Wing Commander ®: Privateer ™

This game hooked me the first time I bought it, and I couldn't wait for the expansions. I clocked about 450 hrs total in this game, just grinding away to get the best guns, armor, tech and upgrade there was in this game. This game was the game that made me hooked on space sims.

I missed this gem when it first came out - too busy chasing the amulet of Yendor I guess, but it is a real gem. Not completely non-linear, but much more so than you might expect (moreso than the remake, to be sure). It's main limitation is "one ship". You do have a choice of ships, and you can change at different points in the game if you decide you want to become more mercenary or mercantile at different points in the game, but at any point in time, you have 'your ship'. Makes me wonder even more what Star Citizen will hold in store for us. For someone that can't get past the graphics (and they are limiting), I'd recommend X3:Terran Conflict (with Aldrin Missions). I think that's the best free-form space sim out currently (though that may be some James Bond syndrome talking) and I really wish GoG would get the whole X series on here. The fact that the publishers officially released non-steam .exe's for the games gives me some hope there. Back to this gem though - you've got some pretty remarkable graphics and voicings, a large world to go exploring in, a trading sim, a space combat sim, a 'realistic' type cockpit view with on screen displays for current information, and a host of other features modern games could still learn from, all for about $6 at the time of this review. Make sure you take the time to read both the manual and the reference document provided, as the game has very little hand-holding once you get going. As my dad used to say in long car trips - "Getting lost is half the fun..."

I can't overstate how much I loved this game, how much time I sank into it, how bloody damn good it is. Origin was firing on all cylinders at this time and Privateer was the apotheosis of everything the Wing Commander series represented. In a time before the web dumped all the answers in your lap, you had to work for every advantage in order to succeed in your quest to be Han Solo. I can remember drawing out a map with a pencil and ruler, carefully plotting out the jump routes to make the most profitable trades. When I earned enough money to buy a jump drive and first left the Troy system where you begin the game, my heart was pounding with excitement. And when I took the manual's suggestion and finally met up with Sandoval in New Detroit, the adventure really began. There was so much to see and do, so many places to go, so many ways for you to improve your chances in the universe. Combat was a blast, the music and sound FX for the time were incredible. Buy this game and lose yourself in a great adventure.

Loved this game as a kid. Plays perfectly on my Windows 10 laptop. This game just holds up so well. The story, the combat, even the glaring flaws in the game (like you can't complete the story if you're not flying a Centurion). This is the old Origin Studio at its best. I completed the main story and Righteous Fire. I left my guy stationed on Perry so he could run the odd anti-Kilrathi patrol to keep the credits ticking over. Also he will get to hang out with that nice Sandra Goodin. I see a future for those two together.

Wing Commander Privateer is an early but FUN open world sandbox. Be a smuggler, a pirate, a mercenary, a merchant as you traverse the stars in search of profit. The controls can be a tad finnicky, but once you wrap your head around them they are fairly intuitive. The game is just sim enough to make it complex but not over your head need to learn 42 hot keys complex. If you are looking for a fun retro scifi game with an open world, look no further.