STAR WARS™: TIE Fighter Special Edition

The grand admiral of space combat sims.

I used to play this game way back in the day, but unfortunately haven't been able to play it in years because it didn't work on my newer computer. The fact that this has changed has honestly made my day. This is one of the best space-flight sims I have ever played in large part due to how much it draws you in and makes you a part of the game world. I can't tell you how many times I found myself screaming "Die rebel scum!" as I chased down X-Wings in some really intense dogfights. A large part of what makes this game so amazing is how it forces you to manage the ships systems, which while a little complicated and daunting at first, soon becomes second nature. With one hand on the joystick piloting the ship and the other hand on the keyboard distributing power and shields while managing speed, you end up feeling like you're right in the cockpit. The story is pretty good too, as it starts you off as a lowly recruit and has you work your way up through the ranks. There are also secret missions and side objectives which require you to push the limits of your tie fighter to the max. However, don't expect the crazy, over-the-top kind of story you'd find in more modern games. That's not a bad thing, just something to note. I really can't recommend this game enough. So buy it and serve the Empire with pride!

I haven't even played the GOG version yet but I still have to review. TIE Fighter pretty much owned my childhood. I spent many many many hours playing TIE Fighter. I indeed completed every single task down to the smallest detail. I spent hours in the training simulator flying unshielded TIEs against Capital ships, just to see if I could do it. I enjoyed every minute flying a TIE Avenger (which quickly became my all-time favorite until it became an egg-shaped mess in XvT) and a TIE Defender against Zaarin and his traitorous bunch. This game shaped my adulthood and my love of Star Wars. Heck, it was even because of this game that I put together a TIE Pilot costume on a whim for a costume party one year. This game is the reason I now obsessively buy anything I can find in the toy isle that has a TIE Pilot. Finding out this was going to be available on GOG was like finding out I had access to a time machine back to 1995 and could relive all the good parts. Thank you Disney!

Hours and hours of gameplay, defying exciting missions with tons of hidden objectives (one or two simply impossible, like: destroy a Calamari Carrier with a Tie Fighter in 3 minutes (with a Tie Defender full of bombs... Maybe in 10 minutes), but... who cares?!? TIE FIGHTER ROCKS!!! The game is so involvingly wonderful that you restart an 1 hour mission just because you missed one of the 20 hidden objectives. And you'll play again 30 more times and won't notice (how many sleepless nights in my youth trying to finish all the mission objectives! Guess I'll have do it again :) . And it's not soooo hard as many people say. After you get used to it you can finish it. The hidden and special missions that are for wacky people (soon you'll be a happy one). In the beginning you won't remember every command (there are around 40 keyboard commands! Something common in 90's games) but after the fifth mission it'll be as natural as breathing :) Hint: against "impossible" enemies (e.g.: Imperial Star Destroyers, Space Plataforms (the worst!), Calamari Carriers, everything big), after their shield is down, disable it with ion cannons ;) Hint 2: after you are used to the game, send home all your squadron (shift+h if memory won't fail after 17 years). Each one who dies makes you lose points. And, believe me: they don't help much, except in one mission or two. If you die you lose points too, even if the mission is accomplished.) In time you'll be more deadly with a Tie Fighter (no shields!) than a Imperial Star Destroyer with a full fleet of Tie Advanced ("Impressive. Really Impressive." - Lord Vader). Hint 3: (that you discover after months) the fastest way to destroy a capital ship, is to explode a ship in the moment it's entering it's bay (e.g.: a Shuttle docking). But... Timing must be extremely precise. You'll love it!!! For Star Wars maniacs and those who soon will be!

Hands down my favorite game still to this day. When I first played this game waaaay back in 94, I was blown away. The thought of you being weaker than the enemy(you had no shields, while other enemies did)all the while, you had others to help you and in some cases outnumbered the enemy. The complete reverse thinking for video games in 94. Not only that, you NEEDED to work with you team in order to be successful in some missions. For example, you need to disable a ship, but you don't have the weapons to pull such a task, so another flight group with move in to disable it for you but you can help them by weaken the ships shields so they can quickly disable the target. This has such tremendous replay value. Some missions I play over and over again in the combat chamber and continuously making new pilots and running through all the missions again on a higher difficultly setting and trying to get all the secondary and bonus objectives. As a side note, there are some fan made missions that are available and you can also find a copy of a level editor around as well, to even further its replay value. To sum it up, if you at all, even close, to liking flight sims, even if it's a little bit, this is a must buy.