Totally Games

Totally Games was an American game development studio led by game designer Lawrence Holland. The studio became famous primarily for its sophisticated flight and space simulators, with its most significant works linked to the Star Wars universe.

The team’s roots lie in projects created for LucasArts. Lawrence Holland and his colleagues initially focused on aviation simulators inspired by the Second World War, which included, for example, Battlehawks 1942, Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe.

They subsequently utilised the experience gained during the development of these games in the creation of the legendary Star Wars: X-Wing. The game allowed players to take the helm of Rebel Alliance fighters and take part in space battles set in the Star Wars universe.

Even greater acclaim was earned by Star Wars: TIE Fighter, which reversed the perspective and allowed players to fight on the side of the Galactic Empire. The game offered an extensive story campaign, a wide variety of spaceships and, for its time, a sophisticated space combat system.

The series was later followed by Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance. The latter title combined an extensive story campaign with the ability to pilot a range of well-known ships from the Star Wars universe.

Did Totally Games also return to the Star Wars franchise with Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III – Rebel Strike? No – that game was developed by Factor 5. Instead, Totally Games worked on, for example, Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance and later on other projects for LucasArts.

One of the studio’s major console projects is Secret Weapons Over Normandy, released in 2003 for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. The game revisits the aerial combat of the Second World War and features dozens of historical and experimental aircraft. Compared to strict simulators, its controls are more accessible and action-oriented.

The studio also created Alien Syndrome for the PSP and Nintendo Wii and worked on other projects and simulators.

Thanks to its work, Totally Games has established itself as one of the leading developers of aviation and space games. In particular, the titles Star Wars: X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing Alliance and Secret Weapons Over Normandy remain the best-known part of its history to this day.