Wing Commander Arena
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander Arena is a space combat video game developed by independent software developer
Gaia Industries for the Xbox 360's
Xbox Live Arcade
service. It is a spin-off
of the popular Wing Commander
series of games. The game was released on July 25, 2007, and costs 800 Microsoft Points
(US$10).
s that take place in one of nine environments, and they are able to choose from 18 ships, half being Terran, and the other half Kilrathi. There can be up to 16 players in a single match.
The game is separated into single-player and multiplayer modes. Multiplayer modes include eight-on-eight teamplay or 16 player free-for-all
, capship
battles allowing two teams to launch an organized assault on each other's ship while defending their own, "Satellite", which is a variation of capture the flag
, and one-on-one duels. There is also a "Bearpit" where one-on-one duels can be watched from the sidelines by other players who can take potshots at the duelers.
Single player modes include Asteroids, Training Modes and Melees. Playing through the single player modes will unlock the various ship types.
cockpit used throughout the series, Arena is played from a top-down perspective on a 2D
plane with the third axis reserved for special maneuvers, using a control scheme that resembles a first-person shooter
.
While some fans have been vocal about the departure from previous games, the developers of Arena have designed the game with long time Wing Commander fans in mind. The producer, Sean Penney, is himself a long time fan of the franchise and that early in the development, he had tried to seek input from members of the original Wing Commander development team, such as Chris Roberts.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
Gaia Industries for the Xbox 360's
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
service. It is a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of the popular Wing Commander
Wing Commander (franchise)
Wing Commander is a video game media franchise consisting of space combat simulation computer games from Origin Systems, Inc., an animated television series, a feature film, a collectible card game, a series of novels, and action figures...
series of games. The game was released on July 25, 2007, and costs 800 Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Games for Windows - Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery, and Zune online stores. The points allow users to purchase content without a credit card and to reduce the number of small credit card transaction fees, which Microsoft would...
(US$10).
Gameplay
Players engage in dogfightDogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
s that take place in one of nine environments, and they are able to choose from 18 ships, half being Terran, and the other half Kilrathi. There can be up to 16 players in a single match.
The game is separated into single-player and multiplayer modes. Multiplayer modes include eight-on-eight teamplay or 16 player free-for-all
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
, capship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
battles allowing two teams to launch an organized assault on each other's ship while defending their own, "Satellite", which is a variation of capture the flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
, and one-on-one duels. There is also a "Bearpit" where one-on-one duels can be watched from the sidelines by other players who can take potshots at the duelers.
Single player modes include Asteroids, Training Modes and Melees. Playing through the single player modes will unlock the various ship types.
Relation to previous Wing Commander games
Arenas gameplay differs from previous Wing Commander installments. Rather than using a first-person perspectivePerspective (visual)
Perspective, in context of vision and visual perception, is the way in which objects appear to the eye based on their spatial attributes; or their dimensions and the position of the eye relative to the objects...
cockpit used throughout the series, Arena is played from a top-down perspective on a 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
plane with the third axis reserved for special maneuvers, using a control scheme that resembles a first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
.
While some fans have been vocal about the departure from previous games, the developers of Arena have designed the game with long time Wing Commander fans in mind. The producer, Sean Penney, is himself a long time fan of the franchise and that early in the development, he had tried to seek input from members of the original Wing Commander development team, such as Chris Roberts.