In just a few hours, the moment that many Wing Commander fans have been waiting for will finally come. The Darkest Dawn, one of the most ambitious fan games in the making will finally be released.
I actually haven’t really kept up with the development story of Darkest Dawn, but it’s been in the making for 10 years, and had it’s ups and downs (such as getting approval from EA to work on it) but from what I’ve seen in the latest trailers, the game looks amazing, especially seeing that it runs off the old Freespace 2 engine. Oh and it’s completely free.
The game is set during the events of Wing Commander III, and features everything you love about the series. The ships, the briefings, even the HUDs in game look the same. These guys have really put a lot of efforts into the details which define the Wing Commander experience.
This game really fills the space flight sim void which has been around since the days of Freelancer and Prophecy, and I’m really looking forward to digging up my old Sidewinder and playing the game. In the meantime, here’s the official trailer for the game.
Wing Commander Saga “The Darkest Dawn”
The flagship campaign of Wing Commander Saga, “The Darkest Dawn” * begins right before Wing Commander 3 and concludes with the ending of the Terran-Kilrathi War (whether or not the Terrans win depends on you).
It has been six months since the Battle of Earth, and inspite of new fighters, carriers, and technology joining the Fleet, the war effort is not going well. Everyday, more news of fresh defeats and losses make their way around the Confederation Forward Fleet, who have to face the possibility that they will not be the ultimate victors.
You are based on the TCS Hermes, one of the handful of large carriers left on the front line. You play the role of Second Lieutenant David Markham, a pilot recently transferred to the Hermes.
Markham is no different from the other young idealistic rookies who are determined to make a name for themselves. Already having your metal tested and your outlook hardened by your time on the Wellington, you still dream of flying heroic strike missions deep into the heart of the Kilrathi Empire, finally bringing this decades long conflict to an end.
But all hopes and dreams are squashed by the burden of reality. In every system, the Confederation forces are badly outnumbered and outgunned. For every Kilrathi fighter and warship destroyed, 10 others takes their place. Comms from HQ order the abandonment of civilian colonies which the Confederation no longer has any strength to defend. The retreat is downward spiral leading to the final stand at Earth. It won’t be very long till Markham experiences what the true nature War really is …
- Epic Storyline that complements, not contradict, the events portrayed by the Wing Commander 3 game and novel.
- Presence of other Confederation carrier battle groups and fighter squadrons gives large-scale “teamwork” environment – the Hermes does not fight the war alone
- Over nine hours of voice dialogue.
- Approximately 70 cut scenes for a total of about 90 minutes of pre-rendered footage (not counting in-flight communications and command briefings).
- Over 60 voice actors, some of whom are actual professionals.
- 221 voice acting roles.
- 55 missions.
- Achievements (mission performance is evaluated and rewarded)
- 90 models created for Saga.
- Download size of 3-4GB with an installation size of 8-9 GB
Download Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn at the official site here.