STAR WARS™: TIE Fighter Special Edition

Desperately needs to be remade for modern computers. Just not by Disney.

...then choose me, and play this game. Are you a die hard Star Wars fan? This game tells the story Lucasfilms never told you, about the struggles of an Empire whose subjects are starting to lose their fear of, and the meteoric career of a misterious blue skinned officer. Don't know or care about anything Star Wars related? Ok then... play this game, and you'll become the aforementioned bloke. This game packs the kind of addictive gameplay, entrancing music, and gripping plot that's so hard for modern games to achieve. I've been a videogame addict for quite some time and this is probably the one that checks every box. Unforgettable.

GoG dropped the ball initially as they only had the DOS Floppy version and the terrible Windows version, but they did good by getting hold of the Collectors CD which is *the* best version by far. The game takes you on a journey starting off as a lowly TIE Fighter pilot stuck in a backwater station doing routine patrols, slowly climbing the ranks and helping to bring peace and order to Imperial systems, then being plunged into a twist of betrayal, vengeance and redemption. The storyline of this game is more immersive and deep than it has any right to be; It's a space shooter FFS! Yet it has a level of plot and story immersion that puts some adventure games and RPGs to shame! Of the three versions, the Collectors CD is the one to go for; The 1993 Floppy version is okay, but superseded in every way by the Collectors CD. The 1998 Windows version is based on the XvT engine and has the highest res graphics and better controls, but is otherwise horrible; The game balance is based on the DOS versions but the XvT engine has different physics, which breaks the game's mission timing. Worst of all, it loses one of the most critical features of the game - The iMUSE dynamic music system. The VGA res graphics of the Collectors CD still look good now, and it has full voice acting. The controls are sharp and precise and the ships all feel and handle just right and are a joy to fly. You will need a good joystick to do this game justice (Hint: Configure all the extra buttons and switches to keyboard commands in DOS Box BEFORE you play!). The most standout thing for me has always been the iMUSE music system - It reacts dynamically to what's going on and is a masterpiece of musical engineering by the Big 3 - Bajakian, McConnell and Land. Calm idle music while you are out on patrol, then something appears and the music changes, adding a note of tension; You turn and as you move closer the music picks up - Suddenly an enemy frigate jumps in, accompanied by a dread-filled fanfare, and the music smoothly segues into full-on battle mode! The fight is on!

In fact, it may be one of the best games ever made. Play the collectors edition; enjoy the music way ahead of its time, enjoy the glory of serving the emperor, enjoy the voice acting by Allo Allo Actor Guy Siner. Above else, become frustrated about the game because it can be pretty damn hard. For the greater glory of the empire, DESTROY EVERYTHING.

Childhood-defining. This is the finest space combat sim I have ever played. Fantastic storyline combined with immersive, challenging gameplay. I have been waiting for a space sim as good as this for 20 years, and nothing has come close. I wish it was available for Mac OS!