STAR WARS™: TIE Fighter Special Edition
- April 28, 2015
- Totally Games
- 23h median play time
Get on Steam"STAR WARS™: TIE Fighter Special Edition" allows you to join the Imperial Navy and pilot spacecraft in the Star Wars universe. Experience the story through cinematic cutscenes and complete missions to eradicate the Rebel alliance. This special edition includes three versions of the game, offering a 3D world and various space fighter options.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Possibly the greatest Star Wars game of all time, with amazing mission design that puts modern games to shame.
- The game looks fantastic, especially in hardware 3D mode, and plays smoothly at any resolution.
- Offers a nostalgic experience with challenging gameplay that encourages repeated playthroughs to master the campaign.
- The game can be very difficult, with flimsy Tie Fighters and the need to restart the entire campaign upon dying.
- Many players report crashes and technical issues, particularly with the Windows version and controller support.
- The graphics and controls feel dated, which may not appeal to newer gamers accustomed to modern standards.
- story151 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is widely praised for its depth and engagement, offering a unique perspective from the Empire's side during the Galactic Civil War. Players appreciate the well-structured missions that contribute to a rich narrative, featuring iconic characters and complex scenarios that enhance the overall experience. However, some users noted issues with mission repetition and technical problems that detracted from their enjoyment of the story.
“The story fits into the Star Wars universe perfectly and gives the Empire's point of view of the different events and situations leading to the Battle of Endor.”
“The story is fantastic; it's 40 hours of more 'Star Wars movie' presented from an interesting imperial perspective.”
“The missions are heavily scripted, but challenging, and the story is engaging, managing your ship's power levels while dogfighting is surprisingly engaging.”
“Super difficult, mediocre story.”
“I love to play old school games including other action flight sims from the 90's but the repetitive missions and shallow story just couldn't help me get more than 50% through it.”
“The intro plays, the cool flight concourse is just how I remember it... then it all turns to wet garbage the moment I enter an actual mission.”
- graphics79 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated, reflecting its 1994 origins, yet they are often described as functional and immersive for their time. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm of the old-school visuals, others note performance issues on modern systems, particularly with enhanced graphics settings. Overall, despite the graphical limitations, the gameplay and storyline continue to receive high praise, making it a beloved classic among fans.
“The graphics are pretty good for 1994, and the gameplay is solid.”
“The graphics are dated but the gameplay is still there and yes you can use a 360 controller with it though a joystick is much better.”
“Despite the near 30-year-old graphics, this remains one of the best video games ever made.”
“It uses a version of DOSBox and for whatever reason, my modern graphics card just will not redraw graphics quickly enough to make for a playable game.”
“Be warned, the graphics are painfully bad.”
“The 1994 version is nearly unplayable due to graphics and doesn't include voiceovers.”
- music46 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, particularly in the Collector's CD-ROM edition, which features the dynamic iMuse system that adapts the soundtrack to gameplay, enhancing immersion. While some players find the music repetitive, the nostalgic Star Wars themes and orchestral pieces contribute significantly to the overall experience. In contrast, the Special Edition is criticized for lacking this dynamic music, relying instead on standard tracks that do not match the gameplay's intensity.
“The music changes dynamically, the missions are challenging and the controls are surprisingly intuitive.”
“The collectors' edition has an adaptive soundtrack while the special edition has improved graphics but lacks this.”
“My favorite part with the music, however, is when you accomplish an objective, the Imperial March plays, making you feel like a boss for taking out some rebel scum.”
“Sure, the graphics are old looking and the music is atrocious!”
“There is no music at all during combats in the special edition, but otherwise it works fine for me.”
“The 1998 version is buggy and lacks the imuse dynamic music which for me was an important part of the game.”
- gameplay31 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as challenging and rewarding, featuring well-crafted missions that often surpass the complexity of similar titles. While the graphics are dated, the deep combat mechanics, immersive flight controls, and engaging story elements contribute to a satisfying experience, especially for fans of the genre. Despite some technical issues and repetitive music, the overall gameplay remains enjoyable and holds up well over time.
“Challenging and interesting gameplay, very well made missions with some going above and beyond Wing Commander 3's complexity.”
“The flight mechanics are fantastic and the ability to change around options such as shield positions and engine/laser power is insanely immersive.”
“Plenty of missions, an immersive story, energy management and targeting computer systems that keep the gameplay ever-changing, and a great variety of missions.”
“Unless you're a PC mechanic who wants to dig through the code of this poor port, don't bother, mate.”
“But today it's just one mechanic: boring, repetitive gameplay.”
“Gameplay worked fine, but it crashed immediately after the first mission.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is generally criticized, with users reporting various bugs, including freezing issues and a problematic joystick setup. While some players find the nostalgic experience worth the troubleshooting efforts, many describe the game as laggy and unplayable at times, indicating that significant stability improvements are needed.
“Only two downsides: the double mouse cursor and if you hit certain button combinations, the game freezes and you have to restart.”
“...yes, the game opens and the dated graphics are perfectly acceptable, but it's totally unplayable - it's seriously laggy and it freezes.”
“The game had a few bugs of in-game script freezes, which went away once I changed the difficulty on that particular mission.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
X-Wing Alliance offers significant replayability through its lengthy campaign, secondary objectives, and a mission editor that allows players to create custom content. Additionally, the game incentivizes challenging play by penalizing scores for using cheats or easier settings, enhancing the overall experience for nostalgic players and newcomers alike.
“I have an editor that allows you to make your own missions and stories as well, which adds to its replayability.”
“This makes this game much more playable and fun, and it still gives you some incentive to play with the harder settings by penalizing your score if you use cheats or play on easier difficulty settings.”
“The campaign itself is pretty long and has secondary and bonus objectives that add replay value.”
“I have an editor that allows you to make your own missions/story as well, which adds to its replayability.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the finale is highly praised, creating a memorable experience, while the classic version is noted to lack the defining voice files and graphical enhancements found in the collector's edition, which contribute to a richer ambiance.
“The atmosphere of the finale is quite something.”
“The classic lacks the rather atmosphere-defining voice files for the briefings and the graphics upgrades that are included in the collector's edition CD.”
- humor1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted to be a recurring element, with players finding it amusing enough to replay multiple times, although the initial statement suggests a playful irony in the phrase "it's not funny." Overall, the humor seems to resonate well with players, contributing to its replayability.
“I've played and beaten this game so many times it's not funny.”
“The jokes fell flat and felt forced, lacking any real wit.”
“I expected a lot of laughs, but the humor was stale and predictable.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find that grinding in the game becomes repetitive and tedious by around battle 10, leading to a decline in enjoyment as the experience feels monotonous.
“However, it all came back to me, and now I remember... by the time battle 10 comes along, the game gets repetitive and rather tedious.”
“The grinding feels endless, and it often detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“After a few hours, the repetitive tasks become a chore rather than a fun challenge.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is tied to its availability on GOG, where users recommend purchasing it if the platform's claim about including a collector's CD is verified, suggesting that potential buyers should check user comments for confirmation.
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which ruins the overall experience.”
“It seems like the game prioritizes profit over player satisfaction, with constant prompts to buy in-game currency.”
