GameTap Adds Origin Games, Privateer Gets Closer

Sharp-eyed fans have noticed that the lineup at GameTap has grown recently. Origin's Ultima I through V are now all available for subscribers. GameTap provides a huge assortment of classic games for members to play on their modern computers for about $10 per month. The other EA games now available are Populous, SimSafari, Sim City 2000, SimTower and SimTunes. Earlier this spring, an advertisement with C&C First Decade revealed that Wing Commander Privateer, Command & Conquer Red Alert and number of Ultima games would appear on the service soon. A visit to the default GameTap homepage now reveals screenshots for all these titles, so it's only a matter of time before Privateer arrives. DOSBox is great for Wing Commander fans to play the titles they already own, but this new release of Privateer will help introduce the series to a whole new group of people. And fans who've had difficulty tracking down a copy now have no excuse to miss out!

ULTIMA™ II: THE REVENGE OF THE ENCHANTRESS

Hop through space and time and stop the evil enchantress, Minax, before she erases your very existence! © 1983 Electronic Arts Inc. Ultima and Origin are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S.and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. Lord British is a trademark of Richard Garriott.

Vendetta Online Still Kicking It Privateer Style

Blogcritics.org has written a belated review of Vendetta Online in which they compare it to Wing Commander Privateer. While it's not quite as popular as Eve Online or Jumpgate, Vendetta has releatively low system requirements and runs on PC, Mac and Lunix systems. Although copies on store shelves are somewhat rare these days, when you do see them they're about $10 and the developers still actively support the gameworld. Players don't have individual characters, but they are represented by their unique ships and the various upgrades people can afford. Space is nice and colorful in the game, and both atmospheric Wing Commander-style or Jumpgate-style realistic physics flight models can be chosen. A free trial is available to download and play if this sounds like your kind of thing.