Join the Empire in one of the greatest space sims of all time.
In TIE Fighter you are a new Imperial Pilot fresh out of the academy shortly after the Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back. Stationed on a backwater outpost near Hoth, you have to work your way up through the Imperial ranks by proving yourself. This is a double edged sword, though, as Darth Vader and the Emperor themselves start to expect more from you, and failure is intolerable. The story of TIE Fighter focuses mostly on the political aspects of the Empire, and you'll face not just Rebels, but space pirates and Imperial traitors as the story unfolds. TIE Fighter's story is brilliant because of how realistic it is, there's no melodrama, just pure politics and you're caught in the middle.
The gameplay in TIE Fighter is mostly the same thing as X-Wing, and the rest of the games in the series. You'll still have to decide between lasers, shields (if your starfighter has them) and engines adding some tactical decision making when you're on a mission. One nice change from X-Wing is how you are not timed, in X-Wing you had a limited amount of time to complete objectives. In TIE Fighter you have an infinite amount of time, as long as the objectives are completed.
Graphics depend on the version, the original DOS version has undetailed, textureless models like the DOS version of X-Wing, and the windows edition has X-Wing versus TIE Fighter models and graphics. The windows version obviously has the advantage here, but compared to newer games even that version is outdated visually.
Audio-wise the two versions are also different. The DOS edition used a (superior) original MIDI score that picked up when starships enter the area. The windows version uses the John Williams score which some may prefer, but I felt that the original MIDI score was better. TIE Fighter also has some great voice work, and classic Star Wars sound effects.
TIE Fighter is an unforgettable masterpiece that to this day is still played by its legion of fans. With an interesting, believable story, and excellent strategic gameplay it's really no wonder. Any space sim fan who hasn't played TIE Fighter should, there's no real reason not to after all.