Posted October 31, 2014
high rated
Extended Review because the review section is restricting texts to 2000 chars. I don't like that.
Star Wars X-Wing is a very special and unique game.
Not, because it's Star Wars. There are many good Star Wars games out there.
Not, because it's been made by LucasArts, from which - at least in the 90s - you could always expect high quality games.
Not, because the space action genre has been neglected in recent times. It has, but there have been great space shooters after X-Wing.
There's another reason. I'll stretch it out a bit, just for the fun of it.
You know, I belong to those people who love to go on GOG to just browse around and remember the good old times. I'm not playing a lot of old games, because many of them have aged. Games are not like wines - most don't age well. I've had my share of disappointments, because my brain tends to glorify the old stuff through happy memories of being a teenager, playing and (not exactly legally) trading PC games with my friends. Those were great times and I still can't throw away my DIAL-A-PIRATE (I probably won't ever). Looking at old games today and comparing them to what's become possible in recent years, most of the old stuff just doesn't hold up. And thats's not even a bad thing - many games today ARE better, and that's the way it should be.
X-Wing is different than other old games. I'll admit: You can almost count the number of pixels on the screen with your two hands and feet. But that, along with the fact that you need to emulate the computer system which it was programmed for, is the single one thing that is old on this game. Everything else isn't. Whatever part of the game you look at, X-Wing can match or outgun almost any modern day game.
Mission Design: Great detail, balance and flow. X-Wing has very entertaining missions. Many of them are challenging but never unfair. They are complex but not overloaded. They are thrilling and suspenseful without being artificially drawn-out for the sake of just extending play time (which happens to have been done in other games often). And, as an added bonus, they fit well into the Star Wars universe - great immersion.
Precision steering and fluidity: Even back in the day if you had a half way decent PC, X-Wing was a smooth experience. I remember playing it with an old creaky 2-button Gravis analog joystick which reasonable precision, and for me it was a perfect match. Split-second maneuvers were possible as well as pixel-precise aiming (which was absolutely necessary).
Accessibility versus complexity: The creators called X-Wing a space combat simulator (if I remember it correctly). And that's exactly what it is: The game simulates the combat strategy of two opposing teams. It does not simulate space flight. And that's actually what's cool about it: Steering is easy but fighting is hard. You've got to learn certain strategies, maneuvers and abilities which add depth to the fighting. But you don't have to be an aerobatics (or rather space-o-batics) master to enjoy the game, and you don't have to remember a million keyboard shortcuts to properly operate your fighting craft. For me that's the epitome of game design: Simplicity in interaction but complexity in immersion.
Dynamic soundtrack: The music system adapts the score to the current situation: If you're fighting the music becomes more dramatic. Quiet moments, quiet music. And it's Star Wars music. That John Williams composer guy didn't win 5 oscars and more Grammys than you can count for nothing.
Replayability. I mean, of course. I know. Don't tell me. At one point you know all the missions inside out. I still do, after 20 years. But looking at you (and YOU! and YOU!) how you watch the Star Wars movies over and over again over the years, the replayability factor of X-Wing is inherited and innate.
So: X-Wing is special, because the perfection in GAME DESIGN is timeless. Every game developer should aspire to the level of entertainment perfection X-Wing has to offer. At least to a certain freak target audience I happily feel myself belonging to.
I sound like a fanboy, don't I? Indeed, I am.
Star Wars X-Wing is a very special and unique game.
Not, because it's Star Wars. There are many good Star Wars games out there.
Not, because it's been made by LucasArts, from which - at least in the 90s - you could always expect high quality games.
Not, because the space action genre has been neglected in recent times. It has, but there have been great space shooters after X-Wing.
There's another reason. I'll stretch it out a bit, just for the fun of it.
You know, I belong to those people who love to go on GOG to just browse around and remember the good old times. I'm not playing a lot of old games, because many of them have aged. Games are not like wines - most don't age well. I've had my share of disappointments, because my brain tends to glorify the old stuff through happy memories of being a teenager, playing and (not exactly legally) trading PC games with my friends. Those were great times and I still can't throw away my DIAL-A-PIRATE (I probably won't ever). Looking at old games today and comparing them to what's become possible in recent years, most of the old stuff just doesn't hold up. And thats's not even a bad thing - many games today ARE better, and that's the way it should be.
X-Wing is different than other old games. I'll admit: You can almost count the number of pixels on the screen with your two hands and feet. But that, along with the fact that you need to emulate the computer system which it was programmed for, is the single one thing that is old on this game. Everything else isn't. Whatever part of the game you look at, X-Wing can match or outgun almost any modern day game.
Mission Design: Great detail, balance and flow. X-Wing has very entertaining missions. Many of them are challenging but never unfair. They are complex but not overloaded. They are thrilling and suspenseful without being artificially drawn-out for the sake of just extending play time (which happens to have been done in other games often). And, as an added bonus, they fit well into the Star Wars universe - great immersion.
Precision steering and fluidity: Even back in the day if you had a half way decent PC, X-Wing was a smooth experience. I remember playing it with an old creaky 2-button Gravis analog joystick which reasonable precision, and for me it was a perfect match. Split-second maneuvers were possible as well as pixel-precise aiming (which was absolutely necessary).
Accessibility versus complexity: The creators called X-Wing a space combat simulator (if I remember it correctly). And that's exactly what it is: The game simulates the combat strategy of two opposing teams. It does not simulate space flight. And that's actually what's cool about it: Steering is easy but fighting is hard. You've got to learn certain strategies, maneuvers and abilities which add depth to the fighting. But you don't have to be an aerobatics (or rather space-o-batics) master to enjoy the game, and you don't have to remember a million keyboard shortcuts to properly operate your fighting craft. For me that's the epitome of game design: Simplicity in interaction but complexity in immersion.
Dynamic soundtrack: The music system adapts the score to the current situation: If you're fighting the music becomes more dramatic. Quiet moments, quiet music. And it's Star Wars music. That John Williams composer guy didn't win 5 oscars and more Grammys than you can count for nothing.
Replayability. I mean, of course. I know. Don't tell me. At one point you know all the missions inside out. I still do, after 20 years. But looking at you (and YOU! and YOU!) how you watch the Star Wars movies over and over again over the years, the replayability factor of X-Wing is inherited and innate.
So: X-Wing is special, because the perfection in GAME DESIGN is timeless. Every game developer should aspire to the level of entertainment perfection X-Wing has to offer. At least to a certain freak target audience I happily feel myself belonging to.
I sound like a fanboy, don't I? Indeed, I am.