It's an Instant Classic and it is still very playable today. It is an incredible game that shouldn't be missed. *LONG*
One day, my friend invited me to his home to show off his nice shiny new 486DX-33Mhz PC. He then casually fired up X-Wing and I was floored. I watched how he went into lightspeed, shot Tie Fighters, and collapse his X-Wings. It was impressive. I was ashamed to ask if I could play but he eventually let me give a try and that's when I knew I had to upgrade my PC for the very first time. Wing Commander was a system hog at that time but X-Wing was much worse. I had a 386SX-16 Mhz Packard Bell (SX for Sucks). It was good enough for the adventure games but crap for everything else. I remember installing the game and lowered the details so much that my X-Wing became a grey wedge with two-chopsticks crossed behind it. X-Wing was so special that I saved up to upgrade my computer. I didn't want my TIE Fighters to look like square dumbells. Reenacting the sci-fi/space dogfighting scenes was something I was hoping to experience through games and X-Wing was one of those games. It was not just for Star Wars buffs, it was more.
It was during this time that Lucasarts was on the rise and it really started with this game. X-Wing was incredibly smooth compared to Wing Commander. If you had the CD Version, you even had higher resolutions (640x480...woohoo!). It seemed like that those who created X-Wing played alot of Wing Commander. Presentation was flawless, everything looked, sounded, and smelled like Star Wars. It is a thrill to hear the TIE Fighter's distinctive roar sounds go past you when you go toe-to-toe with your blasters or a lock-on with your torpedos. It was even more impressive destroying them. Once you get used to most of the Star Wars sights and sounds, you begin to realize how tactical the game can get. I wasn't used to all of the controls in X-Wing but it was neat to adjust my shields to vulnerable areas or order wingmen to attack. You can also change your rate of fire. Nothing new after playing Wing Commander but it was great. The other nice touch that upped one from Wing Commander is the fact that you can SAVE the replay. This includes the whole mission from beginning to end. You can even select the cameras which included an enemy camera. As I got farther in the game, I was treated to fly other Rebel craft which included the A-Wing and Y-Wing. Both were a blast to fly and the developers really went out of their way to give a distinct and different flying mechanics for those spacecraft. Moreover, the game had a variety of missions that extend to more than just search-and-destroy or protect-the-idiot-ship. I was happy see that I had more than just your typical number of TIE Fighters to attack. I had missions where I got a chance to examine containers or attack/board a capitol ship. In fact, X-Wing contains the mission that most Star Wars fanatic would want to redramatize - The Death Star run. When compared head-to-head with Wing Commander, X-Wing does not have too much of a story and it doesn't have a story that revolves around a main antagonist. In addition, there are no interesting characters or personalities from the movies your character deals with. To me, this is a great thing. It doesn't feel forced but X-Wing makes up for this and more through its innovative missions and its engaging gameplay.
X-Wing can also be quite challenging especially if you've been used to dodging in old-school Star Wars arcades but rest assured, you'll make yourself at home with the rest of the X-Wing pilots...especially if you have a flight stick you can use.
Any bad sides? Not much. The only drawback of this game is that the copy protection was annoying but with the Collector's CD out
If you have ever watched movies where space dogfights occur often (i.e. The Last Starfighter, BattleStar Galactica, or even Buck Rodgers), this game is for you. It's just so much better if you're a Star Wars fan. This game is just a straight-up classic
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