TIE Fighter is still the best and most interesting Star Wars game. One year prior, X-Wing had laid the groundwork by taking the approach from World War II flight sims like Secret Weapons of The Luftwaffe and applying it to Star Wars, so instead of a straightforward, character-driven action game like you would get today, the result was a kind of nerdy simulationist take on a universe that's usually a more "fun and forget"-type set-dressing affair in service of archetypical adventure stories.

TIE Fighter improved on almost every aspect of its predecessor, not only with its vastly superior mission design, which is still one of the greatest strengths of the game, but also when it comes to its story and scenario. Playing as a pilot for the Empire is a clever switch of perspectives that's handled refreshingly subtle. It's the "banality of evil/just another day at the office"-type mundanity that makes the worldbuilding work so well, and the moments when you are introduced to the mysterious Secret Order of the Emperor, or meet up with celebrities like Vader and Thrawn, all the more memorable.