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An Hour and a Half of Magazine Time
The May 2007 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine, on news stands now, includes a brief preview of Wing Commander Arena! It's strangely hung up on the Wing Commander movie, but it does offer a nice look at how the game's controls work:
Wing Commander Arena
Free Freddie Prinze Jr. not included!
Sixteen-player games on Live Arcade? We're listening!
At the height of classic PC space-combat series Wing Commander's popularity in the late '90s, a feature film was made with Freddie Prinze Jr. in the lead role. This proved to be the worst idea in the history of videogame movies until Uwe Boll was allowed to step behind a camera, but sadly, this is where the franchise left off.
So in what is perhaps an attempt to wipe the slate clean -- but more likely an opportunity to do something new on Xbox Live Arcade -- EA is reintroducing Wing Commander on a small scale: as an XBLA space-dogfighting shooter.
Fortunately, we're not just talking about Asteroids with the Wing Commander name slapped on it. Famous ships (18 in total) from both the Terran and Kilrathi sides are available in different classes -- bombers, fighters, and so on -- and in fact, series veterans will note that this is the first time the Kilrathi have been playable.
Gameplay is straightforward: the thumbsticks control your ship (with the right stick also able to initiate barrel rolls and other special moves), while the triggers and shoulders unleash your weapons arsenal. Four single-player modes are included, but it's the 16-player online play that distinguishes Arena from the pack. And while we weren't able to get a confirmed price, we suspect it will run you 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Our suggestion: grab some Battlestar Galactica DVDs and prime yourself for some space-blastin' action -- just do yourself a solid and try to pretend the movie never happened.
- Ryan McCaffrey
Platform: XBOX LIVE ARCADE
Publisher: EA
Developer: GAIA
Live/Multiplayer: YES
Release Date: SUMMER 2007
For Fans Of: Asteroids, Gradius, Wing Commander
[LOAF] [# 7810] [Discuss]  
Time To Get A Library Card
The Austin-American Statesman has an article of interest to would-be Wing Commander historians: Origin veterans Warren Spector, Richard Garriott and George "Fatman" Sanger are teaming up with the University of Texas' Center for American history to archive material relating to the history of game development!
Composer Sanger, also known as "The Fat Man," will donate almost 30 boxes with items including his first demo cassette tape from 1983, in which he pleads with game companies to hire him. Sanger has composed songs for games such as the "Wing Commander" series and "NASCAR Racing."
Sanger said he threw away several items the day he met with history center officials.
"They told me, 'You put what in what? Take it out!' " Sanger said. He dug it out of the trash.
Garriott, the developer of the "Ultima" series, has been particularly meticulous in saving documents and memorabilia from his development career, dating back to 1979.
For every game he developed, he saved and labeled the first 10 copies. He will also donate several now-defunct Apple II computers and framed posters from every game he helped develop.
It's great to see this getting some professional attention. I've done research using UT's archives before and can say with confidence that this is the best possible way to both preserve and present this material. It's amazing to think that the original Wing Commander pitch document will now be kept alongside the likes of LBJ's White House papers and D.H. Lawrence's original manuscripts.
[LOAF] [# 7811] [Discuss]
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