Review: Be Your Own Boss in Space With 1993's Wing Commander: Privateer

The video game merges free market trading with exciting space combat, and your ethics and goals are up to you.

The 1993 computer game Wing Commander: Privateer wasn't the first to merge free market trading with exciting space combat, but it was the first to combine them in a lovingly rendered sandbox where your ethics and goals are up to you.

Set in the larger Wing Commander universe, the game takes players out of a military cockpit and puts them in the shoes of a civilian pilot trying to make a living in the gritty Gemini Sector. You start off in a jalopy and can earn money for ship upgrades through trading, mercenary work, piracy, or smuggling. You face factions to please or enrage, distinct bases and planets to visit, and a storyline you were invited to follow. But the real fun is being your own boss and flying where you wish. Plus, you can taunt your enemies.

While the combat hasn't aged well, the charming graphics and addicting just-one-more-job gameplay have made Wing Commander: Privateer an enduring classic of the space sim genre. The original game is available on GOG.com, and several fan remakes over the years provide updated graphics.