Wing Commander Deluxe Edition

by ORIGIN

Product Features

• Dos
• Also Features: Secret Missions and Secret Missions 2: Crusade

Product Details

• ASIN: B0009FUVSW
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,305 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Classic, January 26, 2008

By 

D. Hartman "PC Game Lover" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wing Commander Deluxe Edition (CD-ROM)

The word "classic" gets tossed around a lot, especially by computer gamers who pine for the "good old days" of gaming. The Wing Commander series, by and large, is one that lives up to the classic title. Not only did the series give us five PC games (the latest one released in the late 90s), and a more recently released game for the X-Box, but the Wing Commander universe has also been compelling enough to spawn a series of novels, as well as a movie (albeit a sub-par commercial flop) which all focus on telling the story of star fighter pilots in a war between the Terran Confederation and the feline like race of Kilrathi aliens. That the Wing Commander games have a fan base dedicated enough to stay active for the nearly ten year absence of any commercial Wing Commander release says a lot about how truly fantastic this series is.

The Deluxe Edition of Wing Commander I gives you the game that got the series started, plus the Secret Missions I and II expansion packs that give you additional missions and new story lines that take place after the "primary" game has been completed. As the game was released in the early 1990s, the graphics, and some elements of the game play, are primitive by today's standards. If you can get past the dated feel behind certain elements of the game, however, you're in for one heck of a fun time. Most of the missions that you fly off of the Tiger's Claw are enjoyable and well designed. More than a few - such as the final mission of the "winning path" in the main game, when you and your lone wingman are tasked with taking out an entire star base and its fighter support - will really get the pulse pounding.

Wing Commander is not, nor has it ever been, solely about action, however. Despite the limited options open to the developers at the time, they still manage to advance a compelling story. The progress of the war, based upon your performance in the cockpit, is told through "newsreel" like updates each time your carrier travels to a new star system. And, as with any war, you are not fighting alone. The other pilots on your carrier - your wingmen - all have their own back-stories and personalities. Spending time with them in the lounge between missions will make you very familiar with them, and even create a sort of emotional bond. This makes it all the tougher to watch the funeral scene if one of your fellow pilots dies during a mission. I've heard of more than one person actually crying over the death of one of their wingmen.

Unless you are using an older, "legacy" machine, you will need a DOS emulator, such as DOSBox, in order to play this game. DOSBox can be legally downloaded for free online, but it can also be somewhat difficult for a newbie to learn to use. Fortunately, the active Wing Commander fan base can be more than helpful in this regard, and the Wing Commander CIC fan website maintains a "tech support" section with step by step instructions on how to get your game up and running.

This game is a true classic, and is highly recommended for anyone who wants to re-live - or experience for the first time - part of the "golden age" of computer gaming. Learn to ignore the older graphics, just like you'd ignore a classic movie, such as Casablanca, being in black and white. Wing Commander is well worth the experience.

5.0 out of 5 stars The complete Wing Commander 1 saga on one CD!, January 17, 2009

By 

Obviously "stark1039" (PA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wing Commander Deluxe Edition (CD-ROM)

Besides the Kilrathi Saga version, this is the only place to get the complete Wing Commander 1 with both Secret Mission packs in CD format. One of the most important and influential PC games of all time and a must have for any space fighter sim fan or retro gamer.