Classic Review: A Tiger Still Has Claws

Forums member Falcon988 came across an old review of Wing Commander I in the December 1990 issue of Computer Gaming World. The magazine also contained a time-limited special offer if you purchased Wing Commander directly from Origin. At no extra cost, you also received the Secret Missions expansion pack, a flight cap and a copy of the original game signed by Chris Roberts himself. The original Wing Commander hat has since become quite a collector's item!

One of the interesting features in Wing Commander is its fictional "campaign". The strategic map of Terran- and Kilrathi-controlled space gives players a solid visual frame of reference for where the battles are taking place and how close they are to the heart of the empires in conflict.

This "strategic situation" is an important element in the game. Which star the Tiger Claw [sic] settles at determines the nature of the missions which the player conduct there. Are there friendly bases there to protect or enemy ones to attack? Is this a major jump point which must be secured? The significance of one's strategic location is described at two locations in the game: in the bar (as the player garners the latest scuttlebutt) and in the briefing room (where the missions are assigned).