GamePro Reviews A Lost Wing Commander Game (May 27, 2005)

ChrisReid · 05-26-2005, 17:00

Jonathan Stone sent in a review of one the very cool "lost" Wing Commander games that occasionally comes up in the lore. Wing Commander 2 for the Super Nintendo tops the list of ultra rare games that we'd love to get our hands on. Much like Prophecy DVD, it was fully developed back in the mid nineties but held up before release. It had nifty color comm vids and a streamlined "action" interface. The following scan is a full preview that GamePro conducted way back in May 1995.

Quote:

Unlike previous Wing Commander games, lasers and shield recharge quickly so intermediate pilots should have no problem filling space with kitty litter. The nicely crafted controls also help pile up the feline fatalities. You can spin your ship 360 degrees on a dime.

Check out the full color Kilrathi on the VDU and the special turrent interface on the Broadsword.

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Original update published on May 27, 2005

Confed · 05-28-2005, 01:45

waaaw, I would love to play that version, did it have full speech? (in the original it was incomplete)

ChrisReid · 05-28-2005, 12:32

Super Nintendo games that had one line of speech during the whole game were amazing. The whole game was only 8 megs. The PC version (with limited speech) was four times that size.

Ptarmigan · 05-28-2005, 18:26

I wonder why WC2 was never released for the Super NES?

Flojomojo · 11-14-2006, 14:43

"4 megs" = 4 megabit - 512K, right?

I'd love to get my hands on this. I wonder if the magazine folks actually played it, or if they just got a bunch of publicity stills? I really wouldn't put it past Gamepro circa 1995 to get a little creative with the facts. It seems like a prototype would have leaked out by now.

Bandit LOAF · 11-14-2006, 14:53

There's also a Nintendo Power article, which for some reason was never posted to the CIC -- there's a link to my Livejournal entry in that long update today.

I've spoken to pretty much everyone who worked on this (Billy Cain was the lead), and the game was finished and shipped off to Pony Canyon in Japan... but it never saw the light of day after that.

No one seems to have a cartridge, and it's very hard searching because a lot of sources refer to The Secret Missions as 'Wing Commander 2'. I bet there's a classic gaming community out there that could help, though, if we could get the word out.

(I also learned recently that some development was done on a similar Genesis port of WC2 -- but that one died earlier on...)

Stone48420 · 11-14-2006, 15:04

I was wanting that game so bad when I saw that review. I remember asking an employee at funco land (a used game retailer) if he had wing commander two for the snes. Being such a good worker he searched high and low for it and finally handed me the game. Unfortunalty it was wing commander the secret missions, somthing I already owned he just couldn't understand what I meant by wing commander 2.

Im really proud I kept those old gaming magazines everyone kept telling my to throw out. Im glad to be able to contribute something. Also thanks for the huge update and I thought I wasn't gonna get nothing good for my b-day

.

Lt.Death100 · 11-14-2006, 15:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ptarmigan

I wonder why WC2 was never released for the Super NES?

I think it had to do with the publishing costs of those huge cartridges.

Flojomojo · 11-15-2006, 13:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit LOAF

(I also learned recently that some development was done on a similar Genesis port of WC2 -- but that one died earlier on...)

Awww ... that would have rocked! I'd love to have Wing Commander 2 on my GP2X!

11-14-2006, 14:53	#6
Bandit LOAF It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Ashton, MD, USA Posts: 23,925	There's also a Nintendo Power article, which for some reason was never posted to the CIC -- there's a link to my Livejournal entry in that long update today. I've spoken to pretty much everyone who worked on this (Billy Cain was the lead), and the game was finished and shipped off to Pony Canyon in Japan... but it never saw the light of day after that. No one seems to have a cartridge, and it's very hard searching because a lot of sources refer to The Secret Missions as 'Wing Commander 2'. I bet there's a classic gaming community out there that could help, though, if we could get the word out. (I also learned recently that some development was done on a similar Genesis port of WC2 -- but that one died earlier on...) __________________ Long live the Confederation, Ben "Bandit" Lesnick, LMG. "You go, Loaf! Get some!" -JPG

11-14-2006, 15:04	#7
Stone48420 2nd Lieutenant Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 130	I was wanting that game so bad when I saw that review. I remember asking an employee at funco land (a used game retailer) if he had wing commander two for the snes. Being such a good worker he searched high and low for it and finally handed me the game. Unfortunalty it was wing commander the secret missions, somthing I already owned he just couldn't understand what I meant by wing commander 2. Im really proud I kept those old gaming magazines everyone kept telling my to throw out. Im glad to be able to contribute something. Also thanks for the huge update and I thought I wasn't gonna get nothing good for my b-day . __________________ I mean you no harm.

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05-28-2005, 01:45	#2
Confed 1st Lieutenant Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 254	waaaw, I would love to play that version, did it have full speech? (in the original it was incomplete)

05-28-2005, 12:32	#3
ChrisReid Super Soaker Collector Administrator Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Seattle, Washington, USA Posts: 9,865	Super Nintendo games that had one line of speech during the whole game were amazing. The whole game was only 8 megs. The PC version (with limited speech) was four times that size.

05-28-2005, 18:26	#4
Ptarmigan Captain Join Date: May 2005 Location: Arctic Posts: 405	I wonder why WC2 was never released for the Super NES?

11-14-2006, 14:43	#5
Flojomojo Patron of the Nerdly Arts Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Washington, DC USA Posts: 14	"4 megs" = 4 megabit - 512K, right? I'd love to get my hands on this. I wonder if the magazine folks actually played it, or if they just got a bunch of publicity stills? I really wouldn't put it past Gamepro circa 1995 to get a little creative with the facts. It seems like a prototype would have leaked out by now.