Our very own Nathan Lawrence was lucky enough to be called up to put on his space helmet, swear allegiance to the Emperor and then hop into a TIE-fighter to take out some Rebel scum. In other words he got to play a bunch of Star Wars: Squadrons, the upcoming space-sim and spiritual successor to X-Wing vs TIE-Fighter.

Oh and we've got gameplay too. Here's some highlights from the Dogfight mode.

Even glancing at the control layout gives you a sense that EA Motive is lightsabering a line in the Tatooine sand that has enough depth for old-school X-wing vs TIE fighter devotees but also not such an intimidating layout that it’ll deter new recruits. Those newbies may be put off by the lack of third-person view – it’s fixed in first-person perspective, the way Lord Vader intended – but there’s no denying how incomparably immersive this design decision is.

The sound design, in particular, is nerdgasmly awesome in how EA Motive has spliced the familiar Star Wars soundscape with an appropriate boom for how a shields-melting cannon should sound inside the cockpit of a starfighter.

The prologue will familiarise you with the basics of shifting power between cannons, engines and, if you’re Rebel scum, shields.

Our Full Star Wars: Squadrons Hands-On Preview

Looks nice, but watching that video it seems very slow (the ship speeds). You don't get the vibe of fast fighters moving through space.