PC Zone Recaps Space Sim History

Today we've got a historical profile from the July 2000 issue of PC Zone. It works two ways: the article is a recap on the highlights of the PC space sim genre from 1984 to 2000, but at the same time, it's ancient history itself. While there was quite a lull in the space sims during the 2000s, the past decade has certainly seen something of a revival, and I look forward to reading that recap someday. I vaguely remember this article when it was new, and it's kind of amazing that more time has passed since it was published now than the mere 16 years of timeline that they were covering back then. They hit on the big three: Elite, Wing Commander and Star Wars - before finishing off with a bit about some of the late '90s entrants like X and Starlancer. There are also some fun quotes from the editor of A Talent for War, which was a space sim community hub that started up around the same time as the CIC.