Wing Commander: Armada

The Good
The game is a unique twist on Wing Commander, putting you in command of a carrier. The ability to fly multiple fighters for either side, the strategy, the resource management, the ability to record taunts, and the unique fiction to come with the game makes it a definite buy. Plus, this game has the right sort of feel to it. You may get bored, but for some reason, you find yourself playing it again and again.

The Bad
The AI was only so-so, and the taunt maker was inadequate at certain points. The flight sometimes got a bit boring, and the strategy screen is difficult to work about due to the fact that, if you selelct a joystick as your primary input device, it only allows a joystick to maneuver the cursor around. I think a mouse would have been much easier.

The Bottom Line
I say get it. If you're a hardcore WC fan, seek this game out, since it contains a few ships seen in later games.

The Good
The multiplayer was fun, if you could get the modem routines to work. (which I never managed to at my own computer) The graphics were a revelation, considering we were coming off of the scaled & rotated bitmaps of all the other versions. And the music was good.

The Bad
Gameplay, gameplay, gameplay! The actual dogfighting is the worst I've seen in a flightsim since the NES Top Gun. Due to tweaked recharge rates and different gun powers, it's virtually impossible for a smaller ship to take out a bigger one. His shields will recharge faster than you can shoot him, while he wipes you out in a couple shots. Further, the comptuer only knows one move - the afterburner slide. He'll AB by you, turn, spin, and start shooting, then hit the 'burners, turn, etc. This is bad enough. What's worse is that, as WC fans well know, there's pretty much no countermove to keep him from doing this. Every fight simply becomes a slugging match between the two ships, with no way to stay on the computer's tail for long enough to kill him. The bigger guns win every time. The campaign mode was just as bad. It played like the original Star Control except that, again, it was impossible for a lighter craft to take out a bigger one. Luckily, the strategy AI was even more retarded than the dogfight, or the game would be difficult. Finally, while the graphics were nice at the time, it was painfully obvious the point of the game was more to tantalize you with what was to come - WC3 and it's high-res glory.

The Bottom Line
For the love of god, avoid it. These days, when the chances of getting a modern modem to work in DOS are virtually nil, there's no reason in the world to actually play it.

The Good
The graphics were a lot better than what we were getting with the original games. The 3d models were much better than those bitmaps. The strategy section was ok as well, but fairly easy and repetitive.

The Bad
The dogfights were made a little too hard to win (for some people) due to the shields of the enemies recharging so quickly. Then again, the shields on your ship did the same. At the time, though, I found it a little to easy. The tactics the AI used were very repetitive and I knew what patterns they were going to follow.

The Bottom Line
If it's in the bargain bin, go and get it, but it's not worth searching out. Cheap, repetitive gameplay I'd only suggest to 4000 A.D. fans.