Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi

The Good
WC2's graphics and sound, like the previous version, were way ahead of the competition. At the time of its release, this was THE graphics extravaganza for gamers.

The play balance and mission design are simply outstanding; only "TIE Fighter" has such well-balanced, interesting, and exciting missions. The fighters are varied and awesome. The backstory is terrific.

As atrocious as the "Wing Commander" movie was, you can see, playing the games, why they made a movie about it; playing WC2 felt exactly like being the main chaacter in a science fiction epic. No dogfighting game has ever had the immersive, you're-in-a-movie feel like WC and WC2, and the game itself is perfectly suited for it.

The Bad
Like WC, this can be a hard game to get the right memory requirements for. Other than that, this is a perfect game in every respect, and a big step over the first Wing Commander game.

The Bottom Line
One of the true granddaddies in PC gaming history, a magnificent achievement and a joy to play.

The Good
I enjoyed the storyline and felt the graphics, particularly the explosions, were very good. The folks at Origin also dida great job increasing the difficulty level. There were a few missions I had to repeat many times to beat, but each one was beatable. I love the Wing Commander series and this was another good game in it.

The Bad
It ended.

The Bottom Line
Exactly like the Wing Commander game where you lead the Confederation through a series of missions against the Kilrathi. Leading may be a misnomer here since you aren't actually in charge, but your mission results do dictate the course the story follows.

The Good
Better plot, better graphics, improved game play (introduction of bombers and torpedoes makes for a big challenge), better special effects, better camera angle (no more talking heads!), plenty of action

The Bad
Still no multiplayer, the plot is rather mundane (the typical traitor-in-your-midst plot), some overly melodramatic moments (Spirit's Kamikaze, for instance)

The Bottom Line
Wing Commander 2 is basically bigger and better Wing Commander with most of the faults corrected, but still no multiplayer. The new challenge of torpedo attack is quite interesting, but the rest of the game is about the same, just faster and tougher than before.