DOS Wing Commander 4 Added to GOG Lineup (November 18, 2016)

KrisV

Administrator
The high resolution DVD version of Wing Commander 4 shipped as part of a rare piece of hardware and never got a proper retail release. Fan made patches with separate video downloads had offered people with DOS or Windows 95 copies a fairly convenient upgrade path since 2004, but the 2012 re-release of Wing Commander 4 on Good Old Games finally made this a zero effort experience. If you are feeling particularly nostalgic about Wing 4, or interlaced Full Motion Video in general, GOG has recently added the original DOS version as a bonus download when you purchase the game on their platform. Other freebies include Origin's official play guide, various promotional videos and the game's script. The entire Wing Commander series for PC is currently on sale for just $35.




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Original update published on November 18, 2016
 
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Gameplay was the same, it was only the FMV, which was sharper and smoother. It came on a double sided DVD that was included with the creative labs DVD drive that also included a dxr2 hardware DVD decoder card. The card was required since PC's at the time did not have the power for software decoding. I could watch a DVD on a Pentium I 75mhz when most people with a 233mhz Pentium ii or even my Celeron 400mhz couldn't a couple of years later.

Since I am new account, I can't add a link, but dxr2 decoder cards are on eBay right now.

Source: saving up allowance and chore money over a few months ~20 years ago, it was 239.99 at the office depot at wurzbach and Ironside in San Antonio. I would come in, drool over it, and then say "she will be mine. Oh, yes, she will be mine."

On a side note that decoder card was a pain to work with, since I also had a TV/fm tuner card from a Toshiba Infinia desktop (drivers were near impossible to find, but Toshiba distributed the TV tuner application,) and I had to Daisy chain the aux audio from one card, to the next, to the sound card. I would go from wc4 DVD, to n64 smash bros, all on the computer monitor.
 
I'm not sure what their issue is with that. They actually removed their OS X package of Armada a while back...
 
I wish they'd provide disk images of everything as bonus features and let folks who are technically inclined figure them out. Wouldn't it be rad if you could grab the PowerPC version or the Playstation version and just noodle around with it yourself?
 
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the original (European in my case) DOS version was uncensored right?
I honestly don't remember when I saw the DVD version but the..*ahem* knife incident was much less graphic in the DVD as opposed to the CD/DOS version
 
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the original (European in my case) DOS version was uncensored right?
I honestly don't remember when I saw the DVD version but the..*ahem* knife incident was much less graphic in the DVD as opposed to the CD/DOS version

I think it's the other way around. The European versions were the "censored" version. The DVD actually has both versions on it. You can change it yourself for the one you prefer by just swapping the file names. It just defaults to the less graphic version.
 
I think it's the other way around. The European versions were the "censored" version. The DVD actually has both versions on it. You can change it yourself for the one you prefer by just swapping the file names. It just defaults to the less graphic version.

Hm..I bought WC4 when it came out here in Sweden at the local game shop (maybe march or april 1996, cant remember exactly) and that version was not censored. It could of course have been a US import version if it's true what you say and the European versions of the game were censored. I'm gonna dig up the game box and see if it says where my copy was made.

Thx for the info.
 
Hm..I bought WC4 when it came out here in Sweden at the local game shop (maybe march or april 1996, cant remember exactly) and that version was not censored. It could of course have been a US import version if it's true what you say and the European versions of the game were censored. I'm gonna dig up the game box and see if it says where my copy was made.

Thx for the info.

It's quite possible it varies from country to country in the EU but IIRC the main one is Germany that has laws regarding showing blood.
 
The German version was definitely censored. I think my first uncensored version was the (English) single sided DVD one.
 
I couldn't find the gamebox (too much junk in the attic) but it was probably a non-censured European one.
In 1996 Sweden were in the midst of loosening it's old censuring/age-ratings. Just a few years earlier you couldn't rent the uncut version of (for instance) "Hellraiser". I didnt see the real version until much later. They even censured part of the cabelcar fight in "Where Eagles Dare" (1968).
 
Can anybody tell me if I can find these two things at this videos and at what timings?

First the WC3 Kilrathi Starbase.
ships.90.jpg


And second the WC4 Kilrathi Starbase.
Image37.gif
 
I have not watched the videos at 100% but at least the video from WC3 has recorded the gameplay from each mission.
 
I have not watched the 'full movie' cut of Wing Commander 3 done by a fan, but if they included gameplay footage of that base it appears in the Delius series (missions one and three.) Since it only appears in a losing series that it's a bit difficult to trigger, it likely isn't in the movie.

The Wing Commander IV base appears in the third mission of the Pasqual series.
 
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