Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom cover

Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom 1996

Released: February 8, 1996
Anniversary: Turned 30 on February 8
Genre: Simulator
Platforms: PC · Mac · DOS
Developer: Origin Systems
Publisher: Electronic Arts
More info: Wikipedia IGDB

Where to buy

On sale: $4.99 $9.99 -50% as Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom - 30th Anniversary Edition on Steam More deals on Steam, and in Simulation
Digital: GOG Steam
Physical: Search on Amazon

Affiliate links: GOG, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, ININ Games and Amazon

Is it still worth playing?

Origin Systems' 1996 space combat simulator for MS-DOS, Windows and Mac, set after the Terran Kilrathi War. An unexplained attack on a medical transport sets the Terran Confederation against the Union of Border Worlds. Between missions the story is told in full motion video, with many branching dialogue choices. Each mission starts aboard a carrier, where the pilot, Blair, takes a briefing, chooses a wingman and a fighter and sets loadouts. Those choices count. Fighters differ in durability, maneuverability, speed and weapons, and wingmen in flying style and in how reliably they follow orders. In the cockpit everything is limited: guns draw on an energy pool that regenerates slowly, missiles and ECM run out, and shields regenerate while armor does not. Choices made on the carrier still make every sortie a trade between risk and supply today.