Was Wing Commander the best game of its time? No, it wasn't. Did it invent anything new? No, it didn't. Has it aged well? No, not at all. Do i still love it? Hell yeah, break and attack! Wing Commander was never meant to be a deep game. All it ever set out to offer was a rock-solid game play formula with easy controls, and a strong emphasis on dramatic presentation. I resonated with me right away back then, and it has influenced my perception of games ever since: While game play will always be the single most important element, an intense in game-narrative can greatly enhance the overall experience. Wing Commander may not have attempted it first, but Chris Roberts gave it a very distinct personality with its memorable characters, talking heads, branching mission structure, and its gritty atmosphere. The mission disks also introduced coherent story lines to the game - a concept refined in Wing Commander II (although i was never particularly fond of "Whodunit"-story lines). The sheer immersion always out-shined the limitations of the game play for me - i just wanted to push forward and see how the story unfolds. In its best moments, Wing Commander would make you feel like the greatest hero of the galaxy; truly a boy's dream coming true. There's always that one special game for everyone, and Wing Commander was mine. I just wonder if the game is to blame for my dislike of cats...
