Privateer

Origin Systems

Combat Simulator

REQUIRED: MS-DOS v5.0 or higher, 4 MB RAM, 5 MB hard drive space, 256-color VGA graphics, double-speed or faster CD drive

MUSIC (optional): AdLib, Sound Blaster/Pro/16, Waveblaster, MPU-401 General MIDI or 100% compatibles

DIGITIZED SPEECH/SOUND EFFECTS (optional): SoundBlaster/Pro/16 or 100% compatibles

Quintin Stone

Don't get this game. If you want to play a real space-simulator, play X-Wing, or Tie-Fighter. Even maybe the first two Wing Commanders, although it's been a long time since I've played either of those. Maybe time dulls bad memories....

First off, let me just hack on the programmers who decided that their software should figure out if your sound configuration is wrong, but don't have it automatically detect sound cards, etc. Instead, the software immediately stops the game if the sound configuration is "wrong". Amazingly enough, though, what was "right" one game will suddenly be no longer valid. So my sound configuration will work fine one game and be in error the next, without me having changed a damn thing. So I run install.exe a dozen times, using every possible combination of IRQ and DMA (since the correct ones were "wrong") until the game decides, quite generously, to let me play. Unfortunately, there's no volume control, so if you don't have speakers with volume knobs, you have to suffer.

Now I can tell you how much I liked the combat action. I didn't. I hated it. Maybe LucasArt's space simulators spoiled me against anything that wasn't done well. It is nearly impossible to hit enemy ships with your guns (nevermind the fact that you have to bring your guns back online every time you undock, for some unknown reason). The hostiles are capable of turning on a dime, whenever they like. It's nearly impossible to lead with your fire because the Kilrathi and pirates can quite easily turn a complete 180 before your shots even get close. Sometimes the only way to hit with guns is to be point blank. Of course, they can tear your ass to dust before you can sneeze, because you turn like a bloated monkey underwater.

Basically, I didn't care for this game. I played it because I wanted to give it a fair chance, but it just didn't catch on. Maybe it was the annoying combat, maybe it was the total lack of direction that was apparent in the game. Leave Trade Wars to the BBS's, okay, Origin? Do us all a favor and give some more excellent games like Bioforge and the Ultimas, some of my favorites, and we'll forget this little incident ever happened. Deal?