'90s Hits Fill Escapist Sim List (August 15, 2014)

[ChrisReid]

Escapist has followed up its recent Wing Commander reviews with a profile of history's top space sims. Wing Commander and Star Wars games dominate the list with Privateer in 13th and WC 1&2 in the 6th & 4th slots. Tie Fighter just barely edges out WC3 in the battle for 1st place. There's nothing new to see here really, but it's interesting that their "best of all time" angle seems to have actually meant it. A lot of review sites disproportionately skew these kinds of lists towards newer releases.

Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi

Liz Harper says: Why mess with a winning strategy? Wing Commander II took the original Wing Commander and improved the graphics, the sound -- featuring full voices for characters in certain sequences -- and the story in an all-new chapter of the Wing Commander saga. As WCII opens you learn that the Tiger's Claw has been destroyed by new Kilrathi stealth technology... and without any other survivors, you've taken the blame and demoted to serve on an out of the way space station for the rest of your days.

Fortunately, the game skips over the ten (no doubt tedious) years your character served and you jump back into the story when there are new Kilrathi attacks in the system. Though the combat is much the same, the story has a lot more depth as it follows your rise from disgrace... and, of course, uncovering the traitor who really doomed the Tiger's Claw and clearing your own name. While in hindsight, story seems to string together a heck of a lot of tropes, it did so better than anyone had before it.

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Original update published on August 15, 2014