Privateer

Privateer took all the playability of the Wing Commander series and added options for having different styles of ships with much more broad selection of features and weaponry, choices and economy rather than having those things completely set. This versatility, inspired by an old game called 'space rogue', put a brand new game within a game. The systems that you go to are lightly to heavily sprinkled with pirates and rogue Kilrathi. You can actually talk your way out of a fight... or into one which I thought was a cool option if you really needed it. Each planet has it's own theme...from 'Gangster' to 'Harvard' to 'Blade Runneresque'...and more. Very cool. I never play this anymore but only because the disks that it was on got corrupted several years back. Otherwise I'd likely take a peek again now and then just for the heck of it. It is outdated in graphics but the core game was quite fun. If I would make any comment it would be that the secondary turrets should have been automatic...rather than for a poor privateer to try and fire at an enemy while his craft was flying straight and level.

When we upgraded the computer, this was probably the game I missed playing the most. Probably because it was the most addicting game, especially if you love sci-fi space adventure or the Wing Commander series. It had all the elements of Wing Commander, but was still unique and while you had a story line to follow, you could fly off on your own and do whatever, whenever, wherever. Privateer was not an easy game, however. It took a lot of patience to get off the ground (literally) since you'd start off with a crappy Tarsus merchant vessel and 500 credits. The more missions you did successfully, the more money you'd make and you could afford fancy equipment and upgrade to the Orion, Galaxy or Centurion class ships.

Sometimes I'd try to overlap a whole bunch of missions (mostly the patrol assignments) but it was easy to get overwhelmed by the Kats or Retros. There were plenty of controller gripping narrow escapes which made the game that much more thrilling. The damage aspect of Privateer is great too, for systems get fried one by one. And if you didn't like playing a goody toe-shoes, you could turn around and be a pirate! You'd have to watch your back though, because then bounty hunters would come after you.

Great memories, endless fun. They seriously do not make games that are of this caliber anymore. Not only was it one of the first to contain real voices and great sound effects, the fact that you could do so much in such a huge environment was ground breaking. I never got to really finish the story but even if I had, I probably would have started it up all over again.

"Hello, Captain Goodan".

About 6 years ago when we bought our sound card we got a set of games with it. Out of it stuck Wing Commander II. I tried to play it and came out with an icky feeling. Playing Wing Commander III I thought "Ooh, FMV. Good Cast. Beautiful Kilrathi. No thanks."

But when Privateer landed on my lap I couldn't stop playing it no matter how many times I saw my Tarsus explode. This game is so addicting that even now, years after I played it, I still have some one-liners stuck in me. The game I got 5 years ago I couldn't manage to finish but when I got the CD version I started over and went from start to end.

What can be said? Addicting? Beautiful? Great Combat Scenes? How about 'A Game That Made Me Forget A Trivial Thing As Sleeping'?

If you love good space simulators and don't want to be fighting to right the wrong or something like that, just fight for your own best interest then this is the game for you. It'll give you at least a good week of intensive play. And if you had enough then you can go and play Privateer 2: The Darkening.

To sum it up, Origin Systems: They Make Worlds. And what worlds...