Reviewer: Greg Sewart
Origin Systems Origin Systems Now 3 Win 95 CD-Roms

he Kilrathi have always been a ruthless and religious race. Even while destroying world upon world, their priestesses believed they were justified, even to the point of trying to wipe out an entire species simply for a religious ceremony. Every Kilrathi legend and myth speaks of them conquering everything in their path, as is their god-given right. That is, until the Terran/Kilrathi war.

It was during that conflict that a young pilot named Christopher Blair graduated from the Academy and was assigned to the TCS Tiger's Claw. Blair went on to become the hero of that and many other engagements, and eventually earned the name "The Heart of the Tiger" with the Kilrathi. It was also Blair who delivered the final blow by dropping the Temblor bomb on Kilrah, and ending the war.

Since the end of the war, the humans have done their best to put the Kilrathi conflict behind them, and move on. Little do they know that they, and especially Blair, have fulfilled a Kilrathi prophecy that could spell the end of them all.

Millennia ago, Sivar revealed to the first Prophetess that the Kilrathi would be victorious in any conflict they undertook. However, it was also prophesied that they would be defeated by one with the heart of a Kilrathi, but not of the same species as the Kilrathi. This event would bring about Kn'thrak, which would utterly destroy the Kilrathi, the species that defeated the Kilrathi, and anything else that stood in its way.

It seems Kn'thrak has started.

It seems that a planetological research crew in the Kilrathi asteroid belt recently witnessed a jump gate open where no jump gate exists. Within moments, the ships and all her crew were lost, not to mention all military and civilian personnel in the nearby areas. So far, all that's been found are remnants of ships, but it seems that most of the bodies have been destroyed or abducted.

Enter 2nd Lieutenant Lance R. Casey, son of the late fighter ace, Major Michael Casey, the Iceman, the top fighter of the Tiger's Claw and one-time wingman of Christopher Blair (also a Canadian, by the way). Casey and his fellow graduate, 2nd Lieutenant Maxwell Garrett, "Maestro", have just landed on the newest carrier in the Confederation, the Midway. It's here that our story begins.

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Origin has really taken a bold, yet calculated risk with Wing Commander: Prophecy. Instead of just releasing the fifth game in the series, they've decided to completely re-create it. Previously, we were following the career of Christopher Blair, and we did so from the time he was a rookie pilot simply doing what he was told to the point where he was a Colonel, going as far as being an acting captain of a starship in Captain Eisen's absence. By the third and fourth games, players were allowed to choose their wingmen, what ships to fly on each mission, and what weapons ordinance they wanted. It's fair to say that the Blair story just played itself out.

So here we are, Wing Commander: The Next Generation, if you will. Even though we're given the persona of a fresh faced pilot again, by making him the son of a pilot from the first game, it creates a sort of legacy. This is handled really well in the game, as many of the returning characters seem to take great pleasure in reminding Casey just what kind of a man his father was, and how everyone is more prone to believe he's riding his father's reputation, rather than earning respect through his own merits.

And there are quite a few returning characters. Maniac and Hawk, both last seen in Wing Commander 4, make a return appearance as fighter jockeys. This time around Hawk's got more hatred in him than ever before, and Maniac seems to have gained a conscience, as he starts to realize that his attitude and flying style have hurt his career more than helped it. Blair is now a Commodore, and it's his dream that has made the Midway a reality. Ironically, it sounds much like Tolwyn with his super-carriers of the Border Worlds conflict. Rachel's back as well, as the Chief Tech, and seems to have grown to be somewhat of a… uh… irritable person. Many will also recognize the captain of the Midway, Daniel Wilford, from his small role in The Price of Freedom. Colonel Dekker and his Marines play a big role, as well. Origin has done a great job of moving these characters from the limelight and making way for new people, but also developing them in such a way that it's clear their personalities have been drastically changed due to the Kilrathi War and the Border Worlds conflict.

Luckily, the new cast of characters is every bit as likeable as others have been in each and every game. Maestro looks set to become the next Maniac of the Wing Commander Universe. The CAG (Commander Air Group), Patricia Drake, is probably the hardest person you've ever laid eyes on, and also seems to have a past with Blair. Zero, Stilletto and Aurora Finley, the Science Officer, are the other major players in this game. Unfortunately, this time around Origin opted for fewer FMV scenes in the game, and thusly, we really don't get to know the new characters as much as I would have liked.

As I stated before, this game is basically a return to the roots of the series, which is what made Wing Commander famous. At each briefing you are assigned a ship (all of which are new, by the way), a wingman or squadron, and your objectives. It's then up to you to follow your orders to the best of your ability. How you do this has a direct impact on the story, and the state of the conflict. One new aspect of this game is the fact that you have bonus objectives that you may or may not fulfill. For example, say you're assigned to a position in order to clean out an enemy presence. You complete your mission, but receive a burst transmission from another fighter warning that their squadron is being overrun at another nav point. You have two options, you may return to the safety of the Midway, or help out the other squadron. It's that simple, and this sort of thing happens all the time.

The control remains the same as the previous Wing Commander titles. Without a flight stick, this game is unplayable, in my opinion. Barring that, you have quite a few options at your disposal. You can choose which gun you'd like to use as your primary weapon, or set your ship to deliver a volley of every energy weapon on your craft. The same goes for missiles, though the volley option seems unavailable. Upon entering an engagement, you can choose your targets and lock onto them. This makes it much easier to follow a particular enemy during a fight, as the bugs usually attack in large groups, sometimes twenty or more at a time. If you're targeting a cap-ship, you have the option of selecting different components to attack, such as the engines, bridge, shield generators or gun turrets.

You also have a comm unit at your disposal, with which you can dispense orders or berate your opponents. It's also possible to change the allocation of your shield power, or the ship's power in general. Autopilot and a nav map are also standard issue, as are afterburners. Wing Commander Prophecy adopts the same display used in WCIV and Privateer 2. That is, only a HUD is shown, with gauges that disappear if not used for a few seconds. Don't worry, getting them to reappear is as simple as pressing a button. For instance, if you stay armed with the same missile for a while, the image disappears. However, if you arm a different missile or fire one off, the gauge reappears automatically.

And speaking of appearances, I just have to say that Wing Commander: Prophecy, if coupled with a 3D card, is simply a thing of beauty. Each and every ship is, of course, modeled with polygons, and the effects used are amazing. You can easily see the path of a missile once it's fired, as each one leaves a smoke trail. There's no better feeling than watching a missile you just fired hit its target, and watching that target careen out of control as it's systems fail. When a ship does explode, it momentarily causes a shockwave in the void, which is very impressive.

That's not all. As energy fire passes over or makes contact with the hull of any ship, you'll notice the surface of it lighting up accordingly. Damaged ships also leave behind trails of sparks and the like. Another nice effect is how the shields of a craft shimmer as they're hit. Everything about the graphic engine speaks of quality, and shows just how much love the programmers had for the project.

Not to be outdone, the video sequences are also very nice. As with WCIII and WCIV, the acting is some of the best found in any game, and the sets and costumes look very authentic. Tom Wilson steals center stage again as Maniac, but Casey doesn't do too badly, either. The one gripe I have with the video is the fact that the quality seems to be the same as that used in WCIII. It's too bad, since Privateer 2 and WCIV both had nicer looking FMV.

The Wing Commander Series has always been known for its cinematic music, almost always fitting the action perfectly. WCP is no different. The music is of the utmost quality, and can be quite haunting at times. However, it takes a back seat to the comm channels during combat. You'll hear your comrades call out for help, exclaim when they get a kill, and cry out in pain when they're defeated. You'll also get your share of taunting from the enemy. It's especially disturbing when the aliens first communicate with you, as they don't know english. They simply fill the comm with gibberish; it's all very unsettling.

The explosions and gunfire sound great as well. You can tell when a ship's shields are down just by the sound. When you hit shields, you hear a buzzing, energy discharge sound. When you hit the hull of a ship, you can actually hear the metallic impact. The guns also sound really good when being fired; some of them almost shake the room.

As you can probably tell, I can't heap enough praise on this game. Sure, it has its problems, but all in all Origin have done an exceptional job of recreating the series, while maintaining all the aspects that have made it such an engrossing game in the past. The new cast is likeable, and the entire feel harkens back to the Tiger's Claw in the early 90's. Don't consider this as Wing Commander 5, as it's more of the start of a new era rather than a sequel. There's so much more I'd like to say, but I can't without giving away the great plot, another area Wing Commander has always excelled in.

Chris Roberts should be proud, Origin is carrying on the legacy he created in fine, fine style.

-- Greg Sewart