Wing Commander: Prophecy (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 8.6 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ron Dulin
• Reviewed on: 12/16/1997
• Updated on: 05/02/2000
• Released on: 11/30/1997
• Originally published on GameSpot: Wing Commander: Prophecy (PC) Review

For the fifth chapter in Origin's space-combat series, the designers have abandoned the game's recent tendency toward the cinematic. The last two Wing Commander chapters have seen gameplay give way to lengthy expository film sequences, with missions often seeming like no more than a way to kill time until the next big plot point. Not any more. With original series creator Chris Roberts gone to head up Digital Anvil (and reportedly direct the Wing Commander film), the new design team has shifted the emphasis from screenplay to gameplay, and the result is an engaging, but somewhat different, Wing Commander experience.

Why different? Primarily because the shift away from FMV has been accompanied by a shift away from plot in general, a significant departure for a series that has been associated with some of the most intricate and gripping storylines in recent gaming memory. It's true that the game introduces a new crew of characters, and some old favorites - such as Blair and Maniac, played by Mark Hamill and Tom Wilson, respectively - are still around. And there's a new alien species invading Confederation territory, wreaking havoc on the crippled Kilrathi (who were all but annihilated over the course of the first three games) and bent on destroying everything in its path. The modest attempts to develop these characters aren't very interesting, and the plot is largely devoid of the types of intrigue and surprise we've come to expect from the Wing Commander series. The game also lacks significant dialogue choices to make, and hence, storyline branches. Prophecy is almost totally linear, with only one or two minor exceptions based on mission performance.

All this means that Wing Commander: Prophecy stands or falls based on its gameplay. Fortunately it stands up quite well. As rookie Confed pilot Lance Casey, your role is simple and straightforward: Work your way up the ranks of Confed pilots by taking out as many alien targets as you humanly can. Encounters with the aliens are the most fascinating aspect of the game - thanks in large measure to designer Syd Mead, whose previous work includes production design for Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Mead has crafted a menacing, insect-like alien race, piloting ships that look like, behave like, and are even named after sea-creatures. Even better, the invaders dart and dodge through space, with a distinctly different flare than opponents from earlier chapters in the series.

Most of the missions center around simply destroying as many of these aquatic-like craft as possible. There's a heavy emphasis on patrol missions, in which you fly from one Nav point to the next fighting any enemies encountered along the way, but there are a few really brilliant missions strewn throughout the game. You'll take out massive cruisers and transports, and you'll encounter immense battleships armed with devastating weapons. The last mission is particularly notable - it makes the rest of the game worthwhile, truly creating a sense of suspense as you desperately try to achieve your final objectives against overwhelming odds. It's also possible to fail many of the missions and still continue - though your next sortie will be made a little more difficult as a result.

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