Wing Commander ®: Privateer ™

What can I say about this game? What can convince you of this games overly aboundant genius? "This has been one of my favorite games of all time." Does that do it for you? How about this: "Never have a played a game with such a gripping story that also allowed for almost limitless freedom. After 20 years I have never found a game to match it." A few games tried to overcome it: X2, X3, Privateer 2, Tachyon, etc... But nothing has really come close. Despite Privateer's fading graphics and simple interface, it was a game that defined a genre. Playing it again I doubt it could maintain the glamour of previous years. If you are new to Privateer then it might even be disappointing. If however, you can overcome our modern sense of super graphic gameplay, and let your eyes be covered with glasses of the past... then might be able to unearth this gem and find joy in a classic long lost.

This game was my entrance to the Chris Roberts universe. I played it right though, and then played Righteous Fire. There has never been a space sim quite like Privateer. The graphics are dated, but the storyline is fantastic, the ship combat is a lot of fun, and it's always a challenge to make a cargo run in the Privateer universe. For a game made in 1993, it's rich and textured. If you've never played it, I recommend it heartily. Things that bugged me about the game were very few, and I suppose the limited diction of the pirates can get annoying, but I never noticed it as I was blowing them out of space in my Tarsus with a pair of mass drivers and a bellyful of torpedoes. The AI gradually gets harder as you advance, noticeable by the improved armaments on the pirate ships, and one mistake, and "You're nailed, pal!" Love it.

No other game lets you smuggle blow-up dolls to pirates in a hidden system, then smuggle drugs back to the core systems to make obscene amounts of money. How cool is that? I blame this game for my lack of interest in studying during my senior year of high school. But it was totally worth it. I have looked in vain for games since Privateer which had the same freedom. Freelancer? Close, but not quite. Darkstar One? Almost. But no arcade physics space sim I have ever played gripped me like this one. Forgettable story (I remember some kind of alien gun thing at the end and that's about it) but who cares. Ignore the story and become a master trader in a big cargo hauler, or a bounty hunter in your slick, death-dealing pirate hunter. Whatever you want. I have the floppy disk version in a box in my shed. Now I can have the GOG version too!

First off- A word to newbies. The pdf linked here- http://www.pixsoriginadventures.co.uk/originbooks/PrivateerPlaytestersGuide.pdf will help you on your way in the Gemini sector. (Hint- go to the bar at New Detroit and talk to Ernesto Sandoval) I grew up with the Wing Commander series. I mean, these games were such an amazing time sink, I spent a very large fraction of my youth piloting ships in confed stirpes, toasting kitties and watching the war unfold. But Privateer, well this game just takes the cake. *If only it had the expansion :(* But even still, I can't sing privateer's praises enough. It was the genisis for Freelancer, which is reccomendation enough, but the value for money is incredible. Here's what you can be- Bounty Huner, Pirate, Merchant., Kilrathi sympathiser, local militia, or just shoot everything. And the plot of the game (while hard to find) is interesting and challenging enough even after all these years.. I had fun replaying it over about 25 hours from start to finish, I'm sure you will too. Oh and the game runs smooth as anything.

This game is a piece of art. It truly delivers the feeling of being on the edge of the universe, the far outlandish Gemini Sector - and offers all the freedom you'd expect in this situation. Heck, even the restrictions feel right. It's just great!