EA Replay -- On the Way

Wing Commander 1&2 take a bit to get the hang of if you're used to later games. Both the PC and SNES versions had a slower pace. It was slightly less reflexive, and you had a second to think about how you were going to flank an opponent, build up gun energy or line up your shot.

And Wing Commander 1 was not a forgiving game. Players were not expected to pick it up and just start winning missions. That's why there's such an elaborate mission tree full of branching paths. The Secret Missions is even worse, and when you start to deviate off the path there, the game ends. We're a bit spoiled by modern games that don't let you fail so easily, but mastering the early WC games is very rewarding.
 
Wing Commander 1&2 take a bit to get the hang of if you're used to later games. Both the PC and SNES versions had a slower pace. It was slightly less reflexive, and you had a second to think about how you were going to flank an opponent, build up gun energy or line up your shot.

And Wing Commander 1 was not a forgiving game. Players were not expected to pick it up and just start winning missions. That's why there's such an elaborate mission tree full of branching paths. The Secret Missions is even worse, and when you start to deviate off the path there, the game ends. We're a bit spoiled by modern games that don't let you fail so easily, but mastering the early WC games is very rewarding.

Yeah i know what you mean with how hard WC1 was, i played through WC1 on the pc (after playing Wc2 which was hooked me to the series), and by far i enjoyed WC1 more than 2 because i personally found it to be more difficult.

But this version for the psp has some slight issues. The controls are awkward and it willl take some time to get used to, since you have to press a bunch of buttons in unison in order to perform a function, i think the manual has you pressing 4 buttons to eject for example. but I'll get used to it eventually as well others here i'm sure. Another issue i find is that during fights it does tend to slow down more than i thought, especially when i have to turn the the ship.

In the end though it's going to take time to get the hang of it, but i finally killed my first Krant taking a crap on the toilet, so i'm on the path to victory!

edit: one question though for anyone else with the ea replay version, during the briefing music (which is my favorite) there are times when the audio makes popping/crackling noises. I tried popping in other games and i can't seem to be able to get the same effect. Does anyone else have this when they play the game, so that I know i didn't blow my PSP speakers by setting the volume to max? (yes i really like the briefing music that much.)
 
I love the fact that WC1/SMs are so hard. It is a fitting tribute that Standoff also displays a degree of difficulty that can be often times in greater rank than some of the earlier missions we have all grown to loathe and love.
 
But this version for the psp has some slight issues. The controls are awkward and it willl take some time to get used to, since you have to press a bunch of buttons in unison in order to perform a function, i think the manual has you pressing 4 buttons to eject for example. but I'll get used to it eventually as well others here i'm sure. Another issue i find is that during fights it does tend to slow down more than i thought, especially when i have to turn the the ship.

I definitely understand where you're coming from. The complexity of the controls was shocking to me in 1992, and I had to play with the reference card out. However, they are somewhat intuitive and you should be able to pick them up quickly.

All of the combinations are fairly logical fortunately. You have Square for afterburners, X for guns and Circle for missiles. The Triangle button is your "shift key." Triangle+Square auto pilots, Triangle+X cycles guns and Triangle+Circle cycles missiles. Left and Right shoulder raise and lower speed, and Triangle plus Left and Right shoulder cycle left and right VDUs. Select and Start do "deeper" actions like enter the nav map, lock onto target or give communications orders. And that's about all there is to it really. The four button combo for Ejecting mirrors the SNES versions, which also required four buttons to bail out.

edit: one question though for anyone else with the ea replay version, during the briefing music (which is my favorite) there are times when the audio makes popping/crackling noises. I tried popping in other games and i can't seem to be able to get the same effect. Does anyone else have this when they play the game, so that I know i didn't blow my PSP speakers by setting the volume to max? (yes i really like the briefing music that much.)

Yes, there seems to be a slight crackle during a certain low sound effect. You shouldn't hear it throughout the game, mainly just briefly at the start of mission briefings.
 
you can pretty much scratch what i said earlier about the difficulty in the controls. once you get the hang of it (had the manual out for a good while), it's not too difficult to get used to the buttons, although i can assume i'll probably need some more time to get the hang of ejecting quickly enough, hehe.


Also, thanks for letting me know about the popping noise that i was hearing.


I do wonder what are all the unlockables you can get from wing commander + secret missions.
 
I'll bet it seems terribly awkward for someone who's only played the PC version -- but this is exactly like the SNES release... and once you get a little practice, hunting Kilrathi is as smooth as ever. Plus, the learning curve makes you feel good -- like you're really accomplishing something. It reminds me of Wings of Glory, where every kill felt great because of how hard you worked to learn to fly...

My feeling is that this version is superior to the original SNES release, if for no other reason than the fact that the layout of the PSP means you're always looking at the controls... so the complex multi-button commands come a little bit easier (I have a terrible time learning the names of console buttons... I still refer to the Y-Box ones by color, which occasionally angers people in multiplayer games).

It also feels a little bit quicker than when played on the SNES... that may just be my imagination, or a result of the emulation. I haven't noticed anything outright different in Wing Commander, but some of the games are certainly more than simple ROMs -- Desert/Jungle Strike, for instance, show the proper PSP buttons in their menus rather than the original Genesis buttons.

It really is a nice little package... playing Wing Commander in this manner is everything I hoped it would be. I flew a patrol while riding a bus and won a medal for escorting a Drayman in the bathroom! I'd like to travel back in time fifteen years and see the expression on my face when I claim this would ever be possible. I like the layout and the detail of the menu system... and the 'internal' EA Replay logo is a lot cooler than the one on the box (the one that looks like a console cartridge that says EA REPLAY). The other games seem like they'll be fun to explore, too -- I'd never tried Desert Strike before this, and it seems like a nice fun arcade game you can jump right into.
 
The other games seem like they'll be fun to explore, too -- I'd never tried Desert Strike before this, and it seems like a nice fun arcade game you can jump right into.

If having Wing Commander on a handheld wasn't enough to get me to wring my hands in thought over getting a PSP - then surely the addition of Syndicate was enough to make me buy the game without even owning the system.
 
Congratulations to AD for winning the contest! :)

If having Wing Commander on a handheld wasn't enough to get me to wring my hands in thought over getting a PSP - then surely the addition of Syndicate was enough to make me buy the game without even owning the system.

Yeah, this is a really good way to justify a PSP. I'd been struggling to find an excuse to buy one before this was announced, and now I won't only be able to play Wing Commander and Ultima (and... Road Rash, I guess), but Ace Combat and Lumines and Katamari Damacy.

I'm interested in seeing how movies look on the screen as well—I have a Pocket PC, but though it has a higher resolution the screen isn't nearly as large, the memory I use for it isn't nearly fast enough for playing film at a decent clip (or at all, really).
 
Back
Top