DAY 126 / GAME 126
Star Wars: X-Wing vs Tie Fighter
The X-Wing and Tie Fighter space simulator series seems to me like one of the smarter and more obvious choices for LucasArts. I mean, really, if you could do anything in Star Wars, your number one choice would have to be that you'd want to get inside an X-Wing and fly down the Death Star trench.
I always meant to purchase X-Wing when I first saw it in the LucasArts catalogue. And then when Tie Fighter came out I told myself now I would do it; but I kept putting it off. Eventually LucasArts took their two space simulators and combined them into a new, more advanced game: X-Wing vs Tie Fighter.
I can't remember what finally pushed me to fork out the cash for this one, but I was glad I finally did. It may have something to do with the fact that X-Wing was released in '93 when I was only 13 and XvT was released in '97 when I was able to come across a bit more cash for things like video games. There was also a big draw for me to buy this game as I was older and finally knew some people who would join me online for some four-player dogfighting. Now, this was back in 1997 so I can't quite remember if this was internet driven online multiplayer, or required one of the players to act as a server and everyone dialed into that player with their modem as was the case with Doom and Quake.
X-Wing vs Tie Fighter didn't really have a single player campaign unless you purchased the expansion pack Balance of Power, (Which I ran out quickly and grabbed when first released.) but rather allowed you to play missions single or multiplayer allowing you to practice for later. Balance of Power also expanded your ship selection to now include the B-Wing fighter, which was a very exciting thing for me at the time. As it stood, you could choose between the X-Wing, Y-Wing and A-Wing as well as an array of Tie-Fighters and an imperial transport for one mission if I remember correctly.
XvT was very much a 'space flight simulator' and so things strived to be accurate rather than push for a quicker, flashier more arcade space combat game. You launch into battle with your teammates, regulate your shield output between front and rear shields. Regulate power between engines, weapons and shields; opting in a retreat to put full power to rear shields and you run away, or all power to forward shields and weapons for a frontal assault. Each of the ships vary, acting better as an interceptor, heavy fighter, support role or mid-weight assault. Considering the age, LucasArts did a great job of capturing the different ships, which as I've mentioned before, are as strong a character in the movies as their animate counterparts.
Sadly, my X-Wing vs Tie Fighter experience ended when my Logitech Wingman joystick broke one day during an online battle. There are two springs that return the joystick to 0 center when not in use, which is important for centering and attacking. I heard a loud snap while playing against a few strangers online and suddenly my control was way off when one of those springs snapped. I figured what was wrong, but noone online believe me as my score started to plummet. That was back in the late '90s and I've never bought a new joystick since.
Star Wars: X-Wing vs Tie Fighter
The X-Wing and Tie Fighter space simulator series seems to me like one of the smarter and more obvious choices for LucasArts. I mean, really, if you could do anything in Star Wars, your number one choice would have to be that you'd want to get inside an X-Wing and fly down the Death Star trench.I always meant to purchase X-Wing when I first saw it in the LucasArts catalogue. And then when Tie Fighter came out I told myself now I would do it; but I kept putting it off. Eventually LucasArts took their two space simulators and combined them into a new, more advanced game: X-Wing vs Tie Fighter.
I can't remember what finally pushed me to fork out the cash for this one, but I was glad I finally did. It may have something to do with the fact that X-Wing was released in '93 when I was only 13 and XvT was released in '97 when I was able to come across a bit more cash for things like video games. There was also a big draw for me to buy this game as I was older and finally knew some people who would join me online for some four-player dogfighting. Now, this was back in 1997 so I can't quite remember if this was internet driven online multiplayer, or required one of the players to act as a server and everyone dialed into that player with their modem as was the case with Doom and Quake. X-Wing vs Tie Fighter didn't really have a single player campaign unless you purchased the expansion pack Balance of Power, (Which I ran out quickly and grabbed when first released.) but rather allowed you to play missions single or multiplayer allowing you to practice for later. Balance of Power also expanded your ship selection to now include the B-Wing fighter, which was a very exciting thing for me at the time. As it stood, you could choose between the X-Wing, Y-Wing and A-Wing as well as an array of Tie-Fighters and an imperial transport for one mission if I remember correctly. XvT was very much a 'space flight simulator' and so things strived to be accurate rather than push for a quicker, flashier more arcade space combat game. You launch into battle with your teammates, regulate your shield output between front and rear shields. Regulate power between engines, weapons and shields; opting in a retreat to put full power to rear shields and you run away, or all power to forward shields and weapons for a frontal assault. Each of the ships vary, acting better as an interceptor, heavy fighter, support role or mid-weight assault. Considering the age, LucasArts did a great job of capturing the different ships, which as I've mentioned before, are as strong a character in the movies as their animate counterparts.
Sadly, my X-Wing vs Tie Fighter experience ended when my Logitech Wingman joystick broke one day during an online battle. There are two springs that return the joystick to 0 center when not in use, which is important for centering and attacking. I heard a loud snap while playing against a few strangers online and suddenly my control was way off when one of those springs snapped. I figured what was wrong, but noone online believe me as my score started to plummet. That was back in the late '90s and I've never bought a new joystick since.
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