Retro Review Recalls Wing Commander on Sega CD (April 21, 2010)

ChrisReid

ChrisReid

Super Soaker Collector / Administrator
Sega-16 has posted a review of the Sega CD edition of Wing Commander. They note a couple of the issues that crop up in the console conversion, but the game's big highlight is the addition of complete audio speech throughout. For a 16-bit game, the graphics stay pretty close to the original, and there are even some slight differences for sharp-eyed fans. Note the word "blaster" replaces "weapon" in the cockpit, missile brand names don't exist, lock-on text is yellow instead of red and so on. Everyone should try out the alternate editions and ports! Check out the complete review here.

The PC classic Wing Commander made its way to the Sega CD in 1994, and there was some compromises that had to be made in order for Origin Systems to squeeze the game onto Sega's add-on. It mostly made the transition intact, and it picked up some great audio along the way as well. Read our full review for all the details of this complex space simulation.
Click to expand...
For easy comparison purposes, the Sega CD images are on the left and PC screenshots are on the right.















​


--
Original update published on April 21, 2010
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The links to the last two Sega CD images are broken. But otherwise, the comparison is nice. I can see plenty of subtle differences that one probably wouldn't otherwise notice.
 
There is something awkward about either the review or my copy.

Wing Commander SegaCD has 8 save slots. I believe the NES and the secret missions for NES had only 4 or 6.

And there definetely is an irritating slowdown when there is a lot of action on the screen. I play it through the Neogenesis Emulator, and overclocking the Sega CPU doesn't help because the game then locks up.

I never noticed some details like the VDU displays though.
 
Does it actually have a Redbook soundtrack, too? I think it has like three tracks that play over cutscenes, but most of the music is still MIDI.
 
It would be nice if nintendo would put some of these games up for download on the wiiware service. I noticed that they not only have old nintendo games but also games for some of the Sega systems and the Turbografix16.
 
Bandit LOAF said:
Does it actually have a Redbook soundtrack, too? I think it has like three tracks that play over cutscenes, but most of the music is still MIDI.
Click to expand...

It features five redbook audio tracks. It is a multisession CD so when you want to Image it to an ISO you'll need to rip the audiotracks seperatly.

Silanda said:
That's odd, I'll admit I've only played this from an iso but it only has 4 save slots here too.
Click to expand...
I just fired Neogenesis up and I really, really have 8 bunks/save slots.
Super nintendo version has six bunks, Secret missions has no bunks.
 
It features five redbook audio tracks. It is a multisession CD so when you want to Image it to an ISO you'll need to rip the audiotracks seperatly.
Click to expand...

I know, I have ripped copies on my phone (in English and Japanese!)--but aren't they just a couple of very specific cutscene tracks and not the gameplay music? Two or three of the five even have spoken narration...
 
Bandit LOAF said:
I know, I have ripped copies on my phone (in English and Japanese!)--but aren't they just a couple of very specific cutscene tracks and not the gameplay music? Two or three of the five even have spoken narration...
Click to expand...

You are correct(as usual), it's the opening tune, the three possible endings(win/lose/claw destroyed with narration), end the closing credits. However I can't imagine the Sega being capable of generating the game music using it's own internal soundchips, it simply sounds to good.

Possibly the music is played back digitally and stored in files(like the music in Wing4). The music and the speech are seperate files, but I can't make heads or tales of it. I used to have a tool a long time ago that could scan any file for PCM audio or Midi/mod/whatever(It even worked on wing1 through 4 .TRE files), does anyone here still have such a utility?
 
What puts me off the most is that they seem to have completely changed the music from the awesome Wing Commander theme to some rather generic sounding tune. Yes, I can understand they wanted to include "better" music, being of higher technical quality. But then why didn't they put in a high quality rendition of the original soundtrack instead of that? However, it's nice to learn the in-game music remained unchanged.

Changing the "Weapon" in some cockpits to "Blaster" could be considered an improvemend, as it makes it more consistent - ín the PC version depending on the ship some cockpits read "blaster", others "weapon".
 
Prometheus said:
However, it's nice to learn the in-game music remained unchanged.
Click to expand...

It's completely different music, from the enviroments on the claw to the inflight. It does not even have the familiar tune segment you hear when blair get's an emotional scene in Wing3/4 and prophecy.
 
Mace said:
I just fired Neogenesis up and I really, really have 8 bunks/save slots.
Super nintendo version has six bunks, Secret missions has no bunks.
Click to expand...

Ah, now I see what's happening: if you have or emulate a SegaCD RAM cart you get 8 slots, otherwise you get 4. Mystery solved.
 
Let's see:
I'm using the X-port version of Neogenesis, still the graphics of the bunks are unique. There is actually very little details given on this specific port when I look it up through the internet.
 
This is the game that got me into Wing Commander! I knew it wasn't perfect, but it beat the awful SNES version, and I didn't have a PC until about the time WC4 was released. I haven't played it since probably about '97 though.

I still punch in the handle "Hotshot" in most WC games.
 
Prometheus said:
Didn't they get the rights or something?
Click to expand...

WC1 and WC2 music are Pre-EA and the only instance in the series where the music's creator actually has the copyright. So for EA to reuse the WC1 theme they have to pay Fatman.
 
AD said:
WC1 and WC2 music are Pre-EA and the only instance in the series where the music's creator actually has the copyright. So for EA to reuse the WC1 theme they have to pay Fatman.
Click to expand...

How odd. Would paying him really have cost more than having to write completely new music? It's made all the more weird by the fact that Super Wing Commander, which was released the same year used remixes of the original music (as did the SNES version, although it had a different publisher). I still wonder if being converted by Game Arts had something to do with it (did EA publish it in Japan?)
 
The music thing is a bureaucratic oddity.

Pre-Electronic Arts music that was done by outsiders rather than Origin employees was bought on a handshake basis rather than with any sort of contract.

This was only a problem because occasionally EA would perform a formal audit before reusing music in ports like this, find no contract on record and decide they needed to either do new music or purchase full rights to the existing soundtrack. When they *didn't* do this, on one cared... and none of the composers thought they owned anything themselves (until EA came trying to buy it, anyway).

Apparently EA's record keeping isn't that much better--they went through this process multiple times during Ultima Online's extended lifetime... and each time decided they didn't own "Stones" (a classic Ultima song used in that game and many others) and decided to be safe and cut a check to the man who wrote it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top