They Just Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore
Thanks to the wonders of DOSBOX, even the most cutting edge modern computers can play TIE Fighter. It's a little odd, isn't it? The game came out over ten years ago, yet without that little wonder application, a rig that can run Crysis in its sleep would be unable to load up this gourad-shaded, jagged polygonal gem.
TIE Fighter has more in common with old school WWII flight sims like Chuck Yeager's Air Combat than later Star Wars flight sims like the Rogue Squadron series. Whereas its precursor, X-Wing, put you in the cockpit of the Alliance's trademark starfighter, here you get to fly the significantly weaker TIE series. While the lower models of TIEs may go up in flames easier, they're vastly more maneuverable than their Rebel counterparts, and you'll want your throttle up to 100% on most of these missions.
Whereas in the Rogue Squadron games controls were simplified to just flying and shooting, TIE Fighter gives you control over all the different options in your craft. If you can hold missiles, you get to choose which ones via a weapon loadout, you control the exact percentage of your engine that you want to use, you can even reroute some of your laser power to your shields (if the craft is shield equipped) and vice versa. Being attacked from behind? Put full shield power to the rear. It's not simple by any means, but it gives you a level of control that's no longer present in combat flight sims.
Of course, it's also a ton of fun. The music accompanying your missions is undeniably imperial, and your objectives are often downright nasty. In addition to the main goals of each mission there are a number of secondary and tertiary objectives that help you earn medals, and that's to say nothing of the secret objectives you're often given by the Emperor or his guards.
While the gameplay and audio are great, the visual presentation is undeniably the weakest aspect of the game. It's barely even a incremental step up from X-Wing and it's quite the eyesore nowadays. The blocky, largely colorless presentation often makes it difficult to tell what type of ship is in your sights before you collide. Luckily, the targeting system helps out in that regard by showing your target in a full 3D model in your cockpit HUD.
You can get this for dirt cheap these days on Amazon or EBay, so there's no reason not to check it out if you're interested. Just don't forget to download DOSBOX as well, or it'll all be for nothing.
