by Al Giovetti
Unfortunately www.digitalanvil.com will redirect you to www.microsoft.com/games. Digital Anvil is Chris and Erin Roberts' company for games that they formed when they left the Austin, Texas company named Origin. Origin, originally started by Richard and Robert Garrott, was a proving ground for new developers and Chris and Erin Roberts were no different from the dozens of new game designers that Origin nutured in its pre-Electronic Arts days. Chris and Erin Roberts have a flair for the cinematic, the blending of game and film technology to build a story game which has excellent animated or filmed cut scenes. Chris and Erin Roberts produced games like Privateer (1993), Privateer 2: The Darkening (1996), Wing Commander, Strike Commander (May 12, 1993), Strike Commander: Tactical Operations (Expansion, 1993), Wing Commander Prophecy, Wing Commander III: The Heart of the Tiger (1995), Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, Wing Commander II:Vengance of the Killrathi (1991), Wing Commander (1990), Wing Commander Armada, Wing Commander Academy (1995), Wing Commander: The Kilrathi Saga (1997 repackaging). The earlier games had two expansion packs each Secret Missions and Special Operations add-on scenerios. Chris Roberts also worked on Pacific Strike (1994), Bad Blood (1990)and Times of Lore (1989).
Wing Commander became so popular as a game that it spawned a movie with Freddie Printz Jr. and a cartoon show (September 21, 1996 first show aired) with the voices of Mark Hammill, Malcolm McDowell, Thomas F. Wilson, Michael Dorn and Dana Delaney.
Some of these games are finding new life on next generation game systems. Destination Software Inc (DSI, www.destinationsoftwareinc.com) is publishing Wing Commander Prophecy on the Gameboy Advance.
It would be very nice if the game companies would offer these fine older games in updated versions. This would be especially nice now that the older games will not play on the updated Windows XP machines.
At the dawn of the 30th Century, the First Solar War has ended and the Four Houses of Humanity rule known space. Earth and the inhabitable worlds of its solar system lay in ruins, mute reminders of humanities appetite for self-destruction. With the coming of the Age of Conquest, humanity turned its focus towards expansion into the frontier worlds. Adventure, intrigue and opportunity beckon to the bold traveler, in an insanely epic and fascinating science-fiction universe titled "Freelancer."
"Freelancer" promises to plunge you into a universe ruled by ruthless pirates, mercenary privateers and fanatical missionaries. With its sophisticated 3-D spaceflight system and real-time 3-D character interaction, you will have complete control over accepting missions for hire, custiomizing your spacecraft, buying and selling commodities, or engaging in high-octane dogfights in a dynamic, living universe. Players can decide whether to live the life of a resourceful bounty hunter, an adventurous trader, a villinous pirate, or an intrepid explorer for different gameplay experiences that are unique for each player.
With a U.S. release on March 4, 2003, Freelancers multiplayer component enables players around the globe with their own servers to fly missions or explore space together. An enhanced mouse and keyboard interface simulates the thrilling feel of flying a spaceship while making the game accessible to a wide range of gamers.
You are Edison Trent, a freelancer with a penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You are one of the few who survived the recent destruction of the Freeport 7 space station, but you've lost it all--your ship, your possessions and the biggest opportunity of your life, a sweet deal you had set up with a trader named Lonnigan. You must venture into the Freelancer universe and begin to build a new future through trade or mission contracts. Along the way, you'll become embroiled in a galactic mystery that began with Freeport 7's untimely demise and ends with a peril to the entire universe.
You control your ship with the mouse. A joystick is not necessary. In fact the new mouse interface that is being implemented on most simulator games is far superior in precision to the old joystick control model. What the gameplayer gives up in realism, the gameplayer gains in greater control of his ship and precision of the weapons.
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- Wing Commander III Review
- Wing Commander IV Review
- Site Devoted to the History of Games
Requirements: Windows XP/Me/2000/98SE (not Windows NT or 95), 600 MHz Processor, 128 MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive, 1.3 GB free hard disk space, DirectX 9.0, 16MB videoRAM with DirectX 9.0 driver, DirectX 9 sound, keyboard, mouse, internet connection for multiplayer
Recommended: 1 GHz or faster processor, 256MB RAM, 8x or faster CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, 32MB videoRAM, Broadband internet connection for multiplayer games
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