Star Wars: X-Wing - Collector's CD-ROM

The Good
In my review of TIE Fighter I told you about a game that turns the Star Wars universe upside-down and lets you play on the side of the Galactic Empire, as one of its numerous TIE pilots. In X-wing, we are back to the classic model of the good guy fighting against evil - in this case, a Rebel pilot.

A quick glance at what the Collector’s CD-ROM edition has to offer. First, it includes both campaign disks that were released separately as well - “Imperial Pursuit” & “B-wing”. They add 54 new missions, as well as give access to a fourth starfighter (the B-wing). Exclusive to the CD-ROM version are 6 bonus missions that are not available elsewhere. They are both challenging and fun. Second, the CD version brings a few updates to the game engine, which improve graphics and controls. Third, pre-mission briefings have voices now - it’s a “talkie” game. Last but not least, the CD offers easier version of some missions that were considered to be too hard by players. There is an option that allows you to play the original (harder) versions of these missions too.

The first good impression I got about this game was the way it immerses you into the SW universe from the very start. You won’t see any of the traditional menus where you pick your character and mission - instead you find yourself aboard a beautifully animated Rebel cruiser. You create or select your character from a registration desk, then enter a concourse, which is something like a starport. From there you can visit two rooms where you can learn a few things about the spacecraft you’ll see in-game or view videos of your missions. Or, you can leave the cruiser from one of the three large doors on the upper level and head towards the three sections of the actual game:

The player’s first destination is usually the pilot proving ground - a training course designed to teach you how to fly (which is what this game is all about). This training is not mandatory, yet it is a great way to “feel” the different types of starfighters and learn how to maneuver them gracefully, while also taking accurate shots at targets. Speaking of which, you get the chance to fly in an A-wing (fast and agile, yet fragile), Y-wing (heavy and strong, but slow and sluggish), the X-wing (balanced all-around fighter) and the new addition - the B-wing (a heavy assault craft with some peculiarities).

Next comes the combat training - the so-called Historic battles. These training scenarios are very useful and a novice player should not skip them. They put you in actual combat situations, the likes of which you will face many times later in the game, allowing you to learn how best to handle them. Also, this is the best way to learn dogfighting without worrying about dying (it’s all just a simulation).

And finally - the real thing: tours of duty, which are actual campaigns against the dreaded Empire. This is where the game’s story takes place. You can choose which campaign to enlist for at another registration desk (there are no restrictions, yet it’s best to play them in order). And off you go to fight for freedom and equality!

The actual space flying and combat feel great. Flight is not 100% realistic, yet I consider this a good thing because it allows you to focus on the combat. The unshielded TIEs go down quickly, yet stronger spacecraft require some wearing down. Larger capital ships launch entire barrages of laser fire at you, yet you can weave between the shots, if you’re good enough, before you send a few torpedoes at them. Battle is intense and sometimes even hectic, but this only adds to the fun and excitement. Objectives vary - there are both offensive and defensive sorties.

Just like its younger brother, X-wing has an extensive award system, which allows you to earn a whole lots of merits and proudly display them on your uniform. The uniform looks completely “blank” and miserable when you begin, yet you can cover the available space with training badges (from the proving ground), battle patches (from combat training), and tour ribbons (from the tour of duty missions). Completing a tour gets you a big shiny medal, and achieving an extraordinary score in a mission can earn you a special medal, which can be upgraded with embellishments as you continue to earn even greater scores. You also get an additional merit case where you display the awards earned from the two expansions.

Apart from your proud displays of earned merits, you also have access to a Log feature that gives you detailed statistics about your performance - number of enemy kills (by type), scores earned in individual missions, accuracy and more.

And a few words about the story - it is very good and executed in the spirit of the classic Star Wars movies. It is related to the events of “A New Hope” yet without repeating them - the story remains independent and focuses on events that were not shown in the movie. Every mission has a background text to it, which details the present situation and recent developments, making the story easy to follow. Furthermore, there are several cutscenes presenting the most crucial moments in the plot (e.g. the destruction of Alderaan).

The Bad
Difficulty is a problematic thing with these games - even with the option to play easier versions of some missions, X-wing still does not have a proper difficulty selection feature. What this means is that some missions will see way too easy, and others will be frustratingly hard, even to seasoned players. Some of the harder missions will most likely require more than one try to beat, which can be real let-down for many players.

I feel some missions have not been playtested enough - there are some sloppy moments, which usually require the player to react in a fraction of a second or risk failing the entire mission.

Due to the game’s length (considering the two expansions), there is a risk of monotony at some point. The number of possible objectives is limited, so at some point missions will have the same basic premise, they’ll just raise the difficulty.

The game is old and exhibits some technical problems here and there. I have experienced sudden freezes and crashes - not very often, but often enough to be noticeable.

The Bottom Line
Star Wars fans, retro gamers and space combat sim enthusiasts - this is X-wing’s primary target audience. The game is quite an experience (just like TIE Fighter) and is certainly worth a try.

Just stay focused and get the job done. And don’t get cocky ;)