Wing Commander™ 1+2

This game represents a revolution in gaming. I remember playing it on my 386, it unified simple arcade gaming (not so simple at the end) and a plot, with a sort-of role playing. All the games like X-Wing and similar were based on WC.

Both excellent space simulators. Hard to come by games of this quality even today. Only complaint is using the Broadsword in Wing Commander 2.

You might think that a game with that poor graphics in 2013 is not worth playing. Well, what the game lacks in graphics it sure got in game play. I still thing it is the best flight games ever. With the missions, your wingmen, your gear, your promotions, star bases etc.

These are definitely classics but it's hard to get as excited about the gameplay after more advanced space combat engines were released. I think one of my fondest memories was of blowing up a Kilrathi carrier you were supposed to scout with a Hornet in one of the secret missions packs and then getting a mix of praise and being cussed out for not following orders on returning to home base. This was considerably cooler than X-Wing's approach which was to simply to rename the ironically named "Invincible," "Invincible 2," "Invincible 3" etc... when you blew it up on missions you weren't really supposed to.

I can remember playing Wing Commander 1, 20 or so years ago. One of the early missions requires you to escort some freighter. I wasn't really taking the mission too seriously; it didn't seem like Kilrathi was much of a threat to the freighter. I moved in real close to an enemy ship just as it launched a missile at the vessel I was protecting. I had never seen visuals so detailed at that time. The missile dropped right out of the enemy ship, blasting exhaust behind it as it rocketed towards the freighter. The freighter lost all shields and a good bit of its hull on impact. That was when things got real. I'm looking forward to experiencing the Wing Commander 1 story again, and all of the other WC games after it.