       
Best Action/Simulation
Winner: Wing Commander: Prophecy
In a bold move by the design team, Prophecy dismisses the series' recent trend toward style over substance. Gone are the lengthy interactive full-motion-video cutscenes, and in their place is a great set of missions backed by a souped-up flight engine and some of the most breathtaking 3D-accelerated graphics ever seen. Adding to the strength of the gameplay is the interesting alien race - all new this time out - designed by Syd Mead, previously responsible for the design of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. And while it would be nice to get a little more background on these new aliens (Prophecy's story was a little shallow), no one can deny the amazement of seeing these intricately designed alien craft darting around the cosmos. Prophecy is reportedly the beginning of a new trilogy, and if the next two entries continue in this tradition, the Wing Commander series should continue to have a long and fruitful life on your PC. Runner-up: Interstate '76
The missions are incredible, with varied environments and a wide variety of tasks to accomplish. The game features innovative aesthetic achievements such as cutscenes, which seamlessly blend with the missions and excellent voice acting. And the physics modeling for the automobiles is splendid as well, with extremely varied handling among the different auto types and realistic damage - including flat tires and suspension problems - which affect the way your car handles. Many complained about the game's steep system requirements after its spring release, and a few had a problem with the fact that you couldn't save intermittently during the extremely challenging missions. But the imminent I76 add-on - The Nitro Pack - promises to fix even these minor problems.
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