88/100
Players13 ratings: 67/100
Critics2 reviews

Where to get it

1997 · Origin Systems · Flight simulation · Shooter

Wing Commander: Prophecy

Nintendo console exclusive

Wing Commander: Prophecy, the fifth installment in the acclaimed space combat series, introduces a new generation of pilots in a post-war galaxy. Players assume the role of rookie Lance Casey aboard the TCS Midway, facing an unexpected alien threat foretold by ancient Kilrathi prophecy. Set against the backdrop of a fragile peace following the Border Worlds conflict, the game combines intense space combat with late 90s FMV storytelling. Pilots engage in dangerous missions, wielding an arsenal of advanced weaponry to defend the Confederation against a mysterious force that threatens the universe's existence.

Released: 30 November 1997
Platforms: Game Boy Advance Windows
Genres: Flight simulation Shooter Simulation
Developers: Origin Systems
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action Science fiction

About

Wing Commander: Prophecy is the fifth installment in the Wing Commander science fiction space combat simulator franchise of computer games. The game was released in 1997 for Windows, produced by Origin Systems and distributed by Electronic Arts. In 2003, a Game Boy Advance conversion with added multiplayer was produced by Italy-based Raylight Studios and distributed by Destination Software.

The game features a new game engine (the VISION Engine), new spacecraft, characters and story elements. The events depicted in Prophecy are set over a decade after Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom and, rather than the Kilrathi, the player must deal with a new alien threat, an insectoid race codenamed Nephilim that has invaded the human galaxy through a wormhole. Prophecy was the first main-line Wing Commander game in which the player did not take on the role of Christopher Blair, instead being introduced to a new player character, Lance Casey. Some of the characters and actors from previous games return in Prophecy, where they rub elbows with an entirely new cast of Confederation pilots and personnel.

Keywords

space simulation
space combat
full motion video
live-action cutscene

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Controls are available in two modes: basic, catering to new and casual players, and advanced, aiming to give a more realistic feeling of space combat. The two modes leverage the same flight dynamics engine, but in basic mode turning the ship around assists the player by coupling pitch, yaw, and roll (emulating airplane flight dynamics), while in advanced mode each axis is made independent for more complex but increased control, especially when using a HOTAS setup. There is also the possibility to temporarily disable the coupling system that assists the player in keeping thrust forward as the player pivots along the axes as if the spacecraft was an airplane: when this assisting system is disabled, it is possible to tilt the spacecraft using thrusters while keeping movement constant through inertia, allowing for advanced offensive and defensive maneuvers, such as drifting sideways alongside a capital ship while shooting at it or quickly pivoting 180 degrees around and shooting at a chasing fighter.

Missions are played in sequence, and while the core scenario is constant, it is possible to fail missions and keep going forward in the game. Subsequent missions may become increasingly harder as the enemy gains an upper hand on the operational theater. As is traditional for the Wing Commander franchise, the player is placed in command of a flight of fighters, piloted by various non-player characters. Some of them may be killed during missions, resulting in a Killed In Action (KIA) in the leaderboard; however, others are plot-critical and will make use of their ejection seat to escape an exploding craft.

Story

Twelve years after the destruction of the Kilrathi homeworld, the Terran Confederation is building several Midway-class megacarriers, brainchild of Navy Commodore Christopher 'Maverick' Blair. The first one, the Midway herself, is undergoing her shakedown cruise, with Blair along for the ride.

The player takes the role of 2nd Lieutenant Lance Casey, son of the venerable Major Michael "Iceman" Casey from Wing Commander I. He and his best friend Max "Maestro" Garrett have been assigned to the Midway as members of the ship's junior Diamondback Squadron, led by Lieutenant Jean "Stiletto" Talvert. Blair, Colonel Jacob "Hawk" Manley and Major Todd "Maniac" Marshall compete for control of the Black Widow Squadron. In charge of the Midway's two squadrons is CAG Patricia Drake, while Captain Eugene Wilford serves as her skipper.

Development

Wing Commander: Prophecy was the first Wing Commander game made after series creator Chris Roberts left Origin, though the game engine was taken from Roberts' last project with Origin, the unfinished game "Silverheart".

The Nephilim were designed by Syd Mead.

Reception

The Game Boy Advance version received "mixed or average reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Next Generation said that the PC version "offers enough solid gameplay and eye-catching graphics to satisfy even the most demanding space combat fan." GamePro criticized that due to the hyped multiplayer feature having been dropped before release, the game has little to differentiate it from previous Wing Commander games apart from its stunning graphics when using a 3D accelerator, though they said the series's familiar story and gameplay remain solid.

PC Data, which tracked computer game sales in the U.S., reported that the PC version earned $6.7 million and sold roughly 195,000 units by October 1999. Its revenue in the country represented a drop from Wing Commander IV.