Wing Commander 3, 3DO

Wing Commander 3, 3DO review

Introduction

Wing Commander III is based on the groundbreaking Wing Commander PC series by Chris Roberts. This version, converted from PC to the 3DO in 1995, takes full advantage of the 3DO’s ability to render impressive FMV CGI scenes. The game stars Mark Hamill as Colonel Christopher “Maverick” Blair, Malcolm McDowell as Admiral Tolwyn, John Rhys-Davies as James “Paladin” Taggart, Tom Wilson as Todd “Maniac” Marshall, Jennifer MacDonald as Robin “Flint” Peters, and Ginger Lynn Allen (former porn star) as Chief Technician Rachel Coriolis.

First Impressions

The game makes a striking initial impact with its extensive, high-quality 12-minute opening FMV, setting high expectations for a monumental gaming experience. All FMV scenes feature actors against CGI-generated backgrounds, which are quite convincing for 1995.

Gameplay and Controls

Wing Commander III offers responsive controls and a smooth introduction through a series of 3D space combat missions, contributing to a positive cockpit experience. The AI enemy Kilrathi ships display decent combat competence, delivering engaging and moderately addictive encounters.

Character Interactions and Controls

Diving deeper than standard dogfighting, Wing Commander III allows players to select their wingmen, each possessing unique skills and behavior patterns. Communication options extend to interactions with enemies, albeit limited to trading insults. The control scheme, adapted for the 3DO controller, is ingeniously mapped, facilitating effective gameplay execution even during intense firefights.

Graphics and Mission Structure

From the cockpit, the game offers a functional but visually modest world, relying on instruments for navigation through indistinguishable environments. The spacecraft can be viewed from both within and outside the cockpit, adding variety to space battles. However, the mission structure reveals a weakness: repetitive objectives that lack strategic depth persist throughout the 43 missions.

Audio and Visual Elements

Overuse of musical themes and reuse of certain CGI backgrounds contribute to a lack of visual diversity. Despite initial positive impressions, this lack of variety diminishes the game’s appeal over the course of its extensive mission count. Nevertheless, Wing Commander III is enjoyable to play for a few hours and showcases the power of the 3DO and its ability to render FMV without additional hardware.

Conclusion

Wing Commander III for the 3DO is a notable adaptation of the original PC series, leveraging the console’s strengths in FMV and control customization. While the game has some repetitive elements, it remains an impressive showcase of the 3DO’s capabilities and offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the series. This Wing Commander 3 3DO review highlights its strengths and weaknesses, making it a fascinating piece of gaming history.

Rating

 4/5

Intro video and gameplay

Screenshots

Wing Commander 3 Heart of the Tiger review

Game CD box

Key points

Star-Studded Cast and FMV: The game features a star-studded cast including Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and John Rhys-Davies, with FMV sequences taking full advantage of the 3DO’s capabilities to render high-quality CGI scenes, setting a new standard for gaming in 1995.
Positive Initial Impressions: The game makes a strong first impression with its extensive and visually impressive 12-minute opening FMV, setting high expectations for players.
Engaging Gameplay Mechanics: Wing Commander III offers responsive controls and engaging space combat missions, with AI enemies providing challenging encounters and adding to the overall gameplay experience.
Visual and Gameplay Diversity: While the game offers visually impressive space battles and the ability to view spacecraft from different perspectives, it lacks visual diversity in terms of environments and musical themes, leading to repetitive gameplay experiences over the course of its 43 missions.
Overall Impression: Despite its shortcomings in terms of mission structure and visual diversity, Wing Commander III was praised for its engaging gameplay, stellar cast, and groundbreaking use of FMV technology on the 3DO platform, showcasing the console’s capabilities without additional hardware add-ons.

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