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By Trent Ward
Developer:
Volition
Publisher:
Interplay
Release Date:
April 1998
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For some time now, Origin's Wing Commander series has held a virtual monopoly on space-flight simulators. Even though the series has been fantastically successful, it seems that most developers have shied away from taking their own foray into the void, perhaps frightened off by Wing Commander's impressive brand recognition numbers or the line's equally impressive development costs.
Now all of that is about to change. Two different teams are setting their sights on Wing Commander's success this year, and both are seeking (like Origin itself) to escape the high production costs of live actors and FMV footage in favor of new and improved gameplay elements and high-powered special effects. Although one of these titles, Bethesda's 10th Planet, is still a long way from being finished  (watch for a GameSpot exclusive on this exciting title in coming months), Interplay is entering the final stages of development on its shot at the title, Descent: Freespace - The Great War.
Despite its asphyxiating label, the game does show new promise for a genre that was in serious danger of going stale. Interplay throws would-be pilots into a whole new world, complete with new foes, new weapons, and a very new outlook on the nature of warfare. Better still, the game steps far away from the FMV style of the Wing Commander series to concentrate system resources on what gamers really care about - better gameplay. Now that the developers have settled down on what the game will actually look and play like, we've put together a quick peek at the features that you can expect to see when the game ships in April or May. So without further ado, let's take a look at the future....
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