It was awesome.Ĭoming back to it years later.I can't believe I was able to tolerate it for so long.
WING COMMANDER PRIVATEER FULL
Doing smuggling runs from the secret asteroid pirate base en route to New Chicago, with a cargo hold full of illegal contraband, narrowly ejecting it before the police could scan my hold, then retrieving it later.I remember really getting a 'Han Solo' feeling from it. And like Neverhoodian, I vastly preferred being just some guy trying to carve out a place for himself in the galaxy, as opposed to the 'Chosen Pilot'. Being able to join almost any faction, doing what you wanted, on the outer rim of explored space. When I first played privateer, I was amazed at the freedom it allowed you (I'd never played Elite, or anything like it up to that point). This game brings a lot of nostalgia with it.But If I keep the tinted glassed off, I can see that some aspects of the game are so broken, it almost renders it unplayable. I was so frustrated by the experience that It was a few years before I could bring myself to pick up the game again. Since I didn't have a save file prior to this development (I know, rather stupid of me) I was left with the prospect of starting all over. Eventually I found myself stranded at a neutral starport with a small fleet of Retros waiting to blow me out of the sky the moment I took off. No matter how hard I tried to fight or outrun them, I always ended up having to spend more money in repairs than what I was earning. Surprise! Instead of one or two pirate or Retro ships I was suddenly getting swarmed by four to five Retro or Kilrathi vessels instead. I ended up blowing all my money on a new ship without bothering in upgrades, figuring I could go to some starter systems and grind for it. I didn't realize during my first playthrough that enemy difficulty ramps up when you buy a better ship. Moreover, you can unwittingly back yourself into a corner if you're not careful.
WING COMMANDER PRIVATEER SERIES
Gameplay is your standard simplistic fare for the Wing Commander series and lacks the rewarding complexity of titles like X-Wing and Tie Fighter. The voice acting is atrocious and the limited mission types can become monotonous. That said, Privateer certainly isn't perfect. Nothing says morally bankrupt like "rescuing" ejected pilots, only to turn around and sell them into slavery at the nearest pirate spaceport. I realize it's personal preference, but I find "everyman" narratives in games to be more compelling than "The Chosen One." Admittedly the story does veer a bit down the latter category, but like most open world (or in this case, open galaxy) games I tend to ignore the plot in favor of striking out and making my own player-driven narrative, be it a law abiding trader, a mercenary or even a slaver. Shearer should mention the game's role and mindset as a drawback, as I found it to be one of Privateer's strengths.