Wing Commander: Privateer

The Good
Despite some people writing this game off as an elite clone, Privateer is groundbreaking for its atmosphere and pace alone. The storyline is good enough (I finished and was amply satisfied), but it is the open-ended nature that is so perfectly scaled. The game is initially difficult for the novice, but once it is mastered it proves the perfect fusion of rewardingly tough enemies and player-favouring odds.

The Wing Commander universe isn't exactly the same in this game as in the rest of the series, but rather you occupy the newly chartered "Gemini sector". However, the presence of Confederate and Kilrathi forces, actively opposing one another, is reassuring enough for the WC veteran. There are also hundreds of planets and stations throughout the sector, varying from the agricultural farm worlds to asteroid-occupying mining bases, luxury pleasure planets to hidden (really, they aren't identified on the nav map) pirate installations, and even a few unique, especially cool places like the sector capital, New Constantinople.

Visually and audio-wise, the game is amazing for its time. The musical score holds a particularly special place in my heart, and it suits the grim Gemini sector to a tee.

The Bad
The game isn't perfect. Considering its age and quality, most of the little problems are forgivable in my opinion. These include the generic nature of planets and bases, the pointlessness of some features (like barmen, although they're great for atmosphere) and the unbalanced weaponry (go for Tachyon cannons every time).

However, one area that I guess is seriously skewed are the different lines of employment you can pursue, and the pilotable ships that reflect them. The game boasts your ability to be either a merc, merchant or pirate, and that's fair enough. But profitability is balanced, and for a merchant to achieve a fortune equivalent to what a merc might, it could take five times as long. Some might think that's fair - choose a quiet life, make a small buck, but the fact is a merchant is still having to fight off masses of pirates, retros and (if you're foolish enough to trade within the frontier systems) Kilrathi. A pirate on the other hand, has far more chance of making dough if they decide to pursue a life of smuggling, but there are far more militia and Confed in settled Gemini space than pirates, plus you'll still be facing the retros (and possibly Kilrathi depending on how many 'good guys' you've wasted).

Reflecting the merc/merchant problem are the available ships. The games offered four pilotable ships - three that can be bought and the one you begin with. Yet there is no competition between them... you will want the Centurion if you're to have any chance of success. Sure, if you're a merchant you can go for the Galaxy (don't even think about sticking with the starter Tarsus ship), but it's weak and relatively unarmed and just not dog-fighting material (which you'll have to do whatever you are). And the Orion's fun, but certainly not a serious choice. You'll probably own it at one point, but only because it's cheap.

Finally, the games is a bit difficult for the uninitiated. However, after getting to grips with it (I'd hazard a guess at anything from half an hour to two hours), you'll be exploring the Gemini sector in eager anticipation of your next mission or encountered. A word of warning though - the story steps up the difficulty quite significantly and I wouldn't approach the first "fixer" in Detroit until you own at least a heavily outfitted Orion.

The Bottom Line
Basically, despite the negatives, Privateer's great. Don't be put off by the lack of ships, the amount of freedom available is still staggering and simply cannot be countered. The storyline is fun, if not a little linear, but be warned that it is tough and that you should be prepared for some massive battles. But if you like the genre, or simply fancy something a little less object-orientated, then this game is one that I can recommended whole-heartedly. It's definitely up there in my top five all time favourite PC games.

The Good
It's fun to be a mercenary on the frontier of Terran space! You have the freedom to play this game whatever way that you like, whether you want to go pirate and attack helpless merchants, or perhaps you want to be a noble and peaceful merchant... it's up to you. You start in a dinky little ship without very good shields or firepower, so you get a great feeling of accomplishment when you finally get your new ship.
It's a blast to insult your enemies while killing them, too, and I do this every chance that I get.
Another plus is the huge variety of items that you can transport... everything from grain to slaves, provided you find the right base.

The Bad
There are a couple of things that could have been better... 1st, this game can get very, very hard. Also, if you ever use one of the cheat options during one of the game missions, you fail it and screw up the game. (So have backup copies of your game!) The last thing is that I wish there had been more ships available. It takes a long time before you can afford a ship, and then you might as well save your money for the Centurion... the best ship in the game if you want to beat it.

The Bottom Line
This is one of my favorite games in my collection.... and someday I'm going to beat it! But until then, it's still fun to play... and I think that's why this game is so well liked.

The Good
You control the flow of the game. WHAT A CONCEPT! I loved the missions and versility in the game. The storyline behind the game was brilliant. But one of my favorite parts of the game was the cities. I just loved the artwork and the detail of all the cities (i.e. New Detroit). I loved how you could be a merk or a trader. The guild concept was wonderfull and brought a great feel to the game. When I think about how I liked the game I remember how this was one of the few games that really made me feel that I was there. The sound was wonderfull, and specal touches were added to make the overall feel of the game better. You could tell a lot of love and attention was placed on this title. ----- If you have read some of my reviews you will know that one of my favorite things about games is how well they bring all their parts together. From sound to graphics It has to form a free flowing fun game. This is one of the best examples of how a design can be brought to a peak of perfection. Privateer is truly one of the best games ever made.

The Bad
Not enough fighters to choose from. The "end boss" was too difficult. Overall not very darn much.

The Bottom Line
Just about as near perfection as you can get in my book.