It’s no secret around Almighty HQ that I’m a complete sucker for shoot ‘em ups, so when I heard that EA w Aas reincarnating Wing Commander as an Xbox Live Arcade game, my fingers began button-mashing in anticipation, even though I wasn’t holding a controller. It’s also no secret that Wing Commander and I go way back, so I’m looking at the potential of two loves combining into perfect unity.

Whether or not Wing Commander Arena will deliver the goods remains to be seen, but apprehension may have more to do with preconceived notions than anything else. Any time you hear the title Wing Commander, you immediately think of a first-person cockpit view while flying around 3D space in an attempt to wipe out those freakin’ Kilrathi. You might as well get that concept out of your head right now. Arena is no simulator.

Designed specifically for Xbox Live Arcade, Wing Commander Arena makes no pretense at being anything more than a top-down arcade shooter that will allow you to form a squad, outfit your ship and unleash holy hell against 16 other multiplayer opponents. For our anti-social readers out there, you’ll be happy to know that Arena will offer offline play, though the overall emphasis is definitely on multiplayer. Expect to join teams for squad-based battles as well as free-for-all deathmatches and even one-on-one combat. EA says that Wing Commander Arena will ship with 8 maps, each catering to a specific game type.