Wing Commander 1990

About

Gameplay consists of completing successive missions and overall cockpit performance affects gameplay: going above and beyond the call of duty results in medals, promotions in rank are awarded at regular intervals, and success or failure on certain critical missions decides the player's plot progress, "winning" or "losing".

Story

The player takes the role of a nameless pilot aboard the TCS Tiger's Claw, a Bengal-class Strike Carrier. The player gets to name the pilot and choose his call sign. The pilot (known in-production to Origin personnel as "Bluehair", after his most notable feature) quickly rises through the ranks of the flight wing and (presuming the player performs ideally in the cockpit) eventually leads a strike on the Kilrathi High Command starbase in the Venice system. On the other hand, if the player does not perform optimally, missions become increasingly defensive in nature, and eventually the Claw is forced to retreat.

What is happening now

Wing Commander is a space combat simulator that launched across multiple platforms in 1990, establishing itself as a landmark title in the genre. The series is remembered for blending tactical flight mechanics with cinematic storytelling, particularly in its later entries. Recent news has centered on Wing Commander 3, which is receiving a 30th Anniversary Edition featuring restored and remastered full-motion video sequences. EA's discovery of the original FMV source tapes in its archives has enabled this restoration effort. The third installment, which featured Mark Hamill and is widely regarded as the series' peak, will be the focus of these enhanced visuals when the anniversary edition releases.