The opening movie from the game was one of the best I have seen, not quite as good as Wing Commander IV, but real close. It included an unusual twist to it too, it actually started you out with a little suspense. Of course you do not figure everything out yourself until you get well into the game. Independence War has some very realistic flight controls too. Most space sims give you the ability to stop on a dime in space, or make quick 90 degree turns which actually defies the laws of physics and momentum as we know them.
Independence War has a very realistic feel to it.
When you are flying and you are coming up to a turn or you have to maneuver to avoid a collision, you better plan ahead. As you turn, you can feel the ship moving outwards away from the turn. It reminded me of trying to take a sharp turn too fast on a patch of ice. The graphics are not as great as with Wing Commander, but they are sharp enough to enjoy good game playing. One real nice feature of this game is that it gives you the choice of three different video modes, 3DfxV2, 3Dfx, and a software 3D rendering.