Review by: Emil Pagliarulo
Published: April 4, 1997

When Chris Roberts’ original Privateer hit store shelves in 1993, gamers were plunged into the most expansive and imaginative game of space combat and trading ever created. Set in the Wing Commander universe during the heyday of the Terran-Kilrathi War, Privateer combined the best elements of space simulation and rpg, while improving upon the basic premise introduced in the classic Elite.

The game was an open-ended, go-where-you-want paradise of seedy spaceports and backwater planets, and players could build their reputations with all of the galaxy’s conflicting, and dangerous factions. Gamers were finally given a chance to step into the virtual shoes of a Han Solo-like anti-hero. In Privateer, running guns or drugs was just part of a day’s work. And when the Righteous Fire add-on was released shortly thereafter, Privateers were treated to an even greater array of firepower, equipment, and mission variety. But all good things must come to an end, and even gaming masterpieces like Privateer eventually reach the end of their replayability.

But loyal fans like myself knew that the Privateer universe was too incredible to remain silent for long, and that a sequel would be inevitable. What would the future hold, we wondered? How long would we have to wait? But most importantly, would a sequel live up to the quality of the original?

Well, the wait is finally over and our questions have been answered. Privateer 2: The Darkening is the latest tour de force from Origin Systems, set in the now infamous Wing Commander spacelanes. This time around, Chris Roberts’ brother Erin is in the captain’s chair, putting his own spin on the popular Privateer universe. Unfortunately for Privateer fans, this spin propels the game into a world so far from the Wing Commander experience that fans of the original can’t help but feel let down.

It is the originality of Privateer 2: The Darkening that is perhaps its greatest undoing. Imagine a place created by Douglas Adams and Terry Gilliam, populated by characters from BBC sci-fi shows, and you get a good sense of what you’re in for. The familiar Kilrathi, Retros, and Militia have been replaced by the fanatical Papagod, sleazy Kindred, and corrupt CIS, in an abstract parallel of Privateer’s Gemini Sector. True, Privateer 2 gives the player a good look at a dark and slightly twisted future. But it is not the future we had grown to love in Privateer, and the game has no right wearing the label.