Several versions of the Wing Commander IV Demo exist. The first included a cinematic trailer and was released on magazine cover discs (here - 43 megs). That was a huge file for an era when ordinary people didn't have CD burners or fast internet connections... so Origin later released a smaller internet version with the trailer removed (here - 14 megs). Even that seemed like an impossible download at the time, though! I remember sending 30-odd hastily-blanked discs to work with my dad in the hopes he could download it for me... but one was always corrupt! A Macintosh version was later released (here - 6 megs).
One secret to the Wing Commander IV demo--you can actually "pick up" a Stormfire to play with! Right after you take off, target Dekker's shuttle and follow it for about ten seconds... it will drop a new gun you can fly into (a la Arena) and then use!
Fighters | ||
---|---|---|
F-27 Arrow V |
Hellcat V |
HF-66 Thunderbolt VII |
F/A-76 Longbow |
Bearcat |
F-103 Excalibur |
F-107 Lance |
Razor |
Dralthi IV |
Banshee |
Vindicator |
Avenger |
Manned Insertion Pod |
Capital Ships | ||
---|---|---|
Shuttle |
Clarkson |
Evansville |
Jammer |
Caernaven |
Southampton |
Tallahassee |
Concordia |
Vesuvius |
Shuttle |
Shuttle |
Durango |
Can a game as massive as Wing Commander IV be ported to a console? The answer... is yes! Several ports of the game were released over the years:
Macintosh: The Macintosh port, done by Lion Entertainment, is a very close copy of the PC release. No big surprises!
Windows 95: Origin sold boxed Windows 95 versions of WC4 and also made an upgrade patch available for the original release.
DVD: The DVD version of WC4 was an incredible achievement. It was one of the first DVD games and featured a flipper disc of high quality movies. Computers at the time weren't up to playing the video, requiring a special Creative Labs decoder card be installed. A lesser known DVD version also exists, consisting of all six CDs of the normal game on one disc.
Playstation: The PSX version of WC4 was developed in-house, with an eye towards doing the game in a less confusing way than the complicated WC3 port. Unfortunately, a four disc limit meant that a good number of missions were cut from the game!
GameTap: Wing Commander 4 was one of three Wing Commander titles available through the GameTap service.
PSN: Wing Commander 4, from the PlayStation version, is currently available for sale on the Playstation Network. As a result, you can play WC4 on your PS3 console or PSP handheld!
One port was cancelled early in development--a version for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. That's really a shame, as the 3DO version of Heart of the Tiger was amazing.
Wing Commander IV resulted in only one official guide, this time developed in-house at Origin. The book seems to be a mix of the two Wing Commander III guides, featuring the full color front section of the Authorized Combat Guide but the general surgical style of Origin's Official Guide to Wing Commander III.
The Wing Commander IV novelization was written by William Forstchen and Ben Ohlander. It was oddly delayed at the time, not showing up until almost a year after the game. It has been translated into both German and Czech, with new covers each time!
Wing Commander IV spawned two official guides in the US, both of which were of a high quality. German had three, one featuring a truly amazing cover, including one translation of a US version.
We talked about Wing Commander's first big licensee, Zanart, for Wing Commander III. Well, they produced a similar set of material for Wing Commander IV, which included a hat, two shirts and two pieces of Chromart. The artwork used was the 'poster' style Wing Commander IV art and an oddly less iconic choice--a shot of a Lance landing on Telamon against a blue backdrop. This time around, the game actually came with an advertisement!
At the risk of getting too personal on Wing Commander IV Day: I remember loving my landing scene shirt. My mother bought it for me after the game came out and explained she'd picked that one because she thought I'd like the one with the ship more. I was a Freshman in high school and I loved it. Somewhere I have a student ID picture showing young LOAF with a bandaged eye wearing a Wing Commander IV shirt--pretty much sums up my life at that point in time.
The other big result of Wing Commander IV was the Universal Studios animated series. Developed by the team that created Exosquad, Wing Commander Academy ran for 13 episodes in late 1996. The recent DVD release proves that Wing Commander IV is still spinning off merchandise today!
GAME DEVELOPMENT
Executive Producer - Chris Roberts
Game Producers - Mark Day, Dallas Snell
Associate Producers - David Downing, Adam Foshko
Game Director - Anthony Morone
Lead Programmer - Frank Roan
Programmer, Gameflow Coordinator - Jason Hughes
Additional Programming - Peter Shelus
Movie Compression & Playback - Jason Yenawine
Programming Intern - Daniel YeeDESIGN
Mission Design & Implementation - Ben Potter, Jeff Shelton, Scott Shelton
Original Story Concept - Chris Douglas
Additional Data Implementation - Chuck Karpiak, Steve Powers, Charles HartiganAUDIO
Audio Coordinator - Martin Galway
Original Score - George Oldziey
Interactive Sound Design - Stretch Williams
Additional Interactive Sound Design - Nenad Vugrinec
Interactive Music - George Oldziey
Music Recording - George Oldziey, Stretch Williams
Musicians - Paul Baker (Saxophone), Stretch Williams (Guitar)
Dialog Casting/Recording/Editing - Jay Mahavier, Stretch Williams
Additional Dialog Casting/Recording/Editing - Randy Buck, Jason CobbART
Production Designer Chris Douglas
Art Director Jeffrey “JC” Combs
3-D Animators Rodney Brunet, Jeffrey “JC” Combs, Chris Douglas, Mark Leon,
Dean McCall, Sean Murphy, Chris Olivia, Beth Foster Pugh, Pauline Saab, Mark Vearrier
Additional 3-D Animators Jennifer Ayers, Paul Steed
RealSpace 3-D Modellers Dean McCall, Brennan Priest
Additional Artists Jeff Harris, Damon Waldrip
3-D Software provided byAlias Research
Graphics Hardware provided by Silicon GraphicsPRODUCT SUPPORT
QA Project Leader - Anthony L. Sommers
Assistant Project Leaders - J. Allen Brack, Todd Wachhaus
QA Team - Cinco Barnes, Nathan Batiste, John Darsnek, Christopher D. Errett, Kenny Hott, Kevin Melton, Myque Ouellette, Kent Raffray, Carlus Wesley
Hardware Lab Tech - Brett J. Bonner
Translations Liaison - Andy Bruncke
Product Support Supervisor - Marie Williams
Hardware Lab Supervisor - Brian Wachhaus
Director of Studio Services - Kay GilmoreADMINISTRATIVE
Finance - Mike Grajeda, Dominique Iyer
Executive Assistant - Madeleine Fox
Resource Coordinator - Weston Giunta
Network Administrators - Dave Reeves, Mark Rizzo
Senior Technician - Rick McNeeley
Unix Administrator - Christopher Alexander North-Keys
Director of Development Services - Sean Kelley
Director of Marketing - Jennie Evans
Product Manager - Galen Svanas
Assistant Product Manager - Patrick Bradshaw
Media Relations - David Swofford, Teresa Potts, Richard Steinberg
Unit Publicist - Michaels & Wolfe, Inc.
Travel Coordination - Madeleine Fox, Barrington Smith
Subtitles - Madeleine Fox, Ana Moreno, Jörg NeummanTRANSLATION
Translations Manager - Kirsten Vaughan
German Translation - Frank Dietz, Stefan Kolo, Jörg Neumann
German Documentation - Anja Rumbarger
German Testing - Jörg Neumann, Kai Lebert, Stephan Lips, Roman Traycey
German Dubbing - Studio FFS GmbH, Munich
French Translations - Peter Bert, Dominique Poumeyrol-Jumeau
French Documentation - Isabelle Rice
French Testing - Jean-Luc Chabrier, Lemuel Haham, Didier Jumeau, Daniel Taillefer
French Dubbing Studio - Studio Lincoln, ParisGAME MATERIALS
Writing - Tuesday Frase, Kevin Schlipper, Melissa Tyler
Additional Fiction - William R. Forstchen, Ben Ohlander
Packaging - Trey Hermann
Poster Art - Sam Yeates
Promotional Materials - Jennifer Davis
Advertising - Al Carnley
Documentation Layout - Catherine Cantieri, Al Carnley, Tim Norland
Editing - David Ladyman
The Readme.txt File - Anthony L. Sommers, J. Allen Brack, Todd Wachhaus, Christopher D. ErrettFILM PRODUCTION
Executive Producer / Director - Chris Roberts
Producer - Mark Day
Associate Producer - Adam Foshko
Co-Producer - Donna Burkons
Screenplay - Terry Borst, Frank De Palma
Line Producer - Maryann Fabian
Casting Director - Mike Fenton
Assistant Casting Director - Julie Ashton-BarsonCREDITS
Casting Assistant - Rachel Davies
1st Assistant Director - Harry Jarvis
2nd Assistant Director - Tia Ardran
2nd 2nd Assistant Director - John Bratton
Production Coordinator - James A. Capp
Assistant Production Coordinator - Ray Cobo
Set Production Assistants - Wendy Palmer, Andrea Netze
Production Assistants - Shaun O’Banion, Gary Sims, Orion Walker
Assistant to Mr. Hamill - Tracee Sabato
Assistant to Mr. Roberts - Barrington Smith
Mark Hamill’s Stand-In - Emidio Antonio
Director of Photography - Eric Goldstein
1st Camera Assistant - Tom Ryan
2nd Camera Assistant - Tony Nagy
Additional 2nd Camera Assistant - Daisy Smith
Loader - Amy Abrams
Gaffer / General Foreman - Joey Brown
Best Boy / Chief Lighting Technician - Corey Bibb
Best Boy Grip / 2nd Company Grip - Sandy Bloom
Key Grip / 1st Company Grip - Billy Bosson
Dolly Grip / Crab Dolly Grip Michael Flaningam
Grips - Liz Bolden, Marc Polanski, Robert Reid, Kevin Ball
Apprentice Grip - Erik Wolford
Electrical Lighting Technicians - Uriel Uribe, Anthony Guzman, Andrew Glover, Ngoli Nyirenda, Douglas Blagg, John Massaro, Thoma Reavis, Daisuke Miyake, Don Chong, Eric Kramer
Ultimatte Operator - Bob Kertesz
Tap Operator - Greg Noyes
Still Photographer - Joel Sussman
Sound Mixer - Walt Martin
Boom Operator - Bill Ratcliff
Script Supervisor - Kate Lewis
Storyboard Artists - Marc Baird, Alex Hill
Production Designers - Cherie Baker, Chris Douglas
Computer Graphics Art Director - Jeffrey “JC” Combs
Art Department Coordinator - Ann Giselle-Spiegler
Set Designers - Chris Gorak, James O’Donnell, Bryan Lane
Model Builder - Robin Schneider
Set Decorator - Carrie Perzan
Leadman - Richard D. Wright
Set Dresser - John Grevera, James Dean, Ara Darakjian
On-Set Dresser - Tom Waisanen
Costume Designer - Karen Mann
Costumer - Kristen Saints
Wardrobe Supervisor - Carol Quiroz
Set Costumer - Joel Berlin
Costumer - Dana Loats, Anita Brown, Tammy Surber
Costume Intern - Joya Flores, Staci Riesenbeck, Paulette Uris
Key Hair - Lana Sharpe
Assistant Hair - Gloria Ponce
Hair Stylist - Shastie Sharpe
Key Makeup - Bill Myer
Assistant Make-up - Kim MinerKILRATHI CREATURE TEAM
Melek - Chris Bergschneider
Suit Technician #1 - Jeff Farley
Suit Technician #2 - Jo Ann Bloomfield
Puppeteer - Bud McGrew
Puppeteer Assistant - Mike Newman
Kilrathi Prosthetics - Obscure Artifacts, Inc
Property Master - Mark Anderson
Assistant Property - Lori A. Noyes
Special Effects Studio - Art & TechnologySETS & STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator - Rocky Capella
Construction Coordinator - Mike Clark
Assistant Construction - Coordinator Jenny Ayala
General Foreman - Keith Cox
Construction Foreman - Wade Robinson
Welder / Construction - Michael J. Cohen
Standby - Steve Degroodt
Prop Maker - Morgan Flaherty
Carpenters / Prop Makers - Paul T. Contreras, Martin Duncan, Gordan E. Holmes II, Tyler Dupuy, Ray Baron, Max K. Bozeman, Sean A. Duggan, David Nute, Steven Doss, Scott Miller, Robert A.Masini, David Wheeler, Timothy Walsh, Martin Duncan, Timothy Gruse, Frank Palazzo, Casey Wheeler, Karl Koeb, David Campbell, Gregory Campbell, Thomas Wages, Rex Cassano, Ronnie Montgomery
Lead Scenic / Head Painter - Dave Robinson
Scenic Artists - Chris Kelly, Paul Manchester, Luz
Head Decorator - Chris Kelly
Decorators - Steve Degroodt, Luz
Painters / Decorators - Brian Lynk, Peter George, Frank Oliveri, Gary Mark, Guillermo Tello, Mick Ritchason, Martin Ortiz, Jaime Casillas
Laborers - Cesar Ayala, Rick Fine, Juan Rave, Daniel R. Parker, Jason Greenwood, David Kitchen, Dennis Winters, Ruben Delgado, April Duncan2ND UNIT
2nd Unit Directors - Mark Day, Adam Foshko
Consultant - Jim Rosenthal
Video Assistant - Dan Devaney
Video Intern - Chuck Hatigan
1st Utility - David Weinreb
2nd Utility - Jennifer Lear
1st Assistant Director - Louis Milito
2nd Assiatant Director - Brett Boydstun
Script Supervisor - Judith Saunders
Set Production Assistant - Curtis Myer, Carol Gronner
Gaffer - Reginald F. Lake
Best Boy Electrician - Sherman Fulton
Electrician - Van Johnson
Key Grip - Irv Katz
Best Boy Grip - Dave Boden
Grips - Mark Combs, Jim Nieuwenhuis
Sound - Wolf Seeberg
Medics - Christina Hershey, Suzanne Kunkel, Justin Birchfiel
Craft Service - Julie Iles
Sound Stages provided by - Ren Mar Studios, Hollywood, California, USABUSINESS OFFICE
Production Accountant - Laurie Woken
Assistant Production Accountant - Julie La Prath
Business / Legal Affairs - Carol Contes, Leslie AbelPOST-PRODUCTION
Post-Production Director - Phil Gessert
Visual Effects Supervisor - Steve Moore
Visual Effects Coordinator - Jeffery “JC” Combs
Post-Production Coordinator - David DowningPOST-PRODUCTION — PICTURE
Avid Editor - Phil Gessert
Assistant Editor - Jay Mahavier
Post-Production Assistant - Jim Capp
Video Processing Facility - EA Media Lab
Video Processing & Digitization - Jeni Day
Video Technician - Michael Marsh
Digital Compositing and On Line - Western Images, Inc
Facility Producer - Todd Lindo
Technical Director - Jerry Castro
Telecine Colorists - Jim Barrett, Gary Coates
D-1 Online Editors - Greg Gilmore, Mark Sorensen
Compositing Artist - Orin Green
Rotoscoping Artists - Danielle Ciccarelli, Ali Laventhol
Visual Effects - Post Logic, Inc
Post Logic Producer - Leslie Sorrentino
Visual Effects Compositor - Robby Vignato
Telecine Colorist - Mike Eaves
Telecine Assistant - Mario Barrera T
D-1 Online Editor - Bob Blue
D-1 Assistants - Ko Maruyama, Shane Harris
Digital Non-Linear Editing System - AVID Technology, TEXTSOUND
Film to Tape Transfers by Deluxe VideoPOST-PRODUCTION — SOUND
Origin Systems
Sound Director - Martin Galway
Post Production - ProducerStretch Williams
Sound Editor - Stretch Williams
Additional Sound Editing - Randy Buck, Jason Cobb
Additional Dialogue Recording - Randy Buck, Jason CobbElectronic Arts San Mateo
Director of Film Audio Post-Production - Murray Allen
Dubbing Mixers - Tony Berkeley, Ken Felton
Dialogue Editing - Tony Berkeley, Ken Felton
Foley Editing - Tony Berkeley, Ken Felton
Music Editing - Tony Berkeley, Ken Felton
Supervising Sound Effects Editor - Tony Berkeley
Sound Effects Editors - Ken Felton, Marc Farly
Sound Designers - Tony Berkeley, Marc Farly, Ken Felton
Special Kilrathi Vocal Effects - Tom Seufert
Foley & ADR Services provided by Post Sound Corp.
ADR Mixer - John Reiner C.A.S.
Foley Mixer - Richard Duarte
Foley Artists - Margie O’Malley, Marnie Moore
Foley Editor - Dave NelsonCAST
Col. Christopher Blair - Mark Hamill
Admiral Tolwyn - Malcolm McDowell
Maj. James “Paladin” Taggart - John Rhys-Davies
Capt. William Eisen - Jason Bernard
Maj. Todd “Maniac” Marshall - Tom Wilson
Seether - Robert Rusler
2nd Lt.Troy “Catscratch” Carter - Mark Dacascos
1st Lt. Velina Sosa - Holly Gagnier
Lt. Winston “Vagabond” - Chang Francois Chau
Col. Jacob “Hawk” Manley - Chris Mulkey
Col. Tamara “Panther” - FarnsworthElizabeth Barones
Lt. Col. Gash Dekker - Jeremy Roberts
Chief Tech Robert “Pliers” Sykes - Richard Riehle
Vice-Admiral Daniel Wolford - Peter Jason
Captain Hugh Paulsen - John Spencer
2nd Lt. Drew Naismith - Williams Youmans
Dr. Brody - Jessica Tuck
Voice of Melek - Barry Dennen
News Anchor - Barbara Niven
Confed Redshirt #1 - Richard Garon
Confed Redshirt #2 - Chris Conrad
Confed Redshirt #3 - Casper Van Dien
Confed Redshirt #4 - Suzanne Ircha
Telamon Female Comm Officer - Kirsten Moore
Telamon Citizen - Joel Polis
Telamon Doctor - Michael Cavanaugh
Canteen Bartender - Dylan Bruno
Canteen Vet - Peter Marquardt
Canteen Man - Dean Tarrolly
Border Worlds Pilot #1 - Mauricio Mendoza
Border Worlds Pilot #2 - Lester Barrie
Border Worlds Pilot #3 - Walt Goggins
Vesuvius Helmsman - Aaron Kuhr
Vesuvius Comm. Officer - Wanda Acuna
Transport Pilot - Jane A. Rogers
Senator #1 - Dean Sommers
Senator #2 - Ed Bernard
Senator #3 - Roger Mercurio
Senator #4 - Shirlee Reed
Shuttle Pilot - Dylan Haggerty
Confed Marine - Derik Hixon
Border Worlds Lt. - Carl Banks
Bluepoint Traffic Control - Todd Covert
Helmsperson - Beverley Castaldo
Circle V Comm. Specialist - Saxon Trainer
B.W.S. Carrier Officer #1 - Allen Cutler
B.W.S. Carrier Officer #2 - Joe Fiske
Confed Pilot - Michael Wachtel
Vagabond Double - Peter Lai
Com Base Guard #1 - Tim Meridith
Com Base Guard #2 - Dan Bell
Com Base Guard #3 - Scott McElroy
Tolwyn Double - Randy Hall
Convoy Comm. Officer - Morgan Englund
Pirate - Todd Kimsey
Melek - Chris Bergschneider
Generic Cap #1 - Charles Esten
Generic Cap #2 - Michael Haplin
Generic Cap #3 - Cookie Carosella
Generic Cap #4 - Jeffrey Arbaugh
Slapping Woman - Kirsten MaryottSPECIAL THANKS TO:
Monitors Provided by Sony Corporation of America
Keyboards Provided by Kinesis Corporation of Bothell, Washington
Cantina Shoes Provided by DEJA SHOES, The Environmental Footwear Co.
Eyewear Provided by KATA Eyewear of Culver City, California
Arriflex 535 Cameras Provided by Otto Nemenz International, Inc.
Trager Manufacturing Company
AT&T;
The USS Lexington Museum of Corpus Christi, Texas
VF-201 “Hunters” NAS Dallas, Texas
The 924th Fighter Wing “Outlaws” of Bergstrom AFB, Austin, Texas
If you'd like to upgrade Wing Commander IV to the spectacular DVD version, start downloading! We're sure a GOG-specific patch will be released soon, but for now here's the current one!
Popsicle Pete reused elements of Gulikoza WC4 DVD patch and created an installer that allows owners of Wing Commander 4 (Windows or DOS) to take advantage of the DVD version's movies. Simply run the installer and and it will prompt you to insert your CDs to install the game. At the end of the install, you will be asked if you want to open the appropriate folder to drag the DVD video packs in to. Download the installer HERE. See below for the movie packs themselves.
It's just amazing how far we've come from the days when people had to hunt down expensive hardware kits just to experience this.
I cooked up an small installer to allow owners of the CD edition of WC4 to install it as a DVD version. The installer includes Gulikoza's patches, so most people should be able to fire off the game straight after the installer ends and having copied the high-res movies to into the game's folder. You can download the installer here.
To be honest no hacks or new patches is included in there; all it does it automate a process of copying the right files and configuring a few things. It also contains a few files from the DVD version of WC4. The result is an installation of Wing Commander 4 DVD playable disc-less.
In the end, the Bearcat is a minor note in the history. The Border Worlds affair concluded quickly and with limited conflict. With only a taste of intercene conflict, the Bearcat squadrons were relegated to the greatest ignominy a truly capable warbird can suffer: peacetime.
The Grumman F8F Bearcat, much like its Wing Commander relative, missed the war by arriving too late to see combat. Designed to replace the F6F Hellcat onboard US Navy carriers, the Bearcat has been called the pinnacle of piston-engine aircraft design. The performance of the Bearcat, which was actually smaller than the Hellcat, was astounding. The Bearcat was more than capable of performing right alongside early jets. How the Bearcat was able to achieve this all came down to design.
Like many fighters of the day, the Bearcat was designed around the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine. The requirement was to design the smallest possible airframe to mount the engine. The designers wanted a low-weight aircraft that would provide superior performance. They more than got their wish with the Bearcat.
As the F6F Hellcat was making its combat debut in mid-1943 over the South Pacific, the Grumman “Iron Works” received orders to produce the prototype for the F8F. The first prototype flew on 21 August, 1944. The test pilot for the Bearcat was the famous, Corky Meyer, who had and would test many of Grumman’s famous aircraft including the F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F9F Panther, and the early jet XF10 Jaguar and F11F Tiger.
The first Bearcat squadron, VF-19, reached operational status on 21 May, 1945. However, the Bearcat did not see combat before the war ended in September 1945. Yet the lessons of the war were not lost on the designers. The F8F had an improved armament of four 20 mm cannons which gave it greater damage inflicting power. During the interwar years, the Bearcat became known as one, if not the, best-handling piston-engine fighters ever produced. It was a favorite amongst naval aviators, including future first Man on the Moon Neil Armstrong, who said it was his favorite aircraft. The Navy’s elite Blue Angels flight demonstration team chose the Bearcat as their plane of choice in 1946 because of its impressive aerobatic capabilities. It was with the Bearcat that the Blue Angels developed the famous “Diamond formation” that can still be seen at air shows today.Much like the Rapier II and F-104 Bearcat, the F8F Bearcat was an artist’s ship, however in the case of the F8F it never got to test its mettle in combat.
Start the game with "wc4 -chicken" at the command line to enter debug mode. You should see the message "Chicken mode: [ON] Boc Boc!" during game start-up. Ctrl-W destroys your target. Ctrl-Alt-W destroys all enemies on the radar. Alt-F displays framerate.
Start the game with "wc4 -mitchell" at the command line to get the message "Mitchell don't work here no more. He work for Bazooka Joe now." during game start-up.
Start the game with "wc4 -mitchell2" at the command line to get the message "I told you he don't work here no more! You call Bazooka Joe! during game start-up."
Start the game with "wc4 -test" at the command line to get the message "Test okay!!!" during game start-up. The game then crashes
Barely three months after releasing his third and final version of his WC3 movie and two months after announcing the project, Queeg has released the first complete version of his WC4 movie project. The project aims to create a full movie experience by tying together high quality FMV scenes taken from WCIV DVD, along with in-game spaceflight scenes. You can download the 2.1 gigabyte, three hour long movie from our local HTTP mirror. The spaceflight scenes also feature new nebula graphics in the background.
ORIGIN Systems Announces Wing Commander IV Lift Off; PC CD-ROM Interactive Movie to Make History at Planet Hollywood EventBusiness Editors, Entertainment & Computer Writers
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 1996--ORIGIN Systems, an Electronic Arts company and a developer of world famous entertainment software, today announced that it will ship Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, the latest version of its award-winning, space-combat interactive movie series, for PC CD-ROM on Feb. 9, 1996.
The new title, which breaks new barriers in the blending of Hollywood filmmaking and computer entertainment, will be unveiled on Feb. 8, 1996 at Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills, California.
At the Planet Hollywood press event, Wing Commander IV stars Mark Hamill and Malcolm McDowell will make special costume presentations to representatives of the restaurant, denoting a historic first for the computer gaming industry. It will mark the first time the restaurant has accepted memorabilia from a CD-ROM computer game. The costumes will be on permanent display at one of the many Planet Hollywood locations around the world. Other Wing Commander IV cast members will also attend the event including John Rhys-Davies and Tom Wilson.
Wing Commander IV was shot on 35 mm film at Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood and includes several moving cameras and more than 35 elaborate sets, delivering four hours of live-action video with a "feature film" feel to the cinematics. The graphics explode in super VGA color and are further enhanced with photo-realistic texturing. Player interactivity is expanded both in and out of the cockpit allowing game players to have even greater control of missions and drama. A fully-digitized interactive movie score is included along with Dolby Surround Sound.
Wing Commander IV follows on the heels of the highly successful Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, which sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide and was named "Action Game of the Year" and "Game of the Year" in 1995 by several computer game publications.
All of the highly-talented Wing Commander III cast members returned to film Wing Commander IV, including Hamill (Star Wars), McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations), Wilson (Back to the Future I, II and III), Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones movies) and Jason Bernard (While You Were Sleeping, Herman's Head.) Wing Commander III Hollywood scriptwriters Terry Borst and Frank DePalma also returned to write Wing Commander IV. Eric Goldstein served as director of photography, and Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts was the executive producer of the new title and directed the live-action portions of the game.
The Wing Commander IV Storyline
The Wing Commander IV storyline picks up where Wing Commander III left off -- the bloody battle between the Kilrathi and Terrans has concluded and Colonel Christopher Blair (Hamill) has been on a well-deserved sabbatical. It's not long, however, before civil war breaks out on the home front and the Terran government is forced to recall Colonel Blair to his post to face the next enemy. It won't be easy for the Colonel. Signs of decay will be impossible to ignore and the Confederation is beginning to splinter under the new enemy pressures. You, the Colonel, will have to determine how to save it -- or if it should be saved at all.
Wing Commander IV is shipping worldwide in three languages: English, French and German. Spanish and Japanese versions will follow. The title is supported by a $1 million plus marketing and promotions campaign that includes print, radio, television and cinema advertising. An exclusive promotional campaign with General Cinema theaters is a first for the computer entertainment industry.
Wing Commander IV promo trailers will be shown in approximately 580 General Cinema movie houses. In 10 of those theaters, Wing Commander IV games will be available for sale in the lobbies. The expected retail price for Wing Commander IV is $50-60.
Also shipping with Wing Commander IV is ORIGIN's Official Guide to Wing Commander IV, a 224-page hint book, with 48 pages of full color shots from the game, ship specs and game strategy tips. The book is sold separately at a suggested retail price of $19.95.
ORIGIN Systems develops and publishes state-of-the-art entertainment software. To date, the company has released more than 50 titles, including the award-winning Ultima and Commander series of games. ORIGIN is based in Austin, Texas, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts.
Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., is a leading interactive entertainment software company. EA was founded in 1982 and has an annual sales rate of over $490 million. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStation, as well as IBM-compatible PCs, Macintosh computers, and major dedicated video game systems.
Electronic Arts markets its products worldwide under four brand names: EA SPORTS, Electronic Arts Studios, Bullfrog Productions, Ltd. and ORIGIN Systems, Inc. EA has subsidiaries in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Austin, Texas. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com.
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Note to Editors: ORIGIN, We create worlds, Wing Commander and Ultima are registered trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. The Price of Freedom and Heart of the Tiger are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts, Inc. All other products, symbols and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: ORIGIN Systems Media Relations David Swofford or Teresa Potts, 512/434-4263
Contact: David Swofford or Eileen McKeon Butt
ORIGIN Media RelationsThe Space Epic Continues with
Wing Commander IV(AUSTIN, TX)_The best is about to get even better. The PC interactive movie that was called "the new benchmark against which all interactive entertainment will be compared," by PC Gamer magazine is preparing for its next ground-breaking act. Wing Commander IV, currently in production by ORIGIN Systems, is slated for release on PCCD in the coming winter. It follows on the heels of the awarding-winning Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, named Action Game of the Year and Game of the Year by several gaming publications and featured in Entertainment Weekly, Playboy, USA Today, NBC's Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, VH-1 and the Sci-Fi Channel.
Like its predecessor, Wing Commander IV will incorporate several hours of live-action video and will feature many talented actors from the cast of Wing Commander III: Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations), Mark Hamill (Star Wars) and Tom Wilson (Back to the Future I, II and III). A seven-week shooting schedule is planned for Wing Commander IV at Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood starting the end of May. Executive Producer Chris Roberts, the creator of the Wing Commander line, will be back in the director's chair.
The story, once again, comes from veteran Hollywood screenwriters Terry Borst and Frank DePalma, who wrote the script for Wing Commander III. In Wing Commander IV, you again play the role of Col. Christopher Blair (Hamill). The bloody war between the humans and the cat-like Kilrathi is over. But problems are beginning to crop up on a new front and this time it's in your own back yard. Civil wars and unrest have broken out in the Border Worlds. Blair is recalled to help the Terran government stamp out the growing fires. It won't be easy. Signs of decay are becoming impossible to ignore. The Confederation is beginning to splinter under the new pressures and you must determine how to save it_or if it should be saved at all.
Wing Commander IV will sport moving camera shots and real movie sets, giving a more authentic feel to the cinematics. The graphics will explode in Super VGA color and will be much improved with photo-realistic textures on fighters. Player interactivity will be enhanced both in and out of the cockpit with even greater control of missions and drama. And Wing Commander IV will feature a fully-digitized interactive musical score.
It's an ORIGIN Interactive Movie experience. Once again, the fate of the human race hangs in the balance, but remember, in this movie, you're making the calls.
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ORIGIN, We create worlds, Wing Commander and Ultima are registered trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Origin Interactive Movie and Heart of the Tiger are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts. All other products and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
ORIGIN Systems develops and publishes state-of-the-art entertainment software. To date, the company has released more than 45 titles, including the award-winning Ultima and Commander series of games. ORIGIN is based in Austin, Texas, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS).
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