The latest (last?) of the X-wing games, “Allianc...e” is also the best – returning from the disappointing “X-wing v. Tie Fighter” to the epic trail of “Tie Fighter”. But is it worthwhile for owners of the older games? In “Alliance”, you belong to a family-run galactic shipping business plying lawless tracts of space in Correlian freighters. In a time of rebellion, your family is neutral, though split for each side. Despite seemingly civilian trappings, shipping involves combat – you’ve got turbo-lasers, ion-cannon, & deflectors. Though you won’t face imperials at first, combat will immediately pit you against Viraxo, your business rivals. Ultimately, the Viraxo turn to the Empire, forcing you to the rebellion, and trade your freighter for an X-wing. Until then, the game offers a series of missions modestly testing skills you may have amassed on older SW Fighter’s games, missions likely intended as a tutorial. The game climaxes with the battle of Endor, taking on the 2nd Death Star from the inside (in a mission I like to refer to as “Operation watch-that-overpass!”) “Alliance” does disappointment – ties to the first “X-Wing” (1994) are obvious in terms of gameplay – canned missions flown in linear order which MUST be completed by fulfilling specific goals (i.e., no matter how many Tie Fighters you swat, ALL Shuttles MUST dock with the frigate; ALL cruisers must survive; you MUST inspect EVERY container; etc…). Some goals seem counterintuitive – resulting from pre-scripted twists in a given mission which you won't learn about before flying the mission at least once. Because a lot of in-game dialog is pre-scripted (i.e. that it’s the same no-matter how you’re doing) it’s harder to tell how well you’re doing. Graphics and sound are up-to-date, the date being 1999. The big news is that you can now pad-lock targets – great not only for improving situational awareness, but also because you can view the insides of your ship’s flight-deck (this is a huge leap over previous games which had 2-D renderings of the same flight panels we’ve seen since 1994). While shading & lensing effects are also added, I usually get too focused on the enemy to appreciate them. I’m also not enough of an audiophile to comment on the sound, though the sound effects and John Williams score remain as expectedly faithful to the films as we’ve come to expect (though on my XP machine, the soundtrack tended to hang at times). Mission areas & enemy forces seem larger. Also, each mission may involve different areas (via hyperspace buoy) – although that may increase the chance of running into bugs that make missions unwinnable. The game’s most revolutionary improvement isn’t technical at all – relying on a story that (at first) makes you more than just another faceless rebel - ala the orginal “Tie Fighter”. Instead you fight for survival against competitors, soon to become a personal vendetta against the empire. Characters you meet between missions advance the plot and keep it focused throughout the game. If anything, the story could have kept you out of the rebellion a bit longer, or at least made the transition a tad smoother – the story loses something once you become a rebel pilot, though manages to hold onto you anyway. By now, all PC’s should run this game. I used a P4, having few WinXP compatibility problems. In short, an X-Wing sim guaranteed to please , though obviously pleasing most those who’ve never played one before.
For those of you who like having complete, first-person ...control of classic Star Wars starfighters, this game is for you. From A-Wing to Y-Wing, you'll take on numberous Imperial starfighters and starships, including some ships not previously seen in any Star Wars movie. Furthermore, unlike in the previous games, X-Wing Alliance adds a more personal storyline to the game. You play as Ace Azzameen, the youngest son of a business family sympathetic to the rebellion. You join the rebellion after your father is killed and a warrant for your head is placed by the Empire. Most of the game will either be spent trying to help rebuild your family's business or getting your revenge on Imperial scum. Those who have been playing the series since 1994 may not find the game lacking a bit. For one, there is not half as many missions (and of the few missions there are, most are either too easy, too short, or too hard). Secondly, the campaign system has been removed. Missions are presented consecutively, and you cannot proceed to another mission until you have passed the one you are on. Thus, there is no skipping to another campaign to do another mission--you've got to finish the one you are on, or you don't move on. Also, there are some technical issues which even the recent patches have yet to fix. For instance, even with full 3D graphics enabled, some ships off in the distance tend to get the 3D-box effect (which makes the ships look like they are trapped in Carbonate). Also, the artificial intelligence is far from intelligent, as TIE Fighters fly too predictably and your teammates always seem to find themselves right above an fully-equipped Star Destroyer. I should mention that there is a difficulty setting which, when turned on, makes all starships cut at awkward 90 degree angles so they are "harder to hit." The entire game isn't a complete failure though. Both veterans and new-comers alike will enjoy the new flight sim addition, which allows you to create your own missions quite easily. The pilot proving grounds are fun, especially as you'll get to compete against scores from famous pilots such as Corran Horn and Wedge Antilles. The cutscenes are beautiful and very life-like, and the battle at the Death Star II may be the best battle in the series (especially at the end, when you get to fly through it!) Overall, it's a great game and worth the buy. There's solid replay value and a good 30+ hours of gameplay--you cannot go wrong!
This game is phenomenal. It's been out for I don't k...now how long, but the game is sill awesome after all this time. The amount of ships you can fly is unreal. The multiplayer is easy as cake to connect to, and the missions are just plain fun and the storyline behind the singleplayer unfolds naturally and the twists that occur in mission keep it interesting. I'm a huge Star Wars buff, and this game surpassed my expectations, and in some cases is still does, due to the overall possibilities that this game can offer. Major ups to Lucasarts! In Christ, Jerry Stump
I bought this game because I've been wanting it since it fi...rst came out. They never made it for Macintosh, however, and only recently have I owned a non-Mac PC. I like the story that drives one to continue playing the game the same way one can't put down a book. Perhaps I shouldn't flown through it in two weeks! I wish it were longer! The new interface for the ships compared to the previous X-wing games took some getting used to, but it really wasn't all that different. The game was more realistic than the previous titles as well, and it would be great if the old games could be remade in the new engine.
If you thought X-Wing vs. TIE was... good, you'll love this. You play the role of the son of a family caught up in the Rebellion. You start by flying missions for your family business. Eventually you can join the Rebellion and fly X-wings, A-wings, B-wings, and you even get the chance to fly the Millennium Falcon! The range of missions is great, and you can practise your skills in the simulator, or the pilot proving grounds. My only criticism is that some of the early missions are very tricky, and the difficulty does not always seem to increase in logical order.