Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger

Wing Commander III is a space combat sim built around branching live-action cutscenes. You play Blair, a fighter pilot making mission-by-mission calls: which ship to fly, what loadout to carry, who flies your wing. Decisions matter—wingmen can die permanently, and their deaths stick. The story ditches the medal-chasing structure of earlier entries for a plot where your tactical choices reshape the campaign. Between sorties, full-motion video scenes advance the war's narrative. You pick your fighter from a hangar, outfit it with guns and missiles, then launch into dogfights that test energy management and targeting. Your custom call sign appears in dialogue. Fans of piloting sims with consequence-heavy storytelling will find the setup appealing, though the FMV production is very much of its era.