Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom

The Good
This was something of a watershed - at the time, it received rave reviews and was very popular, without being any good. Basically a cross between a cheap, made-for-tv sci-fi show and a space shoot-em-up, this was inferior to the contemporary 'Tie Fighter' in every way except for the texture-mapped, processor-hogging graphics.

Still, it's nice to see Malcolm McDowell.

The Bad
Where to start? The flight model was no more advanced than that of 'Star Raiders', and it was obvious by this time that the creators were more interested in the FMV than the game, but lacked the skill to make the drama compelling - the end result is a shoddy space shoot-em-up crossed with a cheap b-picture. 'Privateer 2' did much the same, but seemed to understand that it was never going to be art, and was therefore much more fun. And whilst it is the most expensive computer game ever, the budget was still nowhere near that of a proper film.

The Bottom Line
A technical showcase that has no value as a game whatsoever.