Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought the orginal XWing back in 1993 as one of the first games I got for my then state of the art 486. I was blown away by the game dynamics. Compared to most games of the time the 3D universe was incredible. Especially when compared to the SNES that I had just upgraded from. The developers had elected to use 3d polygons (now the standard) to build the in game graphics and this worked far better than its main rival at the time: Wing Commander and its 2D bitmap graphics. (Wing Commander was once regarded as the standard in space sims but is virtually unplayable now because of the awful graphics and boring AI/combat. I know I've tried it recently!)

Playing XWing now (the updated version included in the collectors CD) it still feels fresh which is an amazing achievment when you consider it is now 10 years old. It may not have cutting edge graphics but they work well enough and still manage to give a smooth and convincing 3D feel. The combat and power management gameplay is still engrossing even by modern standards. To be honest the gameplay stil knocks some of the more recent Lucasarts console based space combat games into touch.

The updated in game orchestral music score is lifted straight from the movies and is a vast improvement on the 1993 Xwing's midi version. This is one of the best and evocative uses of the original John Williams score in any of the Star Wars games. (Much better than in Jedi Knight 2!) You really live the Star Wars experience in this game. (Not only that but you can put the CDRom into a CD player and get the music in full on stereo Hi Fi quality.)

If there is one critisism it is the difficulty. Tie Fighter the sequel game (also on the CD) is much more fondly remembered than Xwing but that may have something to do with the fact it is a much easier game to get into (plus the fact you are the bad guy which is more fun). XWing is hard with a capital H but I think that makes it so much more satifying when you get that mission complete message.

If you like Star Wars, especially the space combat bits towards the end of Return of the Jedi and you have an older PC (even a 486!!!) this is an ideal purchase.

This game was worth the money I paid for it. It has great graphics, fun gameplay, and high quality sound. I would reccomend this game to anyone who has some free time and loves space adventure/star wars games.

I remember playing TIE fighter for hours when in college. Hands down one of the best games available for any computer.

The missions are designed to be difficult enough to make you try multiple times, yet I never felt the need to throw the computer out the window because I just couldn't beat that one superhard level.

For Star Wars fans, many familiar characters appear in the game such as Mon Mothma and Darth Vader (when you are a good enough pilot, you are Vader's wing man for a mission).

One of those games I play and replay. Easy to get wrapped up in and really feel like you are there. There is a reason why many critics consider this one of the best PC games ever. I think I'll get off the net and play it right now!

Looking to experience some of the adventure this game gave me in adolescence, I purchased the Collector's Edition to play on Windows XP. After a quick install, the autolaunch window opened right up, and within few moments, I was right back in an X-Wing hunting after waves of TIEs. The Collector's Edition's revamped texturing makes the ship models look quite good (great for its age), and the dynamics play wonderfully. iMuse's precision use of scoring during missions plays John Williams' soundtrack at all the best times. The storyline is as immersing and compelling as it ever was, and much to my surprise, I did not feel now as an adult as if I was playing a child's game. Also, the missions are still very challenging, but never tedious or redundant.

If you are looking to re-live some of those great engrossing moments flying a starfighter for the Rebel Alliance, pick up the Collector's Edition. If you are a fan of the Star Wars Universe, and are looking to play a great space sim for a cheap price, I also recommend it.

I remember playing this when I was twelve back in '96 and I really dug it. Not 'till a few months ago did I start playing it again (mainly for nostalgic reasons. Being a Star wars fan from day one I was naturally interested in this game and I was very pleased with the results. Sure, the graphics are seriously outdated but this game is so good that it doesn't even matter to me. Learning all the command keys (Enter hyperspace, etc., etc.) was slightly confusing at first, but I quickly learned how to memorize all of the command keys without looking at the manual every few minutes. A lot of the missions are challenging in which you are required to act very quickly in order to save a ship in order for the mission to be succesful. Some of the missions are damn near impossible. I especially like games in which the player is required to constantly be on the edge of his or her seat. I find this to be (for the most part), a fast paced game requiring quick wits and even faster reflexes. The added missions as well as the addition of the B-wing fighter are also very worthwhile bonuses to this gem. This is a must for any Star wars enthusiast like myself.

I never expected to find these again! While X-Wing is fun and all, well, let's face it, playing the bad guy is always so much better. Nothing but nothing beats playing as a TIE fighter, the flimsiest starfighter from any movie, relying on only your speed to destroy all those who would stand against the will of the Emperor. Or better yet, a TIW interceptor, with those 2 extra cannons! Basically, this game rocks. Now I anxiously await a new copy of TIE Fighter to show up in my mailbox. Yay!

A wonderful collection of the original X-wing game, with the two add on campaigns. Sure the graphics are old, as are the sound effects, and some of the missions are nigh on impossible, but it is still hard to beat for the re-play value. For any who enjoyed the original, or would like to see where the more modern versions of the same game come from, this is one to get.

This is classic star wars flight simulator gaming. X-wing is definitely one of the rare timeless hits that keep on going despite its old age.


Game play (classic): So much fun shooting down tie fighters, strafing star destroyers, protecting shuttles and watching as my fellow comrades are blown into flames. The basic controls are perfect. There is a harmonious blending of your x-wing (or other wings) power either evenly or unevenly to engines, shields or lasers (giving extra power to what area you need to enhance). Any of your x-wing system that are damaged will have an ETA for your R-2 unit to fix but you can only fix one system at a time (dang). I loved how vast space/universe felt while playing. This simulator allows the pilot to fly endlessly in any direction making the experience all the more plausible in a star wars universe. There is also an after mission camera so you can relive your missions successes or failures in replay mode. The game play hits the nail on the head.

Graphics (outdated): The graphics are outdated and this fact alone lowered my overall score. They do however succeed in conveying simple but tolerable versions of the empire and rebellion fight crafts. Your breath won't take away by any graphics in this simulator. Even the cut scenes are outclassed by today's standards. Yet as a whole the game play more than makes up for low resolution graphics making this a very forgivable flaw.

Final note: This will always be a classic flight simulator and is still today 2008 my favorite combat flight simulator. Be aware the graphics hold this great game back. Maybe one lucky day they will update this sand box sim with next gen graphics.

I like to be generous when it comes to old games, but there's a point where games have become so old that playing them becomes more academic than entertaining. "X Wing" was the original Star wars space combat sim when it debuted in the 1990's. The space-combat genre has its weakspots and its high-points, but the original XW had enough of the former without having learned to enhanced the latter. "Tie Fighter", the sequel to XW, combined ferocious combat with a wicked storyline (fly alongside "Darth Vader", save the Emperor, take-on a treasonous faction within the Imperial Fleet). Those wanting better graphics while flying for the rebels had to wait until "X Wing v. Tie Fighter", which seemed like an inevitable title missing any single-player component worth mentioning. The obvious alternative therefore are "updated" versions of the first 2 games - preserving the circa 1994 look/sound for the stuff that occurs between missions, but ramping things up for the parts spent actually flying and shooting stuff.

Unfortunately, giving XW graphics acceleration doesn't change the fact that XW is eventually a boring game - forcing you to fly the same missions without getting killed or missing any of the mission's critical goals, with mission briefing to explain the importance of everything that happens (or gets prevented) in the mission itself. Instead, I'd suggest getting either "X Wing Alliance" (your choice of rigs includes the Millenium Falcon) or the updated "Tie Fighter".

I remember back in middle school buying X-Wing for $40 when it first came out, mostly with quarters and dimes. It was the first major purchase of my life, and was worth every penny. One of my friends bought it as well, and we would go to each other's houses to play the game, and fantasize about being in the Star Wars universe. My friend ended up getting the add-on missions, and I was so envious! After that I was at his house a lot more than he was at mine.

I still have that original copy that I bought those years ago, but the game's old DOS format wouldn't run on Windows2000. So how excited was I recently to see this Collector's Edition CD! Not only does it have all the add-on missions that I had wanted so much, the CD is more shelf-stable than floppy disks, and it says it has improved graphics over the original. I bought it hoping the improved graphics meant it had been converted to a more modern game engine that would run on Windows 2000 (like X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter).

Unfortunately, it didn't.

So I guess I'll either have to dual-boot my computer with Win95/98, or download some program that will allow this out-of-date gem to run on my (mostly) up-to-date computer. Chances are you'll have these challenges as well, so be aware.

[EDIT]
The version I bought had the old silver logo instead of this newer gold logo. I've heard that there is an updated version of X-Wing that runs off of the X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter graphics engine, which works in Windows better than the old Dos version. Since this gold logo looks like the XvT logo, perhaps this is the updated version.