Price of Freedom
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom
The Price of Freedom is the 1996 Border Worlds story, not the 1999 movie. DOS, Windows and Macintosh shipped in North America on 8 February 1996. The PlayStation version followed on 14 May 1997. GameSpot scored the PC release 8.5/10. GameRankings lists 83.75% for PC and 66.44% for PlayStation.
| Fact | Reading | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NA release | 8 February 1996 (DOS, Windows, Mac) | 2 sources |
| PlayStation | 14 May 1997 | 1 source (Wikipedia) |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts | 2 sources |
| Music | George Oldziey | 1 source (Wikipedia) |
| 2026 | 30th Anniversary Edition, Steam app 2008750, $9.99 / $4.99 USD | Steam + GOG |
| Steam reviews | 77% of 18 positive at check | 1 source (Steam) |
| Original box contents | no source found for the physical SKU | left blank |
Endings, without collapsing the disagreement
Score enough points against Tolwyn and the Senate votes the war down. Wikipedia's account then says Tolwyn is convicted and hangs himself, while Blair either takes his rank back or, if his tone has been harder, becomes the new admiral alongside Hawk. Fail the political track and Blair is convicted of treason and executed. Defect and then get captured, and that run ends too.
WCPedia's reading of the PC and PlayStation versions says the court sentences Tolwyn to death rather than describing a suicide. I am printing both. I will not average them into one death scene. Computer Gaming World named the game runner-up for Space Simulation of the Year, and it took a Spotlight Award for Best Use of Video.
Cast and the 2026 tapes
Returning players: Mark Hamill, John Rhys-Davies, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Wilson. New faces people search by actor: Jason Bernard as Eisen, François Chau as Vagabond, Mark Dacascos as Catscratch, Robert Rusler as Seether, Chris Mulkey as Hawk, Elizabeth Barondes as Panther, Richard Riehle as Pliers.
The 30th Anniversary Edition restores 275 full-motion scenes. About 240 of 280 were recovered from D1 tape. Enhancement Patch v0.11.1 is included, with a missile-spam rebalance by Ben Lesnick and the original Objects.tre file kept available. Optional upscale, 60 frames per second and input calibration are in the same publisher note. Searches for "play 4 online" belong on the legal options page. Searches for the German phrase about the box contents ("Boxinhalt") do not get a CD count from me: the physical carton was not in the sources I could read. The 2026 digital extras are manuals, reference cards and guides.
Questions people ask
Is Wing Commander 4 a film?
No. The full-motion video makes it look like a movie. The 1999 feature film is a different work with a different cast.
How many endings are there?
The political track, the treason ending, and the captured-after-defection ending are the three outcomes described in the release record. Tolwyn's exact death differs between Wikipedia and WCPedia.
What was in the original box?
Not confirmed here. Do not trust a CD count that this page does not print.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Wing Commander IV — checked 2026-11-08
- Steam app 2008750 — checked 2026-11-08
- EA: From the Vault to Your Library — checked 2026-11-08