Tie Fighter was extremely influential to my political outlook, thinking back on it. It essentially introduced my young mind to Realpolitik, while the jr. high PE/Social Studies teacher was teaching us history by making us memorize a (then) incomprehensible, whitewashed definition of Manifest Destiny, and lots of (also meaningless at the time) names and dates of various leaders and treaties, without explaining what any of it actually meant. Playing Tie Fighter's campaign taught me way more about history than the school textbook did.
The lack of VR hand controls made it hard to try to use it with a headset for me. You really need a joystick and some patience. Otherwise, you might find yourself fighting naughty fingers more than space baddies.
I personally have no issues playing this game in VR with a controller. I agree it would have been fun if we somehow could have used a Knuckle as a surrogate joystick. I guess Motive did not have the budget to develop such a feature for an (admittedly) small audience.
Controlling it with a gamepad is perfectly easy. Do you normally need to stare at your controller when you use it? If not, you can play with a controller just fine in VR. Pretending you need a HOTAS is retarded.
@@cave_dweller6 but didnt he say he was using the joystick with his right hand and the keyboard with his left, implying that you need to use input on both... So it's the keyboard part that's the issue, not the Hotas or controller or whatever
Humans: Create Virtual Reality Headset to have people experience other worlds through the advanced miracles of technology and human ingenuity. Humans with VR Headset: 0:16
I'm surprised Super Bunny Hop was so focused on the single player because it's the multiplayer that got me hooked to this game. Playing with a full communicating squad who know how to take down those pesky TIE Bombers and intercepters is something else.
"Single player doesn't matter, it's a multiplayer game" Call of Duty MW2/3 players before they said "Why does the writing suck" a few years later. I don't know maybe if you're going to put it in, make it good? . . .
@@GunnGuardian Fair enough, if you enjoyed it, I can hear you on that; I suppose I had the salty knee-jerk reaction to anyone who defaulted to focusing on multiplayer to be honest with you.
It being easier to win in VR makes perfect sense to me because in space, you don't have many of the normal depth cues, so stereoscopic vision via VR becomes a much bigger advantage there than if you were playing, for example, a typical FPS.
It's great to hear another voice chime in on an appreciation of the Star Wars universe beyond the Skywalker saga. It's gotten stale and revisiting it among the many stories all culminating in Jedi narratives isn't helping. I've been hoping for more games like this and Republic Commando where we get to see this cool universe without having a lightsaber shoved in our face.
That's precisely why I love the Battlefront games so much. It's a nice change of pace to be the common man fighting to change the galaxy with nothing more than a blaster and a few grenades. Heck, that same idea is one of the reasons why I love Rogue One. In most other Star Wars games, you're the super-special space wizard destined for greatness, which gets stake when you've seen it 50 other times with no innovation.
Honestly the Skywalker saga is the least appealing part of Star Wars to me. I love EPs 4 and 5, like 3, 6 and 7 and others are just meh. Movies started my sympathy towards the IP, but really, TV Shows and games gave me the most star wars thrills. Mainly KotOR 2, Jedi Knight and Republic Commando.
@@borek92 It didn’t become the Skywalker saga until Disney decided to call it that. I honestly think 1-6 be considered a saga and 7-9 either be something new or conclude it in a way better then how it did. The way it ended felt so miserable.
@@RAINBOWNIGTHMAREPRODUCTIONS True. 7-9 feels like some tacked on fanfic to me. I mean I like Force Awakens but I won't watch it without the intention of watching its successors, and I sure as hell ain't watching them. Whenever I'm gonna plan to re watch the movies, I'll just stop at 6. The ending was perfect anyway. Doing the sequels (rezzing Palpatine in particular) undermined Vader's redemption and sacrifice in a big way, big enough that I just can't be bothered to acknowledge those movies' existence.
I've always loved the grunts of Star Wars, whether it was Dark Forces (the original, pre-Force powers), TIE Fighter, Republic Commando, or the Rogue Squadron novels and comics. The Jedi stuff is okay, but it just doesn't get my juices flowing in just the same way that blaster and starfighter combat does.
Alliance was good but flawed. The family storyline was never resolved and the Endor campaign was just disappointing. Too bad really, because the rest of the game felt pretty solid.
@@cameronrhyne7826 I played the custom battle simulator more than the campaign. Because that way you can tailor-fit the challenge to your needs. Had tons of fun shooting down X Wings at 4:1 odds while in a Tie Defender. That ship was so OP.
Apparently it is, since his review rather than covering the mechanics, or the writing or comparing it to the most technically advanced game of that Tie Fighter franchise, he's far more interested in his rose-tinted biased perspective of the 90s and enjoying his political power fantasy in Squadrons to care.
@@MrAlex_Raven Or--maybe he just didn't play it. It came out at a time when space flight sims were declining. I sure as heck didn't own it until it arrived on Steam. And if you're going to be pedantic about it, it's the X-Wing Franchise and not the Tie Fighter franchise.
5:57 "poverty to military pipeline" is exactly right, and I say this as a veteran who was sucked into that pipeline. shit should be illegal to allow kids that young to join, and yes even at 18 you're too damn young, 16 if your shitty parents sign for you.
That generational flip at 7:48 through 8:14 was oddly amazing. I think it's because you have old school cut aways at the mission hangar but then BAM it cuts to next gen.
@@frak4981 and it’s only three missions in two planes. I was so disappointed after playing Star Wars. But... the actually gameplay during those 3 missions was brilliant.
This is THE game which most makes me want to get a VR Headset. Now I'm just waiting for Episode 1: Podracer in VR for the childhood nostalgia of a 90s baby.
I'm getting this game when I get a VR headset. Just like you Tie Fighter is my frame of reference. I'm glad the campaign is a bit longer. My problem is otherwise that all the production value in the cut scenes mean shorter campaigns. I'd much rather have text-based briefings like in Tie Fighter (I know they also had VA, but no animation) and longer campaigns. I mission editor would be a godsend.
Glad you had the TIE Fighter cover art in the thumbnail. I feel like a lot of the YT reviews so far have missed the connection between this game and the X-Wing/TIE Fighter series, although considering that series is 27 (!!!) years old, it's not too frustrating.
Playing Squadrons with my RIft S, yes, I must have spent like a half hour just looking around the inside of the different cockpits in the rebel hangar. Totally worth it, even with an Xbox One controller. And yes, VR gives you a definite advantage of being able to visually track targets by *LOOKING* at them.
At 12:13 the "immersive sound design" is mentioned... I wonder what audio output setting George is using on his Index. I'm also using an Index and I find the separation and directionality of the audio severely lacking. Especially when it comes to the voices during the hangar sections. If I turn one ear to a character I do not hear the dialogue at all through the off-side speaker. Stereo, auto, 5.1, headphones... I don't hear any difference. Not to mention the incredibly low volume, for which I have to edit a config file before each session. I also find the graphics on the Index a bit fuzzy. Solid surfaces look fuzzy with lots of aliasing, especially during the hangar sections. I did not have this issue in Half-Life Alyx. And the skyboxes lack detail as well. The stars don't look bright enough and are way too large. I know the Index can do starry skies quite okay as I see a similar skybox every time in the Steam VR boot environment. Apart of that: yep, I agree. The game is a heck of a lot of fun and well worth the 40 bucks. Just a fun little space combat game. Like how we finally get to be a pilot in Star Wars spacecraft from one's own 1st person view and from the comfort of our own home. Feel what it's like to track Tie Fighters as an X-Wing pilot by turning your head and following them with your eyes. That top glass panel in some cockpits becomes incredibly valuable in VR. And the handling of that Tie Interceptor. Mmmm... :) Glorious!
I played this game with my Oculus Rift, Flightstick Hotas and home made rumble subwoofer on my chair and I think most of the time I was giggling for being in a Xwing fighting an Imperial Destroyer right under my nose. VR exists for this game. Btw. I love your videos.
One of the issues I've been seeing with this game is pretty much what you focused on. That the game works pretty well if you have the additional hardware, if you don't it loses its luster fast
Haha, I dusted of a Extreme 3D Pro I won in a contest years back for this and I do not regret it. All I really needed to tweak was the roll deadzone because I was basically in spin-to-win mode.
The fact that almost non of the vr stuff in this video is not centered on the screen bothers me immensely, but that’s probably because I’m not playing it currently and I’ve only played the “regular” version of it.
This is an absolute ripper of a review. Thanks!!! I will probably get around to trying this game too, since i adored the Ace Combat 7 VR missions with a stick.
i was JUST playing tie fighter yesterday-- so strange you'd make a video talking about it now when i haven't touched it in years. beautiful review as always!
It was me. I was the one who said it was sparse in chat while he was riding his high during that stream. And he's not bullshitting. He was playing the game for _hours_ and he was wired as hell throughout the entire experience. I'd elaborate on what I meant, but I gotta get ready for work. UPDATE: Okay, so here's my Plague of Gripes! HEYO! I remember my X-Wing Collector's Edition offering three tours of duty with 12-14 missions in each, as well as additional six 'historical missions' EACH for the x-wing, a-wing and y-wing and some half dozen random 'bonus' missions...just 'cause. Meanwhile, Gorg's Tie Fighter gave him only half a dozen or so missions...for his _seven_ tours of duty - thirteen with the expansions - and there were just as many supplementary missions for him to chew on as well. Compare that to Squadron's fourteen missions split between both factions...yeah, I think I can safely consider that pretty durn sparse! Yeah, its a budget title and yeah, the originals didn't have mutiplayer at all, but these are pretty week justifications in my eyes. I mean, it's no accident that his review focuses so much on the _experience_ of playing the game rather than its _content_ or why he spent almost five minutes of it talking about a completely different game.
Do you know why this is such a good VR experience? You can still sit down while you play and use a regular joystick. I keep saying this and no one catches on. VR needs to be separated from gimmicky body tracking and motion controls.
The "players hit air brakes to get behind someone" story immediately made me want this game. That's the kind of futuristic gamer dopamine shit that I imagined as a kid. It just sounds so fucking cool.
I spent years as a kid playing Tie Fighter on PC and it was only the demo disc. To this day I never played the full game yet I have the best nostalgic gaming memories about it
I still haven't finished the single player and haven't played the multiplayer at all yet (waiting to finish the single player and for my friend to get his PS4 fixed) and I already feel like I got my money's worth. Playing it on PSVR with a HOTAS flight stick is amazing, one of the coolest gaming experiences I've ever had. I've been taking my time with the missions, limiting myself to one a day. I think I'm probably near the end of the campaign now, but I think I'll probably replay it on a higher difficulty. I just love gawking at the cockpits in VR, particularly the larger craft like the TIE Bomber, TIE Reaper, and U-Wing. The sense of place and scale is amazing. About the only thing I find myself wishing for is for someone to eventually make a PC mod that just imports all of the TIE Fighter missions, voice acting, etc. into the Squadrons' engine. Squadrons already has most of the important ships and models from TIE Fighter, even has the main cargo ships and space platforms. But yeah, if someone managed to port TIE Fighter into this engine I think it might be my favorite game of all time.
I'm the '90s TIE Fighter fanboy -- same as you -- who think you nailed it in your 2015 video review, which I consider definitive. This video sequel is the one I have been waiting for. Squadrons will be mine in the near-future. Oh yes, it will be mine.
Great in-depth content, on the price of video-games what is important to note is how many games the average consumer now owns compared to the 1990's. Games can stay relatively cheap whilst global income has increased because the large publishing companies tend to sell you not one game a year but multiple. Furthermore, the overall elasticity of video-game prices would also be relevant. Basing the development of income on the price of products which aren't incredibly elastic, like cars or houses, is not a 1 to 1 representation of total expandable income over time.
I loved this as a huge fan of all 3 of the games you mentioned. Now I really want to experience this in VR. Even using a controller I was delighted to play this some.
Interesting that you got the feeling of intense immersion in a Tie fighter where your avatar uses two control sticks with both hands. It actually broke immersion for me. Also, the cockpit itself is quite empty and ugly. First time in an X-Wing cockpit was far more rewarding. Still not really sold on the game, good thing I got it for 25 bucks instead of 40.
I've only briefly used VR, but I remember the revolution in combat flight sims in the mid-2000s when I started using head-tracking to control the camera instead of a hat switch.
I am a game developer, and for fun I once recreated battle of Endor in VR, using Unity and a handful of premade 3d assets and speech taken directly from the film. You could fly all rebel fighter craft. Y-wing even had an ion cannon you controlled with your view. Well, It was actually too exhausting to play, with dozens of ships and the constant pew pew of Tie fighters. You could say it lacked polish. But I learned a lot from it, mostly, that all X-Wing simulators cheat by making the nose far shorter in fpv as otherwise it is constantly blocking a good portion of your view 😂
It was about 1 minute in where I realised the melody was specifically from TIE Fighter. For a moment there I thought Squadrons had gone and revamped the original music from the X-Wing games... now I'm super confused- did they do that? Or is that just the review music?
Did you not have a problem with the game being really blurry in VR? I kept thinking I hadn't put my Index on quite right, but then I tried another VR game and realised it was just the TAA. The game is still playable, but I haven't touched it since launch because the lack of detail really puts me off.
So great to see another X Wing / Tie Fighter fan having a great time with Squadrons. I agree - we are the target demographic (maybe unintentionally, as I'm sure they hoped more people would play), but that has led to the unfortunate reality that there are so few players left after everybody did as you said, felt it was kinda cool short term and then forgot about it. It's such a beautiful game, and surprisingly deep. And just like a classic X Wing / Tie Fighter fan, you focused on the single player mode primarily (as did I). You wondered if there were more tricks to the flying, and indeed, after 2 years, the experienced pilots have all sorts of unique styles and flavors of flying even the same class of crafts, using active power management cleverly, as well as more controversial ways of flying in which their crafts turn on a dime and accelerate instantly as if without without inertia. Plus the thrill of being able to actually feel like you're inside the craft. For those of us who are true fans, it never gets old. But there're just too few of us to keep the game well and alive. Thanks for this review - this game doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves. If you're ever get back in the cockpit for multiplayer, tell me your tag!
@@brettglover135 there are many ways to gain a major upper hand in different situations - leading an enemy into a tight space and planting a mine, going head-on with an enemy knowing you have heavier firepower and will focus your shields to the front, getting an enemy into a turning fight you know you will win because you likely have a more agile setup, luring an enemy into a head-on joust and tricking them with a boost-drift which allows you to speed to their side while strafing them. And yes, it's possible to precision one-shot-kill an enemy if you get the shot just right, using the Plasburst weapon and the enemy is in an interceptor class ship. Sneaking up behind an enemy using stealth (or by not target-selecting them) and suddenly unloading massive fire (2 types of rockets and rapid lasers) on them at close range will almost instantly kill them. Firing a large-explosion Goliath missile into a wall or asteroid a close range so the explosion kills the interceptor pursuing you. I have sometimes, for meme-value, used ion (disabling, not lethal) cannons to immobilize an enemy and then use an anti-capital ship weapon on them (big laser beam with long charge up time, or bombs which manually drop under you) - while that's not a tactic I'd recommend, it shows the creativity allowed. But beyond all those "tricks" that pilots pull on each other, the bread and butter is simply making better intuitive decisions than your opponent - when is it a good time to attack, what is the least risky attack, are you around your teammates, when is it time to break off and try to survive, how and when do you use your wing-stores, what do you want to be doing (maneuvering, recharging lasers, recharging shields) at any given time and how that determines what system should have max power - that's how pilots are significantly separated in quality and deadliness. Any kind of ship is highly dangerous to any other kind of ship, if the pilot makes good decisions. At the more competitive level of flight, pilots have figured out how to squeeze a ridiculous amount of performance out of their ships which allows them to fly fast and agile in a way that resembles a pinball bouncing around - that is a controversial method, but an example of how pilots have found all the corners of the game and innovated accordingly. When pinballing pilots fight each other, it's a fast speed high octane engagement, which usually involves "dunking" the opponent with a disabling missile at close range to stop their pinballing and then shoot them - in a bit of chess match of who manages their maneuvering, aim, lock-ons, and lock-breaking chaff better (and quite often, who is outnumbered). And that's all in dogfights - there are strategies and approaches for the fleet battles as well. the game is built such that there are a lot of great ways to balance risk and reward in combat. It sounds complicated, but overall, I really think "flying is a feeling" and a lot of times you kill the enemy, you know why you were able to do it, and the times they killed you, you know why and how you could reduce the risk in the future.
@@brettglover135 no, you cannot specifically target an individual fighter's fuel tanks or individual components of a fighter. the fighters are a bit too small and fast moving to make that a usable mechanic. the most "detailed" you can get with precision aiming at a fighter is to hit shielded fighters in the front or back, since they have separate shields on each part. you can target individual components of enemy flagships, such as shield systems, targeting systems, power systems, tractor beams, gun turrets, etc. it is a rather specific question - why do you ask? is it from experience with other space combat games?
Hearing you talk of Tie Fighter, Squadrons and this forgotten genre is like hearing myself. Have you thought of trying DCS? Even without VR, it has that feeling of being 'there' you describe.
I want Endor DLC so bad. Easily slots into the story, could easily be a multi stage mission in SP, an epic fleet battle map, and multiple dogfight maps.
You said the Logitech Extreme 3D pro cost you $15 used, then you say at 14:00 that it's "dusty and expensive". Mine was $40 new years ago. I'd never call it expensive, or even high quality.
I've always really wanted to enjoy Star Wars flight sim games more, but being able to look around independent of my controller in VR is what I really think I needed all this time for the whole experience to click
I'm surprised you like the characters so much, I found their dialogue utterly inane most of the time. Though I agree the narrowness of the story does help enjoy it more for some people.
If you're looking to get more out of the flight stick and VR headset combo, I recommend giving Overload a try. It's the successor to the old 6DoF shooter, Descent. Playing in VR can be a bit nauseating though. The campaign levels are all corridors and enclosed rooms, so it's a bit claustrophobic and things get really disorienting if you're rushing around and barrel rolling at full speed.
How did you feel about the VR sickness aspect? I've been playing the game with a HOTAS and loving it, but have been apprehensive about trying it with my Vive due to how easily I've gotten motion sickness with past VR games.
Is there an easy way to play those old X-Wing and Tie Fighters on a modern computer without Dosbox and with modern controller support and quality of life improvement such as widescreen and 1080p resolution?
TIE Fighter didn't have multiplayer but X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance both have had multiplayer. Especially X-Wing Alliance had a awesome mission editor. For me Squadrons is a lot more arcadey and doesn't live up to its roots. Respawning in single player, unlimited ammo and hull repairs in space, make everything feel less consequential. The incredibly tiny maps with either asteroids or debris everywhe around you makes space feel like a busy mall rather than giving you the feeling of the endless void around you. Major logical inconsistencies like Y-Wings flying 125MGLT in formation while charging shields because - we all today apparently are easily bored toddlers with an detection span on 20 seconds so we apparently cannot fly towards a nav point for a couple of minutes through empty space. Sure, the graphics are nice and the VR is cool and all. But in comparison the old games felt like ARMA while this feels like Doom. And as a fan of the old games, especially X-Wing Alliance - I am pretty disappointed with Squadrons.
@@bearpuns5910 I've heard things about WMR. It *works*, but it hinges on the unit you're going to get. 3kliksphilip did a review on the Lenovo Mixed Reality headset, which was the best(?) cheapest (?) HMD on the market. The floor for these kits aren't terrible, but it really does depend on what you're willing to put up with function wise. I've set my sights past WMR-compatibles for now as the competition is doing a little too well at making a product that's more convenient and worth the price of admission. It's just not in my budget yet. Oh and I'm out in the sticks in Canada. Sadly, there's not much I can do that wouldn't come with an eBay pricetag.
@@actualhyena If your sights are higher than those entry-level WMR headsets, maybe wait for the HP Reverb 2 to get cheaper? There's also the Samsung Odyssey Plus, which has a better display, controllers, and audio than the other WMR headsets, but you're completely at the whims of the used market with that one.
George, I play VR and have little problem with it, but for other, you might have to look into some sort of "smoothing" solution so the VR capture doesn't come out as jittery. And also, how dare you make me want an EA game this much after I promised myself I wouldn't give them (or star wars for that matter) any money...
Haha. My guess is, the capture is jittery because the game was until last weeks update (there were weird frame doubling issues with anything hihger than 60 fps). Still performs rather poorly but at least it does not give me a piercing headache anymore.
The best opening to a review I've seen in years.
Ray and Bunnyhop ayo. Colab?
Truly the "Spec Ops the Line" of reviews
If you mean cringy.
@@DanuelNuel You're boring.
Let it go Raycevik, replying to the dude isn't worth your time
Ah yes, the gamer wookie cry. The highest honor a game can truly have.
Why is this greek history channel doing a game review?
Who would win?
Woolie watching Vergil's come back in Devil May Cry 5
Or
George immersing himself in the digital cockpit of a TIE Figther
George because it's funny and not sad.
How many pies are on stake here?
Judgement nut
Definitivamente George 💕🐇
So your asking whether Wookie screams or dentistry appliance sounds hold more power.
More appreciation of Squadrons' VR mode? Hell yeah.
I constantly forget it has a flat mode
@@franciscofarias6385 for the flat-earthers
Hamish! Love yr channel mate!
How are you not verified yet?
Tie Fighter was extremely influential to my political outlook, thinking back on it. It essentially introduced my young mind to Realpolitik, while the jr. high PE/Social Studies teacher was teaching us history by making us memorize a (then) incomprehensible, whitewashed definition of Manifest Destiny, and lots of (also meaningless at the time) names and dates of various leaders and treaties, without explaining what any of it actually meant. Playing Tie Fighter's campaign taught me way more about history than the school textbook did.
- Why did you buy this game?
- Well, you see, George made an ahegao face while playing it in VR so I kinda want to try it.
The lack of VR hand controls made it hard to try to use it with a headset for me. You really need a joystick and some patience. Otherwise, you might find yourself fighting naughty fingers more than space baddies.
I personally have no issues playing this game in VR with a controller. I agree it would have been fun if we somehow could have used a Knuckle as a surrogate joystick. I guess Motive did not have the budget to develop such a feature for an (admittedly) small audience.
Controlling it with a gamepad is perfectly easy. Do you normally need to stare at your controller when you use it? If not, you can play with a controller just fine in VR. Pretending you need a HOTAS is retarded.
Old Man Plague needs to look at his controller to play.
I wonder if it works with Voice Attack like with Elite Dangerous... Do you know? I reckon that would alleviate the naughty fingers lol
@@cave_dweller6 but didnt he say he was using the joystick with his right hand and the keyboard with his left, implying that you need to use input on both... So it's the keyboard part that's the issue, not the Hotas or controller or whatever
Alright, now give me this experience but for Gundam, and you will be amazed how fast I can max a credit card
The Zone of the Enders 2 PC port has VR support
yeah since VR became a thing ive been saying cockpits are perfect for it, and a one year war side-story seems way too perfect
Severely underrated comment. Can you imagine playing through the biggest battles of the One Year War in VR?
Titanfall 2 + vorpx might do the trick
Humans: Create Virtual Reality Headset to have people experience other worlds through the advanced miracles of technology and human ingenuity.
Humans with VR Headset: 0:16
I'm surprised Super Bunny Hop was so focused on the single player because it's the multiplayer that got me hooked to this game. Playing with a full communicating squad who know how to take down those pesky TIE Bombers and intercepters is something else.
To be fair getting a 5 man for a sci-fi 'flight sim' that prefers vr and a stick is even more niche than just getting it for the story :P
"Single player doesn't matter, it's a multiplayer game" Call of Duty MW2/3 players before they said "Why does the writing suck" a few years later. I don't know maybe if you're going to put it in, make it good? . . .
@@MrAlex_Raven I still enjoyed the single player and I think it does it job well. Just the multiplayer is where the hooks dug into me.
@@GunnGuardian Fair enough, if you enjoyed it, I can hear you on that; I suppose I had the salty knee-jerk reaction to anyone who defaulted to focusing on multiplayer to be honest with you.
Great, now I have to reinstall this game again to play the campaign for the 4th time.
pls do a lowspec of this game
It being easier to win in VR makes perfect sense to me because in space, you don't have many of the normal depth cues, so stereoscopic vision via VR becomes a much bigger advantage there than if you were playing, for example, a typical FPS.
It's great to hear another voice chime in on an appreciation of the Star Wars universe beyond the Skywalker saga. It's gotten stale and revisiting it among the many stories all culminating in Jedi narratives isn't helping. I've been hoping for more games like this and Republic Commando where we get to see this cool universe without having a lightsaber shoved in our face.
That's precisely why I love the Battlefront games so much. It's a nice change of pace to be the common man fighting to change the galaxy with nothing more than a blaster and a few grenades. Heck, that same idea is one of the reasons why I love Rogue One. In most other Star Wars games, you're the super-special space wizard destined for greatness, which gets stake when you've seen it 50 other times with no innovation.
Honestly the Skywalker saga is the least appealing part of Star Wars to me. I love EPs 4 and 5, like 3, 6 and 7 and others are just meh. Movies started my sympathy towards the IP, but really, TV Shows and games gave me the most star wars thrills. Mainly KotOR 2, Jedi Knight and Republic Commando.
@@borek92 It didn’t become the Skywalker saga until Disney decided to call it that. I honestly think 1-6 be considered a saga and 7-9 either be something new or conclude it in a way better then how it did. The way it ended felt so miserable.
@@RAINBOWNIGTHMAREPRODUCTIONS True. 7-9 feels like some tacked on fanfic to me. I mean I like Force Awakens but I won't watch it without the intention of watching its successors, and I sure as hell ain't watching them. Whenever I'm gonna plan to re watch the movies, I'll just stop at 6. The ending was perfect anyway. Doing the sequels (rezzing Palpatine in particular) undermined Vader's redemption and sacrifice in a big way, big enough that I just can't be bothered to acknowledge those movies' existence.
I've always loved the grunts of Star Wars, whether it was Dark Forces (the original, pre-Force powers), TIE Fighter, Republic Commando, or the Rogue Squadron novels and comics. The Jedi stuff is okay, but it just doesn't get my juices flowing in just the same way that blaster and starfighter combat does.
The start has a nice wookie impression
Honestly awesome to see a reviewer just go, "This is great. Here's why."
X-Wing Alliance: "Am I joke to you?!"
Saving the emperor in Tie Fighter on hard was easier than some of the opening missions of X Wing Alliance on normal. The game was fun, but hard.
Alliance was good but flawed. The family storyline was never resolved and the Endor campaign was just disappointing. Too bad really, because the rest of the game felt pretty solid.
@@cameronrhyne7826 I played the custom battle simulator more than the campaign. Because that way you can tailor-fit the challenge to your needs.
Had tons of fun shooting down X Wings at 4:1 odds while in a Tie Defender. That ship was so OP.
Apparently it is, since his review rather than covering the mechanics, or the writing or comparing it to the most technically advanced game of that Tie Fighter franchise, he's far more interested in his rose-tinted biased perspective of the 90s and enjoying his political power fantasy in Squadrons to care.
@@MrAlex_Raven Or--maybe he just didn't play it. It came out at a time when space flight sims were declining.
I sure as heck didn't own it until it arrived on Steam.
And if you're going to be pedantic about it, it's the X-Wing Franchise and not the Tie Fighter franchise.
"Wait...how come I haven't seen Super Bunnyhop made a review of Star Wars Squadron before!...oh he uploaded it a minute ago!"
5:57 "poverty to military pipeline" is exactly right, and I say this as a veteran who was sucked into that pipeline.
shit should be illegal to allow kids that young to join, and yes even at 18 you're too damn young, 16 if your shitty parents sign for you.
That generational flip at 7:48 through 8:14 was oddly amazing. I think it's because you have old school cut aways at the mission hangar but then BAM it cuts to next gen.
Now when the hell are you going to review Ace Combat 7
Can you hear me, pilot with the 3 stripes?
@@cameronrhyne7826 3 strikes!
The VR for that game is only supported on the PS4 version, isn't it?
@@frak4981 and it’s only three missions in two planes. I was so disappointed after playing Star Wars.
But... the actually gameplay during those 3 missions was brilliant.
Probably never, doesn't suck off his political power fantasy enough
This is THE game which most makes me want to get a VR Headset. Now I'm just waiting for Episode 1: Podracer in VR for the childhood nostalgia of a 90s baby.
Damn I never knew I needed it
He's finaly making game reviews again! I like history as much as the next guy, but i do preffer this type of content from George
what do you mean finally? its just his last video thats about gods and before that he reviewed both Troy and Hunt, it hasnt been that long
I personally prefer his analytical pieces but his reviews are still great :)
I'm getting this game when I get a VR headset. Just like you Tie Fighter is my frame of reference.
I'm glad the campaign is a bit longer. My problem is otherwise that all the production value in the cut scenes mean shorter campaigns. I'd much rather have text-based briefings like in Tie Fighter (I know they also had VA, but no animation) and longer campaigns.
I mission editor would be a godsend.
Glad you had the TIE Fighter cover art in the thumbnail. I feel like a lot of the YT reviews so far have missed the connection between this game and the X-Wing/TIE Fighter series, although considering that series is 27 (!!!) years old, it's not too frustrating.
This franchise is older than some of the people playing it, after all.
I'm surprised he didn't mention X-Wing Alliance and I'm wondering if he missed out on that entry to the series.
Playing Squadrons with my RIft S, yes, I must have spent like a half hour just looking around the inside of the different cockpits in the rebel hangar. Totally worth it, even with an Xbox One controller. And yes, VR gives you a definite advantage of being able to visually track targets by *LOOKING* at them.
i see if everything with the a wing
At 12:13 the "immersive sound design" is mentioned... I wonder what audio output setting George is using on his Index. I'm also using an Index and I find the separation and directionality of the audio severely lacking. Especially when it comes to the voices during the hangar sections. If I turn one ear to a character I do not hear the dialogue at all through the off-side speaker. Stereo, auto, 5.1, headphones... I don't hear any difference. Not to mention the incredibly low volume, for which I have to edit a config file before each session.
I also find the graphics on the Index a bit fuzzy. Solid surfaces look fuzzy with lots of aliasing, especially during the hangar sections. I did not have this issue in Half-Life Alyx. And the skyboxes lack detail as well. The stars don't look bright enough and are way too large. I know the Index can do starry skies quite okay as I see a similar skybox every time in the Steam VR boot environment.
Apart of that: yep, I agree. The game is a heck of a lot of fun and well worth the 40 bucks. Just a fun little space combat game. Like how we finally get to be a pilot in Star Wars spacecraft from one's own 1st person view and from the comfort of our own home. Feel what it's like to track Tie Fighters as an X-Wing pilot by turning your head and following them with your eyes. That top glass panel in some cockpits becomes incredibly valuable in VR. And the handling of that Tie Interceptor. Mmmm... :) Glorious!
I played this game with my Oculus Rift, Flightstick Hotas and home made rumble subwoofer on my chair and I think most of the time I was giggling for being in a Xwing fighting an Imperial Destroyer right under my nose. VR exists for this game.
Btw. I love your videos.
One of the issues I've been seeing with this game is pretty much what you focused on. That the game works pretty well if you have the additional hardware, if you don't it loses its luster fast
9:06 is that what the cutscenes look like in VR? And why is he looking to the side of the screen, instead of at it...?
It is being played back through one of the two eye's view. That is why the game looks offset to the left.
@@Bloody_crow that makes sense
Haha, I dusted of a Extreme 3D Pro I won in a contest years back for this and I do not regret it. All I really needed to tweak was the roll deadzone because I was basically in spin-to-win mode.
Your insistence on not shying away from politics is refreshing as usual.
I hope you talk about Disco Elysium one day!
It's harder to find someone NOT talking about politics
I'm barely a minute in and this video is already off to a roaring start!
The fact that almost non of the vr stuff in this video is not centered on the screen bothers me immensely, but that’s probably because I’m not playing it currently and I’ve only played the “regular” version of it.
This is an absolute ripper of a review. Thanks!!! I will probably get around to trying this game too, since i adored the Ace Combat 7 VR missions with a stick.
i was JUST playing tie fighter yesterday-- so strange you'd make a video talking about it now when i haven't touched it in years. beautiful review as always!
Guy talking to George.
George rattling his head alarmingly.
Guy: “uh, you okay?”
It was me. I was the one who said it was sparse in chat while he was riding his high during that stream. And he's not bullshitting. He was playing the game for _hours_ and he was wired as hell throughout the entire experience. I'd elaborate on what I meant, but I gotta get ready for work.
UPDATE: Okay, so here's my Plague of Gripes! HEYO!
I remember my X-Wing Collector's Edition offering three tours of duty with 12-14 missions in each, as well as additional six 'historical missions' EACH for the x-wing, a-wing and y-wing and some half dozen random 'bonus' missions...just 'cause. Meanwhile, Gorg's Tie Fighter gave him only half a dozen or so missions...for his _seven_ tours of duty - thirteen with the expansions - and there were just as many supplementary missions for him to chew on as well. Compare that to Squadron's fourteen missions split between both factions...yeah, I think I can safely consider that pretty durn sparse!
Yeah, its a budget title and yeah, the originals didn't have mutiplayer at all, but these are pretty week justifications in my eyes. I mean, it's no accident that his review focuses so much on the _experience_ of playing the game rather than its _content_ or why he spent almost five minutes of it talking about a completely different game.
Well I'll wait patiently for you, I'm quite curious how you thought it was sparse.
Do you know why this is such a good VR experience? You can still sit down while you play and use a regular joystick. I keep saying this and no one catches on. VR needs to be separated from gimmicky body tracking and motion controls.
I disagree. Roomscale VR to me is the pinnacle of new gaming experiences.
Seeing new videos from George pop up just makes my day
Great review, it's also good to see your review content again...
Smaller video hosting sites like Nebula feel like a proper alternative to TH-cam
The "players hit air brakes to get behind someone" story immediately made me want this game. That's the kind of futuristic gamer dopamine shit that I imagined as a kid. It just sounds so fucking cool.
dude even i am happy watching your reactions in VR!. I want to play this so hard
Glad to see I'm not the only one who now owns an Index just as Squadrons was released.
I spent years as a kid playing Tie Fighter on PC and it was only the demo disc. To this day I never played the full game yet I have the best nostalgic gaming memories about it
Something is wrong with youtube. I haven't seen a episode from George on my account in months. I thought he stopped.
I still haven't finished the single player and haven't played the multiplayer at all yet (waiting to finish the single player and for my friend to get his PS4 fixed) and I already feel like I got my money's worth.
Playing it on PSVR with a HOTAS flight stick is amazing, one of the coolest gaming experiences I've ever had. I've been taking my time with the missions, limiting myself to one a day. I think I'm probably near the end of the campaign now, but I think I'll probably replay it on a higher difficulty.
I just love gawking at the cockpits in VR, particularly the larger craft like the TIE Bomber, TIE Reaper, and U-Wing. The sense of place and scale is amazing.
About the only thing I find myself wishing for is for someone to eventually make a PC mod that just imports all of the TIE Fighter missions, voice acting, etc. into the Squadrons' engine. Squadrons already has most of the important ships and models from TIE Fighter, even has the main cargo ships and space platforms. But yeah, if someone managed to port TIE Fighter into this engine I think it might be my favorite game of all time.
I'm the '90s TIE Fighter fanboy -- same as you -- who think you nailed it in your 2015 video review, which I consider definitive. This video sequel is the one I have been waiting for. Squadrons will be mine in the near-future. Oh yes, it will be mine.
I grabbed this but didn't play in vr. The gameplay of you flying past a star destroyer makes me think I really need to try it in thst
Great in-depth content, on the price of video-games what is important to note is how many games the average consumer now owns compared to the 1990's. Games can stay relatively cheap whilst global income has increased because the large publishing companies tend to sell you not one game a year but multiple. Furthermore, the overall elasticity of video-game prices would also be relevant. Basing the development of income on the price of products which aren't incredibly elastic, like cars or houses, is not a 1 to 1 representation of total expandable income over time.
30 seconds George....it took me 30 seconds in for you to convince me to get this game. Congrats.
The intro to this video is the most convincing case for VR I've ever seen.
I played this game with the PlayStation VR & the Thrustmaster 4 stick was one the best experiences I had in gaming!
I loved this as a huge fan of all 3 of the games you mentioned.
Now I really want to experience this in VR. Even using a controller I was delighted to play this some.
Interesting that you got the feeling of intense immersion in a Tie fighter where your avatar uses two control sticks with both hands. It actually broke immersion for me. Also, the cockpit itself is quite empty and ugly.
First time in an X-Wing cockpit was far more rewarding. Still not really sold on the game, good thing I got it for 25 bucks instead of 40.
I've only briefly used VR, but I remember the revolution in combat flight sims in the mid-2000s when I started using head-tracking to control the camera instead of a hat switch.
0:22 George releasing his inner Peter Mayhew.
I am a game developer, and for fun I once recreated battle of Endor in VR, using Unity and a handful of premade 3d assets and speech taken directly from the film. You could fly all rebel fighter craft. Y-wing even had an ion cannon you controlled with your view.
Well, It was actually too exhausting to play, with dozens of ships and the constant pew pew of Tie fighters. You could say it lacked polish.
But I learned a lot from it, mostly, that all X-Wing simulators cheat by making the nose far shorter in fpv as otherwise it is constantly blocking a good portion of your view 😂
15:55
Hit the airbreaks. THE AIRBREAKS?!!!!!!!! REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Reverse thrusters, Mr. LaForge.
Have you tried Ace Combat 7 in VR?
now THIS is podracing
It was about 1 minute in where I realised the melody was specifically from TIE Fighter. For a moment there I thought Squadrons had gone and revamped the original music from the X-Wing games... now I'm super confused- did they do that? Or is that just the review music?
Oh we have very similar logos!
Did you not have a problem with the game being really blurry in VR? I kept thinking I hadn't put my Index on quite right, but then I tried another VR game and realised it was just the TAA. The game is still playable, but I haven't touched it since launch because the lack of detail really puts me off.
So great to see another X Wing / Tie Fighter fan having a great time with Squadrons. I agree - we are the target demographic (maybe unintentionally, as I'm sure they hoped more people would play), but that has led to the unfortunate reality that there are so few players left after everybody did as you said, felt it was kinda cool short term and then forgot about it. It's such a beautiful game, and surprisingly deep. And just like a classic X Wing / Tie Fighter fan, you focused on the single player mode primarily (as did I). You wondered if there were more tricks to the flying, and indeed, after 2 years, the experienced pilots have all sorts of unique styles and flavors of flying even the same class of crafts, using active power management cleverly, as well as more controversial ways of flying in which their crafts turn on a dime and accelerate instantly as if without without inertia. Plus the thrill of being able to actually feel like you're inside the craft. For those of us who are true fans, it never gets old. But there're just too few of us to keep the game well and alive. Thanks for this review - this game doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves. If you're ever get back in the cockpit for multiplayer, tell me your tag!
so, is it possible to one hit kill an enemy fighter? like targeting the engines? or diving down from above and shooting the pilot in their cockpit?
@@brettglover135 there are many ways to gain a major upper hand in different situations - leading an enemy into a tight space and planting a mine, going head-on with an enemy knowing you have heavier firepower and will focus your shields to the front, getting an enemy into a turning fight you know you will win because you likely have a more agile setup, luring an enemy into a head-on joust and tricking them with a boost-drift which allows you to speed to their side while strafing them. And yes, it's possible to precision one-shot-kill an enemy if you get the shot just right, using the Plasburst weapon and the enemy is in an interceptor class ship. Sneaking up behind an enemy using stealth (or by not target-selecting them) and suddenly unloading massive fire (2 types of rockets and rapid lasers) on them at close range will almost instantly kill them. Firing a large-explosion Goliath missile into a wall or asteroid a close range so the explosion kills the interceptor pursuing you. I have sometimes, for meme-value, used ion (disabling, not lethal) cannons to immobilize an enemy and then use an anti-capital ship weapon on them (big laser beam with long charge up time, or bombs which manually drop under you) - while that's not a tactic I'd recommend, it shows the creativity allowed. But beyond all those "tricks" that pilots pull on each other, the bread and butter is simply making better intuitive decisions than your opponent - when is it a good time to attack, what is the least risky attack, are you around your teammates, when is it time to break off and try to survive, how and when do you use your wing-stores, what do you want to be doing (maneuvering, recharging lasers, recharging shields) at any given time and how that determines what system should have max power - that's how pilots are significantly separated in quality and deadliness. Any kind of ship is highly dangerous to any other kind of ship, if the pilot makes good decisions. At the more competitive level of flight, pilots have figured out how to squeeze a ridiculous amount of performance out of their ships which allows them to fly fast and agile in a way that resembles a pinball bouncing around - that is a controversial method, but an example of how pilots have found all the corners of the game and innovated accordingly. When pinballing pilots fight each other, it's a fast speed high octane engagement, which usually involves "dunking" the opponent with a disabling missile at close range to stop their pinballing and then shoot them - in a bit of chess match of who manages their maneuvering, aim, lock-ons, and lock-breaking chaff better (and quite often, who is outnumbered). And that's all in dogfights - there are strategies and approaches for the fleet battles as well. the game is built such that there are a lot of great ways to balance risk and reward in combat. It sounds complicated, but overall, I really think "flying is a feeling" and a lot of times you kill the enemy, you know why you were able to do it, and the times they killed you, you know why and how you could reduce the risk in the future.
@@ahhailnah ok well thanks for all the tips, but uh quick question, is it possible to target starfighters fuel tanks?
@@brettglover135 no, you cannot specifically target an individual fighter's fuel tanks or individual components of a fighter. the fighters are a bit too small and fast moving to make that a usable mechanic. the most "detailed" you can get with precision aiming at a fighter is to hit shielded fighters in the front or back, since they have separate shields on each part. you can target individual components of enemy flagships, such as shield systems, targeting systems, power systems, tractor beams, gun turrets, etc. it is a rather specific question - why do you ask? is it from experience with other space combat games?
@@ahhailnah so killing the pilot or disabling the engines or the thrusters isn't an option then?
Last time I was this early, Naked Snake still had two eyes.
...and Kojima still had a job at Konami.
Damn, that was a long time ago.
It's a good thing you got that flight stick so long ago because now those things are closer to 90 dollars :)
Hearing you talk of Tie Fighter, Squadrons and this forgotten genre is like hearing myself. Have you thought of trying DCS? Even without VR, it has that feeling of being 'there' you describe.
I want Endor DLC so bad.
Easily slots into the story, could easily be a multi stage mission in SP, an epic fleet battle map, and multiple dogfight maps.
You said the Logitech Extreme 3D pro cost you $15 used, then you say at 14:00 that it's "dusty and expensive". Mine was $40 new years ago. I'd never call it expensive, or even high quality.
It is pretty much a entry level stick for those that are either not super into the sim genre or are just getting into it.
I've always really wanted to enjoy Star Wars flight sim games more, but being able to look around independent of my controller in VR is what I really think I needed all this time for the whole experience to click
SuperBunnyHop has come back to bring peace, law and order to our new Empire...
OUR new Empire?!
I got a PSVR system just for this game and wow. Amazing.
Star Wars squadrons is so good.
So delighted to see you in an Index! But I didn't know you were a Wookie.
I'm surprised you like the characters so much, I found their dialogue utterly inane most of the time. Though I agree the narrowness of the story does help enjoy it more for some people.
Mate Jet Fighters are still rad af, the inner child never really loses fascination with loud, powerful things once it picks up on it.
Have you played Elite Dangerous George? If you want more fun times in VR Space, you'll probably like it.
12:34 alex jones was in the rebellion?
2:06 I'm getting sick looking at this even without VR.
If you're looking to get more out of the flight stick and VR headset combo, I recommend giving Overload a try. It's the successor to the old 6DoF shooter, Descent. Playing in VR can be a bit nauseating though. The campaign levels are all corridors and enclosed rooms, so it's a bit claustrophobic and things get really disorienting if you're rushing around and barrel rolling at full speed.
How did you feel about the VR sickness aspect? I've been playing the game with a HOTAS and loving it, but have been apprehensive about trying it with my Vive due to how easily I've gotten motion sickness with past VR games.
Is there an easy way to play those old X-Wing and Tie Fighters on a modern computer without Dosbox and with modern controller support and quality of life improvement such as widescreen and 1080p resolution?
Makes me wish I wasn't sick of Star Wars
George get your wife, your best friend, and the licencing back to make it right this time; like the first time!
@@234ne14 Bet I am not the only one who thinks the magic is done. We loved it. You can only hammer a nail in so far.
Wonder how it works with Trak:IR
TIE Fighter didn't have multiplayer but X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance both have had multiplayer. Especially X-Wing Alliance had a awesome mission editor.
For me Squadrons is a lot more arcadey and doesn't live up to its roots. Respawning in single player, unlimited ammo and hull repairs in space, make everything feel less consequential. The incredibly tiny maps with either asteroids or debris everywhe around you makes space feel like a busy mall rather than giving you the feeling of the endless void around you.
Major logical inconsistencies like Y-Wings flying 125MGLT in formation while charging shields because - we all today apparently are easily bored toddlers with an detection span on 20 seconds so we apparently cannot fly towards a nav point for a couple of minutes through empty space.
Sure, the graphics are nice and the VR is cool and all. But in comparison the old games felt like ARMA while this feels like Doom. And as a fan of the old games, especially X-Wing Alliance - I am pretty disappointed with Squadrons.
Aw no way you're still using your Saitek keyboard! I used to have that back in the day, miss it.
Why are all the explosions fiery infernos? Totally immersion-breaking.
Watch Star Wars. That is just how it is in the franchise.
@@startrekmike They were not that fiery in the movies.
Thanks for the vid. Always great.
First 30 seconds: **George screams in Wookiee**
Sooooo....I take it he likes it. 😂
I can't wait to enthusiastically funny mic like George in 5 years when VR not on a console costs at least 3/4ths of what it is now.
I mean...a Quest 2 is 300 bucks, so you're holding out until it's under 100?
You can get those cheap WMR headsets for under $200 secondhand if your country has a healthy used market
@@MnopTheGreat The problem lies in Oculus' software unfortunately. Cheap, but at the cost of privacy.
@@bearpuns5910 I've heard things about WMR. It *works*, but it hinges on the unit you're going to get. 3kliksphilip did a review on the Lenovo Mixed Reality headset, which was the best(?) cheapest (?) HMD on the market. The floor for these kits aren't terrible, but it really does depend on what you're willing to put up with function wise. I've set my sights past WMR-compatibles for now as the competition is doing a little too well at making a product that's more convenient and worth the price of admission. It's just not in my budget yet.
Oh and I'm out in the sticks in Canada. Sadly, there's not much I can do that wouldn't come with an eBay pricetag.
@@actualhyena If your sights are higher than those entry-level WMR headsets, maybe wait for the HP Reverb 2 to get cheaper? There's also the Samsung Odyssey Plus, which has a better display, controllers, and audio than the other WMR headsets, but you're completely at the whims of the used market with that one.
Heyyy, Saitek Eclipse? Same keyboard!
If you could re-enact the Battle of Yavin or the Battle of Coruscant in this I would be so stoked.
can you imagine in an alternate reality F/A-18 pilot jorj daydreaming about greco-roman mysticism while dropping JDAMs on poppy farmers
It just makes me happy to see people being happy!
16:00 Trust me, there's plenty of tricks to learn ;).
6:02
I though it was seeing Snake half naked in MGS3, George
Just bought this.
Good to see this from you.
I really enjoyed Star Wars: Squadrons and wished Ace Combat 7 was fully playable in VR and not just a few missions in a dedicated mode.
George, I play VR and have little problem with it, but for other, you might have to look into some sort of "smoothing" solution so the VR capture doesn't come out as jittery.
And also, how dare you make me want an EA game this much after I promised myself I wouldn't give them (or star wars for that matter) any money...
Haha. My guess is, the capture is jittery because the game was until last weeks update (there were weird frame doubling issues with anything hihger than 60 fps). Still performs rather poorly but at least it does not give me a piercing headache anymore.