Jibbo caught an article at TwitchGuru on the status of space combat games. It starts with some history of the genre and credits Wing Commander for really getting things started. It also cites poor sales of competing titles and a shift in the market for the subdued space sim presence over the last decade. Later on in the piece, the author talks about how active mod teams have been in keeping things going lately. Despite a completely unsubstantiated dig at WC Arena, the article's associated image gallery helps share a handful of screenshots for the game with the site's readers.
Games like Elite led the charge in the '80s, but it was Chris Roberts' Wing Commander, released in 1990, that successfully mixed a space flight model with a compelling narrative, placing players in the role of an officer of the Confederation stationed on the TCS Tiger's Claw. The story was nothing revolutionary in and of itself, but the mix of combat and newsreel-style cinematics kept the story interesting, and the player always informed about the stakes of the bigger picture.
The site also has a second article about promising games that were never published. This one begins with some backstory behind different attempts at an Ultima Online sequel, and it also briefly mentions Privateer Online.
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