Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Sometimes you just luck into a sheet of game elements that looks great arranged together. Case in point: these two collections showing all the commodities in Privateer and Privateer 2: The Darkening. The commodity art is actually a pretty special part of the Wing Commander universe because it's this ever-so-brief look at what everyday life is like outside the war scenarios we spend most of our time seeing. And boy is it some great science fiction world building art in miniature, from sexy cyborgs to alien livestock to household serv-bots to the most unlikely future technology of all... new Origin games. Can you name them all? And which is your very favorite?

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

A new exploration initiative from Vista Genomics is aiming to gather data to help assess genetic diversity across the Sanguineous Rim.
To help celebrate the release of the new ship-launched exploration vessel, Faulcon DeLacy has partnered with Vista Genomics in the initiative, calling on independent pilots to help test the Nomad's capabilities across extreme terrain.
Frank Endis, Chief of Design commented in a statement issued to Vox Galactica that "most exploration efforts naturally head towards the centre of the galaxy. We're keen to help Vista collect more data from systems on the fringes of the Milky Way."
Pilots taking part in the initiative will receive a bonus payout for any biological samples found throughout the Sanguineous Rim.
All interested explorers and exobiologists should head to HD 232819 and register at The Magrathea research megaship before heading out into the black.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

It looks like Mac isn't the only person working with the Excalibur right now! A DeviantArt user named Euderion has posted a pretty great new render of another take on the ship! You can view the original post here. Be sure and check out their profile, they've done lots of great work in other universes... here's hoping there's more Wing Commander in Euderion's future!

Model tryout. The Excalibur class Starfighter from the Wing Commander Games.

The F-103 Excalibur is a heavy fighter that was first developed in the 2660s during the Kilrathi war. At the time of its introduction in 2669, it was one of the most advanced starfighters in Terran service. It was designed as a space superiority fighter and was fitted with a large and powerful armament designed exclusively for this role. It also could be fitted with a cloaking device for the purpose of high-priority stealth missions. A handful of Excaliburs were

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

There's bad news from the folks at Sony today: they have announced plans to shut down the PS3 and PSP digital storefronts over the course of the next year. This will remove two digitally sold Wing Commander games from circulation: the PSN port of fWing Commander IV in the US store and the digital version of EA Replay in the European store. EA Replay is available physically but Wing Commander IV is not; get yours today! The US store hosting it will close in July 2027.

Shockingly, this announcement is part of an unpopular reveal that PlayStation consoles will be digital only starting around that same time. Nothing sells consumer confidence in your digital storefront like immediately making folks' previous purchases unavailable. It's a terrible time for game preservation... or just people that, you know, enjoy playing games.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The Song of Roland was… a movie that we watched. But moving on, we've voted to watch something we think will be a bit more of a crowd pleaser: Independence Day (1996). Which seems appropriate since this week's club meeting is exactly the thirtieth anniversary of this one (and hey, it's directed by another Roland, Roland Emmerich!). You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.

Independence Day was certainly a major part of the zeitgeist between Wing Commander IV and the Wing Commander movie. It's part of our queue because it is one of the movies that Wing Commander sampled heavily from for its temp track(s)! Which shouldn't be a surprise, since Chris Roberts ultimately went for ID4 composer David Arnold for Wing Commander's actual score. During the development process, they used four different tracks eight different times! Here's the quick rundown.

The Darkest Day was used for Blair and

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Frontline Solutions has announced that its expanded deployment service has started shipping mercenaries to anti-crime operations across the core systems.
Following the successful manufacturing and test trials of the Runner transport, CEO Imogen le Ray confirmed in a press release that her corporation is ready to deploy strike teams anywhere they are needed, when they are needed, to disrupt organised crime.
"Authorities should no longer have to tackle criminal activities and coordinated piracy with stretched resources, as highlighted in recent events in the Lhou Mans system. With this new service we can augment system security to take on almost any combat or rescue situation."
Pilots and mercenary teams willing to sign up to an operation should first travel and dock at any market port before being deployed to an available Runner.