That's Just Super (April 27, 2005)

[Bandit LOAF]

BradMick reports that the latest version of the FreeDO emulator is capable of running the 3DO version of Super Wing Commander! There are still some problems: Since 3DO BIOS files are not available as legitimate downloads, erstwhile players will have to provide their own. Brad has also encountered some unfortunate graphical glitches - see the third screenshot! (For comparison, Brad is running the game on a 3.4 GHz Pentium IV). Good luck! Users who encounter problems with ASPI errors can solve them using the Force ASPI utility available here.

​

--
Original update published on April 27, 2005

 

[Edx]

I thought all those old WC had silly cartoon colours?

Ed

 

[THE_WUQKED]

And how can I get it to work? - Even with the latest version of Freedo (1.7x) I can't set up my controls.
So some more infos would be nice

 

[ChrisReid]

I thought all those old WC had silly cartoon colours?

No, the original WC games had the best color balance in the series.

 

[AKAImBatman]

No, the original WC games had the best color balance in the series.

Amen to that. I remember after playing WC2, I came to the conclusion that I liked the original better. My reasoning wasn't that the second game was bad, it was that the first game felt more "real" - and thus immersive - while the second game felt very "cartoony".

 

[ChrisReid]

I was counting WC1 and WC2 together in my "best color" remarks. WC1 might be the slightly more realistic looking of the two, but I enjoy the artistic style of WC2 the most among the whole series, tied somewhat with Privateer sometimes.

 

[AKAImBatman]

I was counting WC1 and WC2 together in my "best color" remarks. WC1 might be the slightly more realistic looking of the two, but I enjoy the artistic style of WC2 the most among the whole series, tied somewhat with Privateer sometimes.

Gotta disagree with you here. WC2 is a really fun game with tons more features than WC1 and few asteroids in sight. However, the entire game design wreaks of a cartoon rather than a simulation. From the rather goofy "cadillac" style of the Concordia to the cut scenes where you swear Jazz's lips are going to fall off, it just doesn't hold as much feeling of being on a carrier and in the thick of the fight as the first game. The overall brighter colors of the cockpits and ships only helps accentuate that fact.

Now what I love about III & IV is the flight dynamics model. Sure, everything looks a bit chunky, but you really are *free* when you fly. Kick in the afterburners and hold on the tail of a Drailthi while you light up his shields with your forward cannons, only for him to suddenly hit the brakes and force you to dive to the side. And the fun of diving in on a destroyer? Oh man, talk about an adrenaline rush! Bolts flying left and right, your shields and armor ticking away, the sweat beading on your forehead as the torpedo takes it time to lock on... Simply an irreplaceable experience.

Unfortunately, I don't have all that much nice to say about Prophecy, other than the fact that the graphics were top notch. Now Secret Ops managed to hit a sweat spot by giving you some absolutely awesome weapons to unleash on hordes of alien fighters. The only problem is that the rush wears off after a while and you find yourself needing to take a break. Talk about a loss of immersion.

 

[ChrisReid]

Gotta disagree with you here. WC2 is a really fun game with tons more features than WC1 and few asteroids in sight. However, the entire game design wreaks of a cartoon rather than a simulation. From the rather goofy "cadillac" style of the Concordia to the cut scenes where you swear Jazz's lips are going to fall off, it just doesn't hold as much feeling of being on a carrier and in the thick of the fight as the first game. The overall brighter colors of the cockpits and ships only helps accentuate that fact.

Now what I love about III & IV is the flight dynamics model. Sure, everything looks a bit chunky, but you really are *free* when you fly. Kick in the afterburners and hold on the tail of a Drailthi while you light up his shields with your forward cannons, only for him to suddenly hit the brakes and force you to dive to the side. And the fun of diving in on a destroyer? Oh man, talk about an adrenaline rush! Bolts flying left and right, your shields and armor ticking away, the sweat beading on your forehead as the torpedo takes it time to lock on... Simply an irreplaceable experience.

I could swear you were describing a mission I just did in Valgard this afternoon. Four Krant and a Lumbari at Nav One, four Jalthi and a Dorkir at two, then two Fralthi and ten various defenders at Nav Three. Going through Nav One to avoid the mines on the way home? Three more Gratha and a Ralari. Quite a rush that whole business was. But I'm only going through the Secret Missions now as a prelude to a Wing Commander 2 run. Back in the day, WC2 was what I played by far the most compared to any other WC game. Looking forward to going through it again soon. I don't see how it lacks any simulation aspects that WC1 had, and it's a bunch more cinematic and captivating in its atmosphere.