What? You've not played Tie Fighter? Quick! Use my computer! Now!! Ok, more seriously... This is a very important game. Not only is it really good - but it is one of the most interestingly written and conceived games ever. For a start, it takes the path less travelled, and offered you the chance to do something games still rarely allow. it let you play the 'bad guys'. However, although we all know the Empire is all arch and evil, that was not how the game chose to present them, at least on the face of things. You had to pay attention to see the evil hidden within the day to day operating of a galactic empire. You had missions where you needed to capture rebel 'terrorists', who would then be transported away for interrogation. There were missions where you act as peacekeepers, defending shipping lanes from pirates, only to end up attacking and occupying alien territory in order to 'maintain the peace'. And of course, whilst casually playing, you don't think about the fact you are sending prisoners off for torture or invading and occupying an innocent alien race. You just happily go along with the orders and propaganda of your senior officer. It walked you through how evil can become established, normal, even 'justified'. On top of that, it presented a fascinating series of sub-plots. Through the secretive 'Order of the Emperor', you become a covert operative, spying not just on the enemy, but on your allies as well, hunting out treason within your ranks (officers sympathetic to the Rebels) and quietly eliminating them. For the good of the Empire, of course! Not only was this a deeply thought-provoking game, it was also a well built space sim - a lost art these days. The cinematic missions were well designed, with primary, secondary and even tertiary objectives. Energy management, shunting weapon power to engines, or 'all power to front deflectors', was an essential and engaging skill. As I'm out of room, I'll end. But seriously - buy this now.
