​Over the past few days, we’ve talked a lot about the good and the bad that came about when the Interactive Movie ruled the PC Gaming landscape back in the 1990’s. But what we haven’t talked about yet, is when this particular sub-genre of gaming actually managed to reach absolute perfection, and oddly enough, the game that actually managed to pull that off, just so happened to be the next entry in the Wing Commander franchise.
 
Which is fitting to say the least, because if Heart of the Tiger was able to take the video aspect of the Interactive Movie to its apex, it’s only logical for the next chapter in this saga to be the one to take storytelling to the next level. And it is that quality work with the story that makes Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom hands down one of my favorite video games of all time, and still one of the finest that I’ve ever played, because of how incredible the story turned out to be since it gave us a tale grounded in humanity and it was so grand and sweeping that it instantly sucked you in.
 
In fact, I remember that my brother and I, who often tag teamed games like this, stayed up extra late when playing this, simply because we had to know what was coming next, and the big reveal as to what Admiral Tolwyn was up to in this tale, and why he did what he did outright blew us away because this was the kind of stuff you only saw in a major motion picture and that wasn’t the only Hollywood element present in this tale, because the CGI effects in this game were downright breathtaking. To this day, I still get chills when I watch the TCS St. Helens arrive to save Blair and the Intrepid from Tolwyn’s ship, the Vesuvius and those cinematic elements are only further enhanced by the incredible performances on display in this tale.
 
Because this time around, it seems as though the returning cast from Wing Commander III are one hundred percent comfortable in their roles, and the juicy script and all of its twists and turns give them plenty to work with and well, it makes for some powerful performances, specifically from Mark Hamill and Malcolm McDowell who are at their best in this story, and it’s just magical watching these two interact when they’re together on screen. But make no mistake about it, every single actor contributes something special in this story, even Tom Wilson, who finally gets to do a little more with Maniac here than just quip. But of course, at its core, this is a game, and gameplay matters and, in all honesty, that part of the saga is at its apex as well here, thanks largely in part to the story that precedes the missions and unfolds during them because that makes for a seamless experience.
 
If anything, this game is a true masterpiece, one that I firmly believe paved the way for games that now provide us with sprawling and powerful stories since it showed everyone that quality storytelling makes one hell of a difference when it comes to the gaming experience. Thankfully, this one is available for download, so if you haven’t played it, or are looking to revisit old memories, you can still check it out. Either way, they simply don’t make them like this anymore and honestly, they never would again because the Interactive Movie began to fade away after this game and well, it’s a wonderful thing that this particular sub-genre had the opportunity to go out on top…

​I’m not exactly sure why I’m suddenly traveling down memory lane when it comes to my favorite games…but it’s a journey that I’m definitely welcoming. Because there were truly some amazing PC adventures to be found back in the 1990’s and after taking the time to revisit the wonder of Star Trek: Borg the other day, I came to realize that it was only right to sit down and reflect upon other impressive Interactive Movies that managed to wow us back in the day.
 
In fact, the one we are going to talk about today, I would outright wager is the reason the market began to grow in the first place. Because this one, set quite the high mark for Interactive Movies since it featured an all-star cast, and a sprawling plot line that managed to truly immerse the player and well, this is one that holds a special place in my heart because it turned into a joint venture between my brother and I as we both worked to outthink and out fly the Kilrathi in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger.
 
Now if that title sounds familiar, there’s good reason for that. Because in the early 90’s the Wing Commander franchise dominated the PC Gaming landscape with its enriching story of a war in the future wherein humanity battled the cat-like Kilrathi. But this game took the entire saga to a whole new level by adding full motion video into the mix and in all honesty, while the video looks a tad dated now, it’s obvious that it was top of the line back in the day and as I recall, playing an interactive movie on your computer was nothing short of spectacular because I had never seen anything like this before at the time and this experience was only further enhanced by the incredible names that graced my computer screen.
 
Because this story featured some damn incredible actors. I mean come on, you had Biff himself, Thomas F. Wilson playing the iconic Maniac and this screen icon was joined by so many others. John Rhys-Davies played Paladin, and let’s be honest, he was perfect for that role. Plus, you had Malcolm McDowell (yes, that’s right, Malcolm freakin’ McDowell) playing Admiral Tolwyn; and he added a majesty and grace to the role that the character was lacking in the graphical version and of course, there’s the star of the show, Mark Hamill; who played the all-important Colonel Christopher Blair and he just flat out kills it in this game, delivering a brooding and calculated performance for the ages.
 
But, while all of this glamour and glitz is wonderful in its own right, the gameplay is important as well and thankfully, that also lives up to expectations since the missions are thrilling and fun and offer plenty of challenges for the player. Either way, this is a game that truly stands as a PC Gaming classic, and had more games been of this caliber, I’m fairly certain that Interactive Movies may have seen more traction in the marketplace and if by chance you want to give this game a try, it can be found for purchase online at a solid price and well, if you have some spare time, give it a whirl, you’ll be glad you did.   

There was a time in the video game world, the 1990’s to be specific, where it seemed that full motion video was going to become a true staple of the industry. Everywhere you looked, gaming companies were doing their part to produce an interactive experience that featured actors and sets in an effort to blend the wonder of cinema with gaming and well, despite the best efforts of the industry to make this the norm, it never quite caught on, and there’s good reason for that.
 
Because unfortunately, the allure of creating and cashing in on an ‘interactive movie’ mattered more than the quality of the product and the market quickly found itself flooded with games that featured subpar and grainy video, laughable acting and writing and outright awful gameplay. Eventually, this kind of quality led to the end of the Interactive Movie, and the market shifted to telling a better story with better graphics. But, there were some gems to come out this full motion video gold rush and one that stood out as one of the best in my eyes, was Star Trek: Borg.
 
Now the plot of this particular game, plunked you in the shoes of a Starfleet Cadet named Furlong whose father died fighting the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359 and with the Borg returning to Federation space, he wants nothing more than to exact revenge on the species that robbed him of a relationship with his father by participating in this new battle. But, the young Cadet is denied that opportunity and ordered to a Starbase and before he leaves he encounters the enigmatic Q, who offers Furlong a chance to go back in time and save his father and his ship, the U.S.S. Righteous, from being destroyed on that fateful day…
 
So really, what made this particular adventure so compelling and quite frankly so good, is the sheer fact that the production values of this game are outright top notch. They used sets and props from various Star Trek shows, and uniforms as well, grounding the story properly in the Trek universe and the wonder of that, doesn’t end there. Because John de Lancie reprises his role as Q and he plays the character with a magical charm that only he can provide and his appearance in this game is the true highlight since John is just an utter delight to watch since he offers some incredible comic relief and it’s just a joy to interact with him as the game progresses.
 
As an added bonus, the game is also incredibly fun to play. The story is vast and sprawling and it’s one of the rare games out there where you are actually rewarded for making mistakes, in fact you have to goof in order to finish it and that’s just magnificent. Sadly, the ancient code of the game means that it’s pretty much unplayable in the modern era. But, it’s cinematic quality and wonderful performances allows for it play out like a movie, and there are plenty of playthroughs to find online via YouTube. So, if you’re into Trek and missed this one, or you want to see what Interactive Movies should have looked like back in the 1990’s. Check this one out, it’s a fun little ride to say the least.