The first Wing Commander game that came in
1990 was the first game to include graphics that would
blow you away. This game sold in great numbers as it was something entirely new, and you could use
accessories such as the
joystick to play it. It was also the first game to have a full motion video made out by
sprites and
backgrounds. In short, this game was a
break-through in computer technology.
Chris Roberts quickly made a sequel that would excel the previous game, and also a story that would bring you further in to the great war between the alien race Kilrathi and the humans. The graphics stayed the same, but some modifications were done, and the game kept on being popular as the first one ever was.
But this was not enough. Chris wanted even more, and as the cd-rom technology was introduced, he saw a new and promising horizon. The third game introduced - again first time ever in a computer game - and interactive movie. Now the player could affect the story of the game as the player saw fit. And being in real video with real actors, this game broke through newer limits.
A fourth game was introduced featuring many of the actors from the previous game, such as Mark Hamill, Tom Wilson, Malcolm McDowell and Jason Bernard. The video was a whole lot better, but the games engine was much alike number III. In this game, the alien threat is at an end, and there is a new threat lurking in the shadows of human origin. This has been the most expensive game ever developed, and was also the last game Chris Roberts created while working for Origin before he moved on to create his own company, Digital Anvil.
Chris' leaving was not any hinder for Origin - they made another game which was entitled Wing Commander: Prophecy, and not as number five in the saga. This game came with an entirely new engine an cast of crew, and was done quite amateurishly. Unfortunately for Origin. There is currently (year 2001) no plans for any more games, as the last game sold too poorly.