Wing Commander: The Secret Missions

Overview

Wing Commander: The Secret Missions is the first official expansion for the original Wing Commander, in which the player is a new pilot who helps the Terran Confederation defeat their enemies, the ruthless cat-like alien race known as the Kilrathi. In this installment, the TCS Tiger's Claw is sent out to destroy a Kilrathi secret super weapon that can obliterate entire worlds. The Tiger's Claw must follow the weapon deep into Kilrathi space to find the dreaded Sivar. The game also features new ships and an increase in difficulty.

The Secret Missions was followed by a second expansion pack, also set between the events of Wing Commander and Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2: Crusade is set in a region of space inhabited by a bird-like race the Firekkans who wish to fight the Kilrathi alongside the Terran Federation.

As with the original game, Wing Commander: The Secret Missions was ported to the Super Nintendo. Rather than being an expansion pack, the game was released on the SNES as a standalone entry.

Critical Reception

When the SNES version was released Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the review scores of 5,5,5,5 and 5 out of ten. Mike Weigand wrote, "This is the second Wing Commander game for the SNES, and it falls short of the original. The scrolling and action is incredibly choppy plus gets very distracting. This was a good idea, but it just didn't turn out very well".