Wing Commander is one of the most interesting games of the SNES gaming era of the 1990s. It encompasses the representative pixelated graphics known in most of the games along with the "beep-boop" soundtrack of super Nintendo music. Although rough around the edges compared to modern day multi-million dollar projects, it is a wonderful game and I highly suggest it!

To keep this review organized, let me just run through the different categories for the ranking system and elaborate on each aspect individually.

Graphics 8/10 :
The graphics for Wing Commander are not the best graphics for SNES players, but they are easily comparable in style and animation sequencing. I am a fan of games like this, so I find the graphics to engender a nostalgic atmosphere whenever I dive into another mission. The colors work well together, although some objects may seem slightly odd. Whenever talking to another pilot, the zoom-screen contains much detail in the facial features of each person and is highly recognizable of most SNES games. For this reason, I feel Wing Commander does a great job with the graphical displays, but compared to some other SNES games, it may not hold the top spot.

Sound 10/10 :
If there is one aspect of Wing Commander I could rant about for days it would be the sound effects and music. The cut sequences (although maybe not quite a Final Fantasy level of cut sequence) are truly wonderful. My favorite part has to be the pre-mission sprint. The music accentuates the haste and eager anticipation of the upcoming mission and really adds to the game's experience. While in the midst of a mission, the spacey song definitely fits the scenery (usually emptiness, a couple stars and planets, and maybe a nebula). The sound effects for the ship guns are, in my opinion, not hard on the ears. Sometimes a repetitive gunning effect can be really irritating, but once your ship's sirens kick on from being hit one-too-many times the game's sounds and experience definitely engulf the player into a real-life action simulator.

Addictiveness 10/10 :
If you expect to start Wing Commander and play for an hour or so you may find that it becomes impossible to get up and walk away from. Although tough to get the hang of first (to be detailed more in the "difficulty" section) your death only sparks a bit of rage and an immediate restart. The game can be very challenging at times, especially when there are 4-5 enemies moving around and flying in every direction imaginable. Wing Commander definitely captures the attention of the gamer, as long as it doesn't scare people away with all the controls.

Story 10/10 :
I will not take the time to go through the entire storyline for that is for the gamer to experience by playing, not by reading! As a basic overview, you play the role of the fighter pilot and earn the respect of your commander and fellow pilots as you kill enemies and successfully complete mission. The enemy- the Kilrathi. The game also varies in play as it follows a sequence based on the overall success of the missions and the player.

Depth 10/10 :
There are so many neat aspects in Wing Commander which set it apart from your average shooters. The flying simulation is very fun and truly allows the player to immerse themselves into a fighter ship pilot's position. Once inside the cockpit, the game takes on a whole new experience. On the lower left-hand side of the screen, the player can scroll through information regarding the status of the ship, including guns and missiles available, damage locations, etc... The lower right-hand side of the screen is where the real action and pilot simulation begins. One screen allows the player to view the distance from the objective point (usually referred to as NAVs). Another allows the user to communicate with his wingman (if flying with one) and deliver orders to attack, form up, or return to base. The final screen occurs in battle and allows the user to identify which of the enemy ships have been locked on and the distance between the user and enemy, as well as information about the damage on the enemy cruiser. There is also a fuel gauge on the screen for when the player uses afterburning, a fuel-exhausting event which allows the user to burst to higher speeds temporarily. Additionally, the center of the screen contains a radar which gives the relative positions of allies, objectives, and enemies as different-colored dots and shapes.

Difficulty 9/10 :
This is why I believe the game has such an addictive quality. Usually, if a game has controls which are too complicated to learn it may turn the user away from the game. However, Wing Commander tends to do the opposite. The game is so addicting, it compels the user to remember how to control the simulator and understand that a pilot would normally have to learn many different features of the craft- why should the player only have to press 4 buttons? In Wing Commander, all the buttons have an effect on the game, and even combinations of buttons control different aspects. For example, while playing on Vizzed, in order to scroll through the command box, the user must use "hold r-shift + c" to choose the screen, "hold r-shift + s" to scroll through the options, and finally "s" to initiate a command. This can be difficult to get the hang of at first, but after a few missions, you will feel like a pro!

Now that I have explained some of the key components of Wing Commander I really hope I have instilled a desire to give it a try. This game is not for the weak and impatient gamers, but rather for those who wish to spend some time becoming adequate with the different controls and aspects the game has to offer. I wish you all the best in reaching the top of the pilot's list!


Sincerely,
Lethal_Hex_00