As soon as I saw Tie Fighter was out on GOG, I had to buy it. So I did. Then I worried. I have many fond memories of playing this game and really immersing myself in the Star Wars universe. What if I revisited that world and found that, 20 years later, the experience is hollow and lacking? With these thoughts in mind, I installed and took that chance of ruining some childhood memories. Though the graphics haven't aged well, the game's core is still intact! It's just fun! It's fun to fly a mission in a Tie Fighter, Tie Bomber, Tie Advanced, Gun Boat, Tie Defender, Missile Boat, etc. It's fun to dogfight Rebel ships. It's fun to defend a platform. It's fun to serve the Emperor and move up the secret society. The game is just plain fun. It's hard and you fail missions. But you fly again and again until you achieve success. Even the failure is fun. Some absolutes: joystick and key stroke reference card (even though you can just hit esc and see the key commands, it helps to have them).
I remember playing this game several times thru in my youth and now can return to it in my adulthood. Great puzzles, compelling storyline, brilliant all around.
I played this game when I was 12, got frustrated and never finished it, but always longed for the days of playing it because it left an indelible mark on my gaming memories. I was able to play it (in a situation of dubious legality) via a bootleg and finally got through it. It's a fun game, but some of the puzzles just flat out don't make too much sense.
I played this game back in 1998 and vividly recall being immersed for hours at a time. Rediscovering it now has been a blast. While I can't devout hours at a time anymore, this game holds its value in that it is great for the casual gamer I've become.
