STAR WARS™: X-Wing Special Edition

I wasn't sure about the compatibility with current computers, I even thought on getting a PIII pc so I could play this game again. But it works great on my i7 with an Nvidia graphics card with a full HD screen. Although the graphics were designed for VGA monitors (and the resolution remains the same) the game is as exciting and enjoyable as it always was. It really worth the price!!

There is always the few bitter and jaded and those too young to have lived through these old games who simply cry "NOSTALGIA!" whenever someone like myself talks about a game like this being quality. Sometimes it is with merit, and in some cases it is not. This is most definitely the latter. Having spent about a week back in the cockpit of my childhood, I am more than happy to stand in front of those who cry nostalgia and declare them wrong. For a game over 20 years old - X-Wing has aged very, very well. The graphics won't leave you in awe, but the quality of the gameplay, and it's controls have made a lot of other more recent releases feel like they were made by amateurs. This (and the sequel Tie Fighter), are the definitive Star Wars games. They have captured everything great about Star Wars, and everything great about gaming.

I was so excited to see that the X-Wing games have been made available again by GoG. I owned the original 1993 game and played the heck out of it in college. It is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding games I've ever played. I've been playing the 1998 game and prefer it to the 1993 or the 1994 version of the game. It looks so good, especially considering it's a 20 year old game. The rendering looks incredible and I frankly prefer the orchestra score to the original Midi files that were used in the 1993 and 1994 versions of the game. I tracked down a copy of the 1994 version because of all of the complaints about it not being included in the GOG release. Frankly, I don't know what the fuss is. I found it redundant to the 1993 version and inferior to the 1998.

X-Wing isn’t a perfect game, but it absolutely deserves five stars for what it represents: a foundational title in the space flight sim genre, which remains sorely underdeveloped even today. I remember first reading about it in a magazine and immediately begging my dad to get a computer that could run it. That Christmas, he came through with both the machine and a copy of the game, and I was ecstatic. I played X-Wing for years, even after TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance were released. It’s true that the original X-Wing is the most basic of the three, but it’s still built on a solid engine and remains a compelling experience. There’s a satisfying level of challenge and structure here that holds up surprisingly well. GOG includes all three major versions (DOS, 1994 Collector’s CD-ROM, and 1998 Windows re-release), so you can pick the one that fits your setup or preference. I’ll admit nostalgia plays a part in my rating, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. The game had a huge impact on me. I still remember flipping through the old Prima strategy guide, which was packed with lore that fleshed out the Rebellion-era universe—some of which has even made its way into newer material like Andor. If you're a fan of Star Wars, space combat, or just gaming history, X-Wing is worth the time.

I hadn't played X-Wing in any form since I was a kid, till this fine GOG release! It seems very faithful to the versions I played, both the Dos and Collectors CD. Though, I didn't recall the game being so vague about what's going on in the missions, but more on that later. The game is known for it's excellence in sci-fi space combat and ship resource management, and for good reason- no one else has done it as well. Yes other games will have a shield bar and missile counter but in X-Wing you maintain where the power goes in your ship, regen your weapon batteries, your shields? You can even take power directly out of one system into the other. You can change the number of your weapons that fires per trigger pull, which weapon you fire, your speed. It's hard to really get across how detailed and elegant the ships systems work. It's complicated but not overly so! GoG thankfully provides a the original reference card to help learn this. Keys are also rebindable! Now I've played more Tie Fighter honestly and this is where I was smacked in the face with in surprise: In Tie Fighter your mission objectives are listed: what is in progress, completed and failed, also you have audio messages relaying info on mission critical craft and their status. In Xwing? You have to know what's critical and keep track of the text box on the bottom for any info on it. Your goals screen says what the objective is, but not it's status. So ontop of dogfighting and maintaining your ship you gotta read important info. Don't take this as me bashing the game, I love X-Wing...But Tie-Fighter comes out ahead certainly as it was a later game. X-Wing is 100% worth getting if you have ANY interest in space battles. It's far more in depth and interesting than the Rogue Squadron games with more feeling of being involved with the story.