WING COMMANDER IV
The Price of Freedom

Developer

Origin

Options

Distributer

Electronic Arts

1 Player

Game Type

Adventure Shoot-em-up

Mem. Card

Review Date

August 1997

Setting the Scene

The Wing Commander series first appeared in the mid eighties on the Amiga before reaching cult status on the PC a decade later. The first two episodes were standard space ship shooters which were presented in a tidy fashion and included a selection of graphical sequences. Part three, it must be said was a pretty poor shoot-em-up wrapped around low budget cuts using blue screen projection where the actors performed in front of a blue backdrop and the scenery was added later.
Wing Commander IV takes a huge technical leap over it's predecessor and this time goes big budget to the cost of $10 million making it the most expensive Playstation game to date. Set on four CD's, Origin have used real film sets and employed a cast of well know celebrities.
Wing Commander III came to a conclusion when the Kilrathi, the sworn enemies of the Confederation, were totally annihilated by Colonel Blair. WC4 continues the story.
Civil wars are breaking out all over the Galaxy and Allied convoys have been supposedly attacked by the Borderworlds. The Confederation are getting pretty spooked by these events and Admiral Tolwyn, played by Malcolm McDowell, has decided to clear up the whole mess. So who you gonna call? Ghostbusters? No way. Colonel Blair, alias "Luke, I am your father", alias Mark 'Star Wars' Hamill who has been spending the years pasturing a desert on some unnamed planet. Far, far away from a razor blade by the look of him.
It's not long before Colonel Blair bumps into his old wingman Maniac, Tom Wilson who played Biff in the Back to the Future movies, and it's here that the adventure begins.

Genre

This goes as close to being an interactive movie as we have seen on the Playstation. Wing Commander IV features lavish FMV scenes that occasionally require the player to decide which direction the plot should unfold, and a gripping story line, although a little slow to get off the ground.
Sandwiched between all of the glitz of the Hollywood style movie production is a respectable 3D shoot-em-up where the player controls Colonel Blair's fighter craft for a series of dog-fight in deep space.

Graphics

The FMV is superb and it is amazing how much difference real film sets have contributed to making WC4 a watchable movie. The lip synch is pretty good and while the acting may not be Oscar material it reaches the standard of a good TV space epic.
The graphical fighting scenes are also of exceptional quality. Most of the time the enemy craft is a dot on the horizon but when you eventually get close enough for a better view they appear as smart polygon fighters. Trailing an enemy craft for several minutes is rewarded by the joyous sight of a shot on target when their blue shield begins to break up. This encourages you to give it a little more throttle and a couple more direct hits sees the craft roll out of control before exploding into a bright ball of flame.

Sounds and Effects

The movie is backed by pulsating orchestral music which matches the quality of the FMV and the Dolby Pro Logic surround further adds to the whole cinematic experience.
During the fighting scenes the tension of battle is broken by constant chat from your wingman. Each time he takes out an enemy craft he brags "Chalk up another one for Maniac" which grinds after a while.

Playability

Go get the popcorn, crack open a Coke, dim the lights and kick out the cat before settling down in your favorite armchair, because when you first load up WC4 you get the distinct feeling that you have inserted an MPEG video rather than a PSX game. You are actually watching a super slick movie with quality footage, and the acting is not that bad either.
Ten minutes pass. Then suddenly, just when an old veteran has asked Blair for a free drink, the visuals grind to a halt - freeze frame style. Has the game crashed? Not really. It's time to get off your ass and pick up that joypad, that's if you can find the damn thing. At the bottom of the screen are the words "Help him out" and above says "Straighten him out". Pressing up on the D-pad, then clicking the X-button restarts the movie with Blair giving the vet' a lecture on begging. See, he's going to 'straighten him out'. Rewind the video.... I mean restart the game and at the same point press down on the D-pad, then press the X-button and the movie restarts with Blair buying him a drink and sympathizing with his plight. Hey, this is real interaction. So it goes on. A bar room brawl, do you ignore it because it's none of your business or does it piss you off enough to go kick ass? Do you leave the flight deck as instructed or hang around to investigate the strange goings on? Do you defect with your Captain or chase after him on behalf of the Confederation? Get the idea?
The decisions you take only effect how quickly you find out what is really going on as the general story line remains unaffected, but you do feel that you are involved in the plot.
Throughout the movie you are frequently called to the briefing room. This is your cue to engage in a flying mission which is fully controlled by the player. Some of the missions involve simple escort duties where you are instructed not to fire your weapons. However, if you decide to break orders and take a few practice shots at the enemy, your mission will be regarded as a failure. The game will carry on, but you will be severely reprimanded when you return to base and the following mission will have altered slightly. Other missions include taking reconnaissance shots of a space station, tailing enemy craft to discover their base and plenty of all out dog-fight where you can finally release your frustrations by shooting down pirates.
The control of your craft is fairly straightforward, although the twenty three button combinations may be slightly confusing at first. Don't worry about this. As long as you memorize your guns, missiles, throttle and cycle target, you will get through the first few missions easily enough. The other controls can be picked up as you proceed and some may be ignored such as the ability to taunt your enemy.
There are four camera angles available but I could only recommend the in-cockpit view as the game is unplayable without a HUD. The reverse camera comes in useful when you are having your backside warmed by a rear attack but only for short glances at a time.
The opening missions are a little boring but allow you the time to practice maneuvers that become essential in the later confrontations. Throughout the FMV scenes you will come across Killboard. This is where you may save your progress or change your game settings. The game can be played in various modes but after a few attempts I settled for Arcade. There is also an option to switch invulnerability on if you wish to cruise through the game.

Value for Money

Wing Commander IV offers a descent space adventure and a fairly good arcade shoot-em-up superbly blended together. You cannot compare it to any other title because there is nothing else like it on the Playstation.

Opinion

MARTIN

GRAPHICS:

Brilliant

I was undecided about WC4 at first. I found the story very slow and the shoot-em-up sections only involved tracking enemy craft and taking recon shots. By the end of the first CD the story had begun to unfold and had more twists than a slalom course, while the shooting scenes became frantic dog-fights with several enemy craft attacking from different angles. A nice blend of action and visuals.

SOUND:

Good

PLAYABILITY:

Average

VALUE:

Good

OVERALL
7/10

ADAM

GRAPHICS:

Brilliant

I preferred to watch the game rather than play it. I found the control of the craft a little confusing but then I am not really keen on arcade shoot-em-ups.

SOUND:

Good

PLAYABILITY:

Poor

VALUE:

Poor

OVERALL
6/10