original WC1 that I really miss. I'm the same way with Wing Commander: Privateer ... Tachyon has more variation on settings and missions, a better script, and lots more little pieces of coolness ... but WCP has a certain feel that really appeals to me.
Some of it, of course, is the Kilrathi ... everything is better with huge, samurai cat people. But that's not all of it. As much as I liked Mark Hamill and Tom Wilson in WC3 and WC4, a lot of what I like about the early WC games is the vaguely-anime look.
One of those many "if I only had a few extra million dollars lying around" projects in the back of my mind is a complete remake from the ground up of WC1 with current technology, using the original art design, script, and score. Heck, Mark Hamill, Tom Wilson, and Malcolm Macdowell could easily come back and do the voices for their characters, that'd be way cool. :)
Ah well. I suspect I'm just going to have to make do with memories.
-The Gneech
[1] ...as well as WC: Secret Missions 1 and 2, Strike Commander (which technically wasn't a WC title but might as well have been), WC II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi, WC2: Special Operations 1 and 2, WC Academy, WC Armada, WC: Privateer, WC III: Heart of the Tiger, WC III: Heart of the Tiger (Film Canister Edition), WC IV: The Price of Freedom, WC: Prophecy, and WCP: Special Ops. Oh, and did I mention Super Wing Commander for the Mac? I also have Chris Roberts' attempt to do Wing Commander without EA/Origin, Starlancer ... snooze. In case you're wondering, I never could successfully read the various novels, tho, and the movie was just plain awful.
What I want is the original Wing Commander.
Mind you, I have the original Wing Commander[1] on a shelf upstairs, but it came out in what, 1991? and is not playable on any computer in the household. As a matter of fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that at least some parts of the game are on 5 1/4" floppy disks. This is a problem.
WC1, WC2, and WC3 were retooled and packaged together in a set called Wing Commander: The Kilrathi Saga, which I didn't get when it came out because I had all of the titles and was on a limited budget, but I'm wishing I had, now. When it shows up on eBay, it tends to go for upwards of $150. Problem is, I'm not even sure I could run that any more ... it was written for Windows 95, and I'm on XP these days.
Of course, the graphics and gameplay of anything before WC3 look extremely primitive by modern standards, but even with blocky talking heads and only 27 views of each ship, there is a certain evocative feel to the original WC1 that I really miss. I'm the same way with Wing Commander: Privateer ... Tachyon has more variation on settings and missions, a better script, and lots more little pieces of coolness ... but WCP has a certain feel that really appeals to me.
Some of it, of course, is the Kilrathi ... everything is better with huge, samurai cat people. But that's not all of it. As much as I liked Mark Hamill and Tom Wilson in WC3 and WC4, a lot of what I like about the early WC games is the vaguely-anime look.
One of those many "if I only had a few extra million dollars lying around" projects in the back of my mind is a complete remake from the ground up of WC1 with current technology, using the original art design, script, and score. Heck, Mark Hamill, Tom Wilson, and Malcolm Macdowell could easily come back and do the voices for their characters, that'd be way cool. :)
Ah well. I suspect I'm just going to have to make do with memories.
-The Gneech
[1] ...as well as WC: Secret Missions 1 and 2, Strike Commander (which technically wasn't a WC title but might as well have been), WC II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi, WC2: Special Operations 1 and 2, WC Academy, WC Armada, WC: Privateer, WC III: Heart of the Tiger, WC III: Heart of the Tiger (Film Canister Edition), WC IV: The Price of Freedom, WC: Prophecy, and WCP: Special Ops. Oh, and did I mention Super Wing Commander for the Mac? I also have Chris Roberts' attempt to do Wing Commander without EA/Origin, Starlancer ... snooze. In case you're wondering, I never could successfully read the various novels, tho, and the movie was just plain awful.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-09-19 12:26 pm (UTC)Then again, that's not the same either.
5 1/4" disks. I remember when those were all the rage when I was on my Commie 64...
I never got into the space opera games really. I think the only space game I've played in a long time is Master of Orion.
Lizard Rat out.
Space Opera Lacking in Rensselaer
no subject
Date: 2003-09-19 12:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-19 12:56 pm (UTC)And WC1 rocked. :)
--Rhan
no subject
Date: 2003-09-19 05:28 pm (UTC)If I had but known...
Date: 2003-09-19 10:32 pm (UTC)This, of course, was after my last pair of 5.25" disks magnetic signatures had decayed. Which means your game may be kaputt. :(
Arr!
-=TK
no subject
Date: 2003-09-19 11:46 pm (UTC)that truly was one magnificent game.
I recall so little now... apart from being aboard the might tiger's claw and flying out little starfighters to take on the dark-hearted Kilrathi... and calling them kitty-cat names... and making furball jokes...
Ah yes. The memories that brings back are all fond ones.
They just don't make games that good any more.
The closest I've ever seen to the scope and general enjoyability of a game has been Descent Freespace (and to a lesser degree the sequel) They were well done games.
But WingCommander... oh... what a game it was.
- Litho