PC Gamer Ranked are our ridiculously complete lists of the perfect, worst, and all the things in-between from each nook of PC gaming.
The TIE Fighter: to some, a strong image of the Galactic Empire’s army may. To others, a reputation that harkens again to the golden age of PC area sims. To me, the supply of 2023’s greatest cymbal crash pattern. Practically half a century of Star Wars’ dominance has made this screaming, bow-tie macaroni formed dying lure into an icon of area fascism, a jet powered image of an Empire that views warfare in a sickeningly chilly calculus of who can expend essentially the most munitions, extra assets, extra lives.
To that finish, the TIE Fighter is ideal, however inside the realm of PC Gaming, there’s nonetheless a hierarchy to be honored:
The Standards
Variety of entries: 20
What’s included: TIEs of distinction. These are TIE Fighters that stand out, for higher or for worse.
What’s not included: There are extra redundant variants of the TIE Fighter throughout the behemoth catalog of Star Wars releases than there are stars within the sky. This record is not going to exhaustively rely the studs on the completely different renders of TIE Interceptors within the LEGO Star Wars video games (Although I am a fan of LEGO Star Struggle 2’s).
19. TIE Mauler – Empire At Struggle
The worst of the TIE collection is not even a spaceship. For those who’re ever doing analysis on Star Wars stuff for an article, here is a tip: Go to Wookiepedia and go from “Canon” to “Legends” as a result of that’s the place all of the bullshit is. Yeah, this factor is not a TIE Fighter technically, however holy shit simply have a look at it. The mounted, unmoving quad laser battery on the entrance ought to give it an edge within the subsequent Twisted Metallic competitors however I stay skeptical of its army utility—ditto for the totally uncovered ahead cockpit that actually paints a goal over the driving force.
If I used to be ordered to drive this factor down the road, a lot much less into fight, my commanding officer would get punted out the airlock. In Empire at Struggle this factor is alright at harassing mild infantry, however the ache of getting to order one thing so lame round retains me from utilizing it with any enthusiasm.
18. TIE Oppressor – Star Wars Galaxies
Oh Jesus Christ. The TIE Oppressor actually brings into focus what the issue with a variety of these TIE variants in the end is—you may’t actually get away with bolting on additional stuff to the fuselage with out essentially altering that good capital letter H silhouette. Deviating from that design philosophy in any important means alerts a misunderstanding of each the enchantment and performance of the TIE platform—they’re barebones for causes of price and ease of mass manufacturing. Blind adherence to the TIE model with out thought to perform in the end simply makes the tip end result look ridiculous. As for the ship itself, it seems that means as a result of it has a bunch of rocket pods and a few additional armor. No matter.
17. TIE Hunter – Rogue Squadron 3: Insurgent Strike
An try and deliver the TIE Sequence in step with the Insurgent Alliance’s X-Wing fashions by introducing S-Foils. Once more, needlessly overcomplicated, and solely marginally higher than the TIE Oppressor by advantage of not having a gaudy additional wing thrown on.
16. TIE Avenger – TIE Fighter
It seems like a nasty brutalist artwork piece, actually simply Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter however with stretched proportions. Not good in any respect.
15. TIE Bomber – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005)
That is the unique you by no means pay any thoughts. Gradual, weak, and in stark distinction to the Squadrons model, armed with a number of the worst weapons I’ve ever had the displeasure of firing, the OG Battlefront 2 TIE Bomber throughout sucks. Piddly lasers, clunky proton torpedoes that take ages to lock, and a basic sluggishness to the motion that makes flight persistently disagreeable would already be sufficient to consign the TIE Bomber to the drydock, however a Ford Pinto stage of fragility make it a worst-ever spaceship in my books.
14. TIE Silencer – Battlefront 2 (2005)
Final week I matched with a man on Hinge who claimed to “like to geek out on sci-fi spaceships” earlier than trotting out this Kylo Ren bullshit for example of his stellar style. The TIE Silencer is mainly a gaudy, red-and-black stretch limo variant of Darth Vader’s TIE from A New Hope. In fashionable Battlefront 2, it performs Darth Vader’s TIE position however with proton torpedoes. It is hardly terrible, however it’s bought the sequel trilogy drawback of bolting on a bunch of crap to a design that was kind of good. Sorry buddy!
13. TIE Defender – TIE Fighter, Empire at Struggle, Battlefront 2
The TIE Defender’s standing because the apex predator inside the TIE household is sadly overshadowed by simply how goddamn ridiculous it seems. An ideal instance of simply how boxed in Star Wars can really feel at instances, it is a TIE Fighter however extra, the smooth dignity of the TIE compromised by this mutant appendage of a wings. Its position varies from sport to sport—TIE Fighter and Empire at Struggle painting it as a multirole fleet defender, however at the very least within the case of the latter that position is made redundant by both massing extra swarms of TIEs or bringing some devoted anti-fighter energy. And actually, I do not care how good it’s, I hate it.
12. TIE/fo – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017)
An upgraded TIE Fighter for EA’s Battlefront 2. Functionally equivalent to its predecessor mannequin save for some mild shielding, afterburners, and a complement of proton torpedoes. In The Power Awakens, these additionally boast a rear gun, utilized by Finn and Poe to flee the First Order, however that performance is absent in-game. Just a little embarrassing for such a contemporary launch to be proven up by 2004’s Star Wars Galaxies: Leap to Lightspeed increased on this record.
11. TIE Fighter – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017)
Up up to now, we have been slumming it with EU bullshit and phenomenally ugly TIE variants. That is the edge on which the barest competency lies. Fashionable Battlefront 2’s TIE Fighter is ok, however solely the perfect ship for the job if it is the one one in entrance of you.
10. TIE Fighter – Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005)
Ditto for the TIE within the unique Battlefront 2. It is a competent portrayal of the TIE Fighter, however the shortcomings it faces (outclassed by the TIE interceptor, oversensitive flight mannequin, and very awkward to land contained in the provider hangar bays) are kind of excused by the then-mammoth scope of Star Wars Battlefront 2’s fight sandbox.
9. TIE Scout – Empire at Struggle
Sturdy, quick, and a rarity among the many TIE collection for being outfitted with protect mills, the TIE Scout is nice in Empire At Struggle’s early sport, the place area battles are thought-about drag-out uphill fights for the Empire. They’ve a spot in an Imperial doctrine that does not prioritize absolute materials domination of the battlefield, and thus really feel characteristically un-Imperial. That is actually the difficulty with a variety of these entries—why construct a particular class of TIE for the job when you may simply throw a number of squadrons on the drawback and never care if they do not come again?
Additionally, it seems like a ’70s van with TIE fighter wings, which undoubtedly hurts the cool issue.
8. TIE Interceptor – Empire At Struggle
Empire At Struggle is a sport about constructing one trillion TIE Fighters, till you unlock the TIE Interceptor, at which level it turns into a sport about constructing one trillion TIE Interceptors. Whereas undoubtedly simpler, the individuality of the Interceptor is misplaced when fielding them in droves. It additionally feels dangerous mindlessly junking these state-of-the-art ships in limitless wave assaults.
7. TIE Fighter – Empire At Struggle
There’s an outdated edit to the Power Awakens trailer that remakes it within the model of the garish CG-addled Star Wars Particular Editions. It is all hysterical, however the perfect half is the ending, with so many extra added TIE fighters that the audio begins peaking and triggers my tinnitus. Empire At Struggle is a sport about constructing this quantity of TIE Fighters and extra, after which proper clicking on one thing you need gone. Much less efficient than the Interceptor, however there’s one thing so characteristically Imperial about sending this many pilots to their doom whereas my Star Destroyers do all the actual work.
6. TIE Aggressor – Star Wars Galaxies
Mainly only a TIE Fighter with a rear gunner, which makes it barely extra survivable by advantage of creating it marginally tougher for a chasing ship to shut behind you. Since Star Wars Galaxies: Leap to Lightspeed has lengthy been shuttered (exterior diehard fan servers), so the TIE Aggressor’s legacy is usually restricted to archived discussion board posts complaining {that a} rear gun on a fighter is annoying. It is a wise design addition to a ship that basically solely ever will get iced from behind, and is the one TIE on this record with a ball turret that really works.
The Prime 5
5. TIE Reaper – Star Wars Squadrons
The TIE Reaper is a uniquely Imperial resolution to the issue of “the TIE Fighters preserve getting killed en masse;” simply babysit the necessary ones with a command and management craft that coordinates restore & resupply droids. I dig the silhouette, too—it is sharp, smooth, and feels prefer it’s meant to cruise in and across the space of operation, slicing in to ship essential assist earlier than dipping out to put mines / jam communications. Actually, I simply dig the TIE Reaper for being a drive multiplication craft that augments the TIE collection so dramatically, turning them from cherry blossom-esque suicide buckets into lethally harmful strike craft.
4. TIE Superior X1 – Battlefront 2 (2017)
Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter is just probably the greatest. It is in too many video games to record, however I particularly love the trendy Battlefront 2 implementation.
The primary TIE variant within the historical past of Star Wars and the progenitor of the TIE Bomber and TIE Interceptor, it is a easy, tanky, and surprisingly agile hero ship, with supercharged twin lasers that mulch no matter is in entrance of you. Being one of many oldest TIE variants, it is also bought an extremely storied (learn: extremely silly) service life. Do you know that it is known as the X1 as a result of it is named after a drive delicate clone trooper (???) who grew to become a Sith Lord? Did you additionally know that three of them have been rebuilt and piloted by Darth Vader’s grandchildren? The Superior X1 is actually only a higher TIE, however its age and the context of its single look place it within the hilarious heart of the Star Wars Expanded Universe derangement nexus.
3. TIE Bomber – Star Wars: Squadrons
I liken the TIE Bomber to the A-trak remix of “Heads Will Roll,” in that the remix goes so onerous that you simply by no means pay the unique any thoughts in any respect. My favourite new addition is definitely the forward-mounted rotary laser cannon. It takes a second to spin up, however the ruthless depth of the barrage, coupled with this chugging cannonfire sound that seems like an Earthquaker units results pedal render it simply my favourite craft in Star Wars: Squadrons. The heavy armor and protect techniques make it an actual tugboat with regards to dogfighting insurgent fighters, however half the enjoyable is within the problem of lining up that A-10 warthog gatling cannon from a distance and shredding lighter craft that cross into your killzone.
The immense physicality of Star Wars Squadrons peaks when descending on Insurgent frigates and capital ships—it is like carving up a beached whale with a lightsaber.
2. TIE Interceptor – Star Wars: Squadrons
Have a look at this factor. If you see it scream by the bridge of the Insurgent flagship in Return of the Jedi, you understand shit is getting actual. The ahead angled wing profile and fang-like quad lasers make the TIE Interceptor appear like a rocket powered vampire bat. It shines particularly shiny in Star Wars: Squadrons, the place throwing all of your craft’s energy into thrusters, punching the throttle to hit sub-light speeds, then slicing out and drifting into an X-Wing’s blindspot is a thrill experience, and key to utilizing the Interceptor successfully.
The TIE Interceptor’s reliance on the enhance/drift/hearth loop means you are continually flying on this winding, serpentine sample earlier than biting down in your prey with high-powered lasers. Its auxiliary rocket techniques make it surprisingly efficient at hit and run assaults on capital ships, good for skimming low in opposition to the hull earlier than boosting up and raining down scorching dying.
1. The TIE Fighter – Star Wars: TIE Fighter (tied)
The TIE Fighter as realized within the 1994 LucasArts area sim is an achievement in area sim design leagues past others on this record. The TIE right here is an expertise, an aluminum foil coffin bolted between two rocket boosters with solely the barest complement of auxiliary techniques. Sure, the shortage of frivolous additions like “shields” or “life assist” are primarily the results of an Imperial tactical philosophy that locations minimal worth on particular person human life, however when you begin dogfighting Insurgent pilots, it clicks that you simply’re taking part in completely different video games fully. These additional techniques the rebels depend on have added a lot tonnage to their craft weight that you will simply match velocity and shut on the traitor’s blindspot.
Furthermore, TIE Fighter (the sport)’s dedication to authentically portraying the bumbling, incompetent, perpetually-on-the-verge-of-political-crisis Galactic Empire and the position of an ascending ace pilot inside its corroded paperwork. Stellar mid-’90s vibes with chiptune renditions of John Williams and that candy candy distinction between the pixelated HUD and low-poly renditions of well-known Star Wars craft preserve TIE Fighter (the sport, once more) straightforward on the eyes and ears, too. If there’s just one iteration of the enduring twin-ion-engined craft you may make time to get behind the stick of, it is this one, apart from…
1. The TIE Fighter Remastered – TIE Fighter Complete Conversion (X-Wing Alliance Mod) (tied)
A complete conversion mod for the stellar X-Wing Alliance, the TIE Fighter Complete Conversion achieves close to complete area superiority with a full assault wing of the Emperor’s most interesting fighters. As charming because the pixelated DOS heads-up show is, TIE Fighter Complete Conversion’s dynamic lighting is gorgeous, particularly for a mod. The best way the shiny black plastic of the cockpit is illuminated by the emerald bursts of your ahead laser, the distinct chirps and blips of the focusing on system as you slice up Insurgent cruisers, it is essentially the most “lifelike” spin on a fighter that does not exist.
Each main variant of TIE is right here, together with all of the interactive menus, each rendered with applicable early aughts space-sim ranges of constancy. Together with this feels a bit like dishonest, however the group behind TIE Fighter Complete Conversion have proven that they love these suicide buckets greater than anyone, and the ensuing work is TIE’d for first place with its lauded inspiration.
