Star Wars: X-Wing

Star Wars: X-Wing is a space combat flight simulator developed by Totally Games and published by LucasArts, but the European release was published by U.S. Gold. It is the first game in the four game X-Wing series. It released on February of 1993 to positive reception from critics. The would later be re-released many times with numerous graphical upgrades, most notably X-Wing Collector's Edition.

Plot
You play as a pilot flying for the Rebel Alliance in the war against the Galactic Empire. The game begins before the events of A New Hope, and the game ends with you flying the mission to destroy the Death Star.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) As explained in the reasons below, rather than being a more arcade-style flight simulation like Wing Commander, this game decides to be a lot more complicated and has a lot more gameplay variety than those games.
 * 2) Three different ships to fly across the Rebel Alliance, with another introduced in the B-Wing expansion.
 * 3) * The X-Wing is the main fighter craft in the game, which is a well-rounded fighter craft that is decent in all situations. It carries proton torpedoes to take out larger craft.
 * 4) * The Y-Wing, which is a bomber craft with slow speed and maneuverability, but is powerful and has an ion cannon to disable targets. It carries proton torpedoes like the X-Wing.
 * 5) * The A-Wing is built around speed and isn't quite as powerful as the other craft. It carries concussion missiles rather than torpedoes for taking out smaller craft.
 * 6) * The B-Wing has about the same power as a Y-Wing.
 * 7) There are many different missions to fly in the game. The first set is the Proving Grounds, which are training courses to get players accustomed to the different playable ships. The next set are the Historical Simulations, which are a series of six different missions for each craft to show the player the kinds of levels they will face in the main campaign. Finally, the Tours of Duty are sets of campaigns with ten missions in each that act as a vehicle for the main stories of the game and is the main game. In total, there are 78 missions to fly, including the missions in the expansions.
 * 8) Many different types of missions, ranging from strike missions against Imperial forces, scanning and/or destroying cargo, or missions where you have to protect a rescue operation. But most famously, you can fly the assault on the Death Star that was seen in the Star Wars: A New Hope film.
 * 9) A large amount of controls to get used to that makes the game feel more realistic. Throughout the game, the players have to manage power between their guns, engines, and shields, with different effects being caused based on how much power is diverted to each system. For example, when there is gun power, they will recharge quicker when fired and deal more damage. But when there is no power at all, the cannons won't recharge and are weak. Another example of large control options is the ability to command your wingmen to do different actions, such as attacking your target or to return to base.
 * 10) The cinematics in the game are well made and they evoke the feel that you are playing a Star Wars game. Examples include the launch sequences when you are about to begin a mission, the dialogue from the main characters, and the complicated battle scenes.
 * 11) Great sounding music throughout the entire game. The soundtrack is mostly compressed versions of music from the Star Wars films that sound accurate and have a retro feel to them. However, there are also original songs in the game that match the tone of the game.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The graphics in the original version have not aged well. While the pixel art sprites and cutscenes still hold up well today, the 3D graphics look bad by today's standards. They mostly consist of blocky models and ships usually only have two or three different colors. This doesn't apply in the 1998 re-release, however.
 * 2) With how many controls there are, it can take a while before players can completely understand them. As a matter of fact, the game is almost impossible to learn without some kind of reference card.

Reception
Upon release, Star Wars: X-Wing was a critical and commercial success, selling nearly 500,000 units before December 1993. Computer Gaming World gave X-Wing 4 stars out of 5, stating that it was "excellently executed and a joy to play". Next Generation called the game the 23rd best game of all time in the same year, along with TIE-Fighter.