Star Wars: X-Wing Collector's Edition

by LucasArts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002SFMQ
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,685 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #57 in Video Games > Mac Games > Simulation
  • #89 in Video Games > Mac Games > Action
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

As a member of the Rebel Alliance, climb into the cockpit of an X-wing and battle the Empire for freedom as you fly against deadly TIE fighters and menacing Star destroyers. Fight in three combat tours of duty, including two add-on tours of duty: Imperial Pursuit and B-Wing. You'll pilot three spacecraft with full instrumentation and 17 cockpit views per craft and dodge the weapons of the evil Empire in both deep space and on surface missions. Includes X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter: Flight School with 14 playable levels.

GameSpot

X-Wing and TIE Fighter have such an elevated place in the hearts of so many gamers that they have passed beyond mere computer games and into the realm of legend. Other games are compared with them, usually unfavorably, and the gameplay is so strong that people still return to them despite their aging graphics.

LucasArts knows when it has a good thing and has packaged and rebundled these games incessantly, with add-on discs, deluxe editions, bundles, and so forth. In the latest repackaging, it has taken the complete X-Wing and TIE Fighter, with all missions and campaigns, and a limited version of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and bundled them in one package. Having them all together in one box helps reduce shelf space and gives new computer users who may have missed these classics a chance to try them, but the bundle feels curiously unfulfilling.

No special new missions or campaigns have been added for this release, and gameplay has only been very lightly tweaked by a few bug fixes. The major new appeal is complete hardware-acceleration support for X-Wing and TIE Fighter, which none of the previous bundles or upgrades offered. Support via Direct3D is stable and fairly effective. Essentially, both games have been retrofitted with the X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter engine. Smoothing and shading, some enhanced textures and modeling, and a few lighting effects generally make things look better but not outstanding. These are still old games, and even the X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter engine is looking a bit long in the tooth. No matter what hardware tricks Lucas uses, you can't escape the fact that space-combat games of the last six months (Wing Commander: Prophecy, Descent: Freespace, even X-COM: Interceptor) look much better. The cockpits and wraparound material have been enhanced but still look a bit dated and even cheesy at times.

The included version of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter has 14 missions and nine spacecraft. You can play online with up to eight people, but only against other people who have this specific version and only via LAN or modem. Internet play is not supported. The game is also incompatible with the full version of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, and I found no disc-spawning option. The result is a glorified demo.

These are classic games that belong on every computer gamer's shelf, no doubt about it. The packages are completely Win95 native, easily installed, and easy on the hard drive. With about 250 total missions, it's hard to really complain at $29.95. (No rebates are offered for registered owners of any of the other games, and no download of the new hardware support is available.) If this bundle feels like more of the same with only very modest additions for fans, that doesn't undermine the essential value or the appeal of two-and-a-half landmark games.--T. Liam McDonald
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All that's missing is Ben Kenobi whispering in your ear..., November 10, 1999

By 

Ed Matuskey "game player" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Wars: X-Wing Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)

This collection of all the X-wing titles (before Tie Fighter) is a great value, and an excellent introduction into the wonderful world of Rebel dogfighting. The sound effects, the graphics, the atmosphere--all of it evokes images of your favorite space battles in the Star Wars movies. You get to start slow, and work your way up to the really tough missions--and you'll need the time to learn, trust me! Quite simply one of the most all-around enjoyable games I've ever played.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Time Classics, January 11, 2000

By 

James Karko "TXLimey" (Round Rock, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Wars: X-Wing Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)

Even in their original forms, both of these games have been on my hard drive since they first game out. With the exception of Elite, the Star Wars games were the first space sims to feel like you were actually flying in a 3D environment, not playing a 2D arcade game (sorry Wing Commander fans). Add 2 fantastic Star Wars story lines (both well fleshed out in the respective strategy guides), a chance to sample the overall lackluster sequel, updated graphics, and win 95 funtionality for under $20, and you can't go wrong. Freespace fans, check out the originals, and pick up Alliance. Its nice to see the series back on track.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but frustrating, August 25, 2006

By 

A reader (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Star Wars: X-Wing Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)

Let me start off by saying that X-wing is a great game, with graphics that make you feel your in the movie. I've had this game for years and it continues to be one of my favorites. That being said, it is also incredibly frustrating. Essentially, you play a series of campaigns, each of which contains a dozen or so missions, and you must complete each mission before moving to the next in the campaign.

However, there are some missions in this game that are simply ridiculous. In one mission, you'll find yourself flying with helpless wingmen while facing absolutely overwhelming odds and trying to protect a disabled craft while flying the fighter option least equipped for such a mission, and all that's before the Star Destoyer shows up. If rebel pilots were truly sent on missions this hopeless, they'd have all defected to the Empire.

Luckily, once you complete a mission, you can play it again at any time, so when you find yourself hopelessly stuck on all campaigns, you still have something to work with.