TIE Fighter, for those old enough to remember it, must be the top 3 space shooters ever created. The campaign, the secret objectives, the little touches here and there. I don't remember playing anything close to that game. Freespace 2 was kind of but not quite there (it also is a great game, though!)
The most amazing trick it pulled was how quickly it converted players to the imperial side.
I was initially a bit hesitant playing for the bad guys, but by the end of the first campaign I couldn't wait to blast some traitorous drug trading rebel scum!
Same! It felt like a weird premise for the game before I started and I was a bit uneasy about it. But it was a bit of a lesson on how things are not always black and white like that (the protagonists had actual motivations), and also on "hey you know what, it's just a videogame, why not be the baddie one in a while?" at the same time. Kinda ahead of its time, but very well executed.
I was young enough playing it that TIE Fighter was my introduction to Star Wars, so I thought the Empire was the good guys until I finally watched the movies!
Haha. I don't know what it says about me that I was champing at the bit to serve the Empire. I wasn't even interested in X-Wing, but I ran to the store to get TIE Fighter.
Yes I remember this to. I guess I was around 14 years old and talked even about my mother about this. About how I'm suddenly think the Imperium is the good side. They did the story very well and also the game was just great.
Agreed. Also, the TIE Missile Boat from that game is still the most fun and engaging simulated space fighter I've ever flown.
It had an afterburner-like mode that would give it short bursts of immense speed, but would rapidly consume the ship's energy reserves.
The mini-metagame of constantly shifting power around between engines, weapons, and shields in order to optimize that ship's combat effectiveness on large complex missions is something I still recall fondly.
Despite being six years old at the time, I still have fond memories of being instructed on how to systematically destroy Rebel forces using the Missile Boat:
The trick was to allocate all power generation into laser/ion cannon recharging since that’s what recharged the fastest, then continuously transfer the accumulated power reserves from laser/ion into engines or shields as necessary. To engines when a SLAM boost was needed, or to shields when defense is needed.
And once you were a good enough pilot, you could use SLAM boosts to avoid all incoming attacks, both lasers and missiles, and thus not have to waste power on shields and lasers. Fly around with no shields, using SLAM plus missiles/torpedos/bombs to destroy your targets lightning fast, then bug out.
You could even use the SLAMs to get in behind some missiles or torpedos that were targeting you and shoot them down, basically dogfighting against missiles and torpedos.
I got a lot of the old feeling of Tie Fighter back playing the new Star Wars Squadrons with a HOTAS setup but it didn’t quite hit the mark. The storyline, especially with the hidden missions, was just so wonderfully cynical and dark in Tie Fighter and Squadrons doesn’t have this.
For me the story was amazing. At the time it added so much depth to the Empire it was really a stand out game experience for on the same level as Half Life.
Interesting contrast between the antagonists in this era of star wars compared to Disney era where they're are more Saturday morning cartoon villain caricatures.
The side issue was probably overlooked since, as a continuation of X-Wing, the players were more interested in the upgraded experience than in which side they were playing.
Great game, one of my favorites. Tie Fighter, Freespace 2, and Starlancer have been undisputed champions in their genre. Everspace came close for me, but it lacked a compelling story.
