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Wing Commander ARENA: IT'S OUT NOW!!1
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But yeah, WC, rad, I'll probably buy it. I'd love another Freespace game though, Freespace 2 is my all-time favourite space game, I think. :o
YEah, I kinda like Origin a lot too.
With all due respect, I just don't buy that. Some people are trying to make the same argument about the Shadowrun FPS, saying "well yeah, its a dumbed down FPS, but if enough people buy it, that will convince them to make a real in depth Shadowrun RPG"
Maybe I'm being as grouchy as jacobkosh, but that's bull. If the Shadowrun FPS does well, it will only spawn more FPS games. if this Wing Commander 2D shooter does well, it will only spawn more 2D shooters.
The games we like are the games not being made anymore because they're hard to make, thus, less profit.
Callum - Sniper (Lethality), Brax - Commando (Healing), Xintoch - Assassin (Tank)
Ignoring the dumbed down comment, the reason that people brought up the possibility of Shadowrun as a full fledged RPG was due to statements from the development team that it was their plan to release this game, and if it did well enough, use its success to get an RPG based around the franchise green lit.
It's not terribly hard to see this Wing Commander used in that way either. No Wing Commander games have been made in a very long time. They test the interest in the franchise by releasing a low cost arcade title, and if it does well, it proves the interest in furthering the franchise with a more costly title.
But yeah, the Shadowrun theories weren't due to fans pulling things out of their ass, it was directly due to comments made by the developers themselves.
3DS: 3351-4199-8917
It's missing the first disc, though.
I really hope they give the series a C&C3 style revival eventually.
And I want the Excalibur. I love that ship.
And WC3/4. <3 Epic cutscenery.
(I think I still have that outtake bonus disc somewhere.)
Good god, yes. At least around here anyway. I never once saw a copy of the game on store shelves, and the EB that I had it reserved at way back in the day never got any in at all. Until recently I was always under the impression that it was cancelled.
3DS: 3351-4199-8917
Your argument is not valid for a simple reason, Wing Commander is a very long series of 3D space sim games, who sold literally millions of copies and pushed PC gaming forward with each major release: Sound Blaster exists today because of Wing Commander 1 and 2, WC3 and 4 sold a hell lot CD-ROM drives and Pentium processors, and WCP made a lot of people buy 3D video cards.
There was a Wing Commander game for most major gaming consoles from the SNES to the PSX, including the GBA and the 3DO. There are several full Wing Commander games being made, and they're actually getting released... Just check Saga, Standoff or Gemini Gold.
Shadowrun is a pen and paper RPG who had one nice SNES/Mega Drive CRPG.
Unlike Shadowrun, WC is a strong name in videogames. The franchise is traditional and it's a genre that is lying dormant.
EA knows that there is a strong Wing Commander fan community online, and I know that because they asked for OUR help when making that awesome manual. They wouldn't have the trouble of crafting such a large 64 page book, filled with fan service, if all they wanted was making a quick buck with a cheap and dirty XBLA game.
People are buying Xboxes just to play that silly game. EA knows thy have something valuable on their hands, unlike MS with Shadowrun. And the precedent has been set: Command & Conquer 3 was a come-back like no one would have expected.
Kilrathi Saga usually sells for 250 dollars on ebay.
It's not so important anymore, anyway, thanks to DOSBox, which is actually a better option for playing WC1-3 on a modern PC.
EDIT: Pity your copy was missing the first disk, it's the one with WC1 and 2.
D: Wow. That guy never would've sold me it if he'd have known that, but I don't think he knew what it was anyway.
I'm looking through the book now(128 pages), and it's full of bios on the pilots, logs, all kinds of cool data. I wish I had a good copy of WC1/2(I still have 3/4), but I'm glad I got the book if nothing else.
I don't think I can install the game without disc 1, anyway.
Oh, and there's a calendar, too. Just noticed it.
I think you can install the KS version of 3 without the first disk, fortunately. And yes, the book itself would be worth 20 bucks, let alone 2 US DOLLARS.
People usually make auctions for a complete KS STARTING at 100+ dollars.
But the real prize is the 2-sided DVD-ROM version of WC4, with DVD-quality Cutscenes. The compression in the CD-ROM version is atrocious. The DVDs were made to be bundled with Creative DVD-ROM Drive + Decoder board combo, and would ONLY work with that specific board. Until a great guy named "Gulikoza" made a directX patch that makes the thing work on any modern DVD-ROM drive.
I managed to get a legit surplus copy of that DVD a few years ago on Ebay, but they're all gone, now. I'm so lucky.
Wait, woah, how much do those DVDs of 4 go for?? I actually have that still in its sleeve.
3DS: 3351-4199-8917
I haven't played any WC games other than the initial trilogy, as my family's computer at that time was pretty shitty, so I'm a bit confused to see that the Kilrathi may, or may not, be good guys again. And the Nephilim...new enemy?
It's nice to see that the Arrow is still in play. It's even better to see the Broadsword. No Excalibur, though? Wasn't that supposed to be WC3's ubership? That Maniac has written a book is awesome.
Yet another reason for me to lament going with the PS3. God dammit.
Hmm...any chance that The Kilrathi Saga will run on a Vista Business machine?
Stack Exchange | http://www.mpdevblog.blogspot.com
I don't know, I think most guys who had all those boxes of dvds just ran out.
The kilrathi were the bad guys in the first 3 games, Armada and in Privateer 1.
WCArena happens in the 2700's, on the frontier systems. Humanity just won the war against the Nephilim, who are the bad guys in Prophecy and Secret Ops.
IN WCArena human and kilrathi pilots fight as mercenaries in local skirmishes and pirate hunts.
Well, who knows what kind of ship might be locked at the start, or released later as DLC.
You can play WC3 and 4 on it, though, the PSX versions.
Don't know, check the forums in www.wcnews.com, they have a lot of information about running all WC games in all kinds of OSs and systems.
It's an idiotic theory then. I'm certainly not going to buy the Shadowrun FPS, not because I don't like Shadowrun, its because I don't like dumbed down multiplayer only shooters!! Yes, we all know there are a lot of people out there who will buy anything that has the Star Wars logo on it. anything no matter how stupid. But that level of popularity doesn't extend to all franchises. Certainly not Shadowrun or Wing Commander.
This thread alone we've got a lot of people more interested in the MANUAL than the game itself! That's not exactly a good sign y'know? Using "...but it's <insert favorite franchise here>, so I'll get it," is not exactly a ringing endorsement.
We don't like Wing Commander simply because its Wing Commander, We liked Wing Commander because it was an innovative game for its time. One of the first cinematic space sim shooters. One of the first interactive movie games. etc etc.
Because what if Arena does extremely well? Doesn't that mean it was a good game..a good top down shooter? Or does that mean it was a good Wing Commander game? So therefore, if you make a second game back in the original genre, isn't that going to piss off the fans that liked the good top down shooter? Or does that just mean that a shit ton of people were willing to put up with a mediocre game just because they like the franchise? You're overestimating the ability of people to tolerate mediocre games just for the sake of the franchise.
Then if it DOESN'T sell well, you also have a convenient excuse, "gee, enough people were stuck up and purists and didn't want to play a good <insert franchise here> game so now they won't make any more. hrmph!" Or wait, was it simply a forgettable game?
Hate to rain on your parade but this faux hope that enough people have faith and buy this top down shooter for the slim to none chance that they might make a more complex game of a different genre in the future is just wishful thinking at best.
I just don't think you can take a franchise and change its genre and expect people to follow, especially if it doesn't measure up to past games. And saying that if enough people play this lackluster game, we'll make a better game later is disingenuous at best, a flat out lie at worst.
Callum - Sniper (Lethality), Brax - Commando (Healing), Xintoch - Assassin (Tank)
I offered a few itens.
You failed to address them.
1. The manual is out, and the game isn't
2. The manual happens to be quite good, in the old WC1 style
Therefore, people are talking about the manual rather than playing the game.
Personally, I'm all for whoring out the franchises I care about. I just wish Microsoft would do something -- anything -- with the Renegade Legion license that they've been sitting on since 1999, even if it's a power up-fest with chibi grav tanks, or a Leviathan-based puzzle game.
Ya can't really talk to someone who is willing to ignore developer comments and evidence to the contrary over their own overwhelming negativity. Just not worth it.
3DS: 3351-4199-8917
And the developers are going to support that decision because they're paid to. Of course they're going to try and bait you with the idea that if you buy this game, we'll make a better game later...well wait a minute, why can't they make a better game now if WC is as powerful as you claim as it should be an automatic hit. Oh wait, it won't be as profitable because complex space sims cost more to make. Which is the whole reason the flight sim and space sim genre died in the first place, it wasn't making enough money.
Fuck, even the mega hit Battlestar Galactica is getting the Xbox Live arcade treatment with a shootemup game. That franchise is shit hot right now and even they can't get a true space flight sim going and we have to rely on Freespace2 ports to get our sim fixes.
Arena may be a fun game, but that's all its going to be. A top down shooter is not going to be a precursor to the revival of the space sim genre
Callum - Sniper (Lethality), Brax - Commando (Healing), Xintoch - Assassin (Tank)
Those are not good news.
Now I'm feeling that Privateer itch again. Too bad I ditched all my "old games I'll never play again" a couple of years back.
Yeah, because making a 64 page manual filled with awesome info, including several pieces of data that have been bugging the community for more than 10 years (example: the names of the classes of all capships in WC3), putting dozens of Wing Commander fans in that manual, and then distributing it for free on the internets is REALLY FUCKING EVIL.
It's not like C&C3 was an amazing game with top gameplay and production values, either.
Dude, stop making shit up and believing it's true. You have no fucking idea of what you're talking about.
EA is not stupid with their money. Did you ever consider that they might just be introducing the series to the new generation of Xbox gamers before commiting fully?
Did you ever realize that no other XBLA even got close to the level of production values invested in Arena? It's definitely NOT a quick cash-in.
BTW, it's almost 100% confirmed for next week.
So the only thing that makes a game Wing Commander is playing exactly like Wing Commander 1? So Privateer and Armada aren't Wing Commander games?
Movies don't function, and neither do SFX. I broke out Sam and Max: Hit The Road, and it runs also, but without sound.
I guess I've got a lot of backwards modding to do, or something.
Also, the timeline in the PDF is the same from the Kilrathi Saga book up until the WC4 era, so some of the book's intact(in a way).
Then Arena should be fine. It's a 2D space-themed combat shooter. The other games were 3D space-themed combat shooters.
Judging by a lot of the sentiment in here, expect a majority of the questions to contain the word "sodomy" somewhere therein.
3DS: 3351-4199-8917
Come on man. Do you really believe this is going to have much in common with the earlier Wing Commander games? Other than the name? Hell, this is going to make Magna Cum Laude and Mask of Eternity look faithful.
This is coming from the biggest whiner about that game, save maybe Athenor; that was certainly not the case at all.
Steam PSN: DerWaffleMous Origin: DerWaffleMous Bnet: WaffleMous#1483
hehe actually I haven't gotten any (PM's) yet. I've got a few of my own questions, but I figured PA might be the best place to brainstorm out a few more good one's.