Why I keep coming back
I think it's more or less because the characters such as Christopher Blair were not only fun to play as, they were fun to become. When I first started playing Wing Commander 1, I always thought it was a fun game, then I started to like the characters and one mission I accidentally killed my wingman, I felt terrible because on the killboard it said KIA. After that I realized, I wasn't just enjoying this game, I was becoming involved with a true series, one that not only is fun, but becomes your world whenever you enter it. There is nostalgia associated with it, similar to the stigma as re-reading one of Forstchen novel, a feeling that is attached to it that I don't really feel from other experiences/game.
I was really upset hearing about Eisen, Origin, upset about playing Freelancer and feeling the emotionless void and the real thing missing, the characters.
It's really great to hear about fan projects, they are going to be the future of Wing Commander and I can't stress strongly enough that if you love the game of Wing Commander to support the projects to the fullest.[cx]