Twenty years ago, Chris Roberts pushed the limits of PC gaming with the release of Strike Commander. Chris’ follow-up to Wing Commander, Strike Commander featured an intense cinematic story mated with the most realistic 3D flight engine on the market.

We’re celebrating Strike Commander’s birthday with the inaugural edition of a new show, RSI Museum! The goal of the museum is to look at the DNA behind Star Citizen. We’re going to talk about the history behind the games the team has worked on and look at how they have influenced what is to come. To talk about the game, we’ve brought together a pair of Strike Commander veterans Star Citizen’s Chris Roberts and Rob Irving:

Set in the then-distant future of 2011, Strike Commander told the story of a squadron of mercenary fighter pilots making a living following the breakup of the United States. The action-packed story matched anything Hollywood put out that year, featuring dashing heroes, seductive love interests and dastardly villains. The game engine set a new standard, featuring textured 3D objects instead of pre-rendered bitmaps like Wing Commander.

Strike Commander was known for two things: a delayed release (the game shipped in 1993, nearly a year after originally planned) and the fact that it required a top-of-the-line PC to run correctly… both of which directly resulted from Chris’ refusal to cut back on his vision for the game. Despite the now-dated graphics, Strike Commander remains an enthralling masterpiece for flight sim and action game fans alike.

A digital copy of Strike Commander is now available for purchase through GOG.com.