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Best Star Wars Flight Sim EVER!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance This Game....IS BEAUTIFUL even for Today's Time...I have just gotten the Game a Month Ago or so AND IM STILL ON IT o.o Its AWESOME very very REALISTIC Dogfights and BEAUTIFUL EXPLOSIONS..Im a pretty good Pilot Myself and this is challangeing for ANYONE...and you're wingmen AI are SO SMART that they even steal you're kills if you're not fast enough :D Its exactly like being in a Cockpit of a X-WING and you get a sense that you need to Protect you're fellow Pilots and BELIVE ME THEY WILL PROTECT You...It hits the Star Wars Feel RIGHT ON THE HEAD :) and it just doesent get old...You can earn Metals , Ranks , Pilot Certifications and Items for you're Transport that you own in the game... TRUST ME IT IS WELL WORTH THE MONEY AND IF YOU ARE A SELF RESPECTING STAR WARS FAN YOU WOULD BUY THIS....and the Tie Fighters...SMART AS HECK...

dated, still fun SW fighter sim

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Besides being the latest (and likely last?) of the X-wing games, "Alliance" is also the best - bringing the series back from the hole it sat in after "X-wing v. Tie Fighter" to the epic trail blazed by the original "Tie Fighter". The real question though is whether its improvements make it worth getting to players who bought the older games.

Unlike the older X-wing games, you don't start out as a fighter pilot or even with alliance (or Imperials for "Tie Fighter" owners). Instead, you belomg to a family-run intergalactic shipping business, plying lawless tracts of space. In a time of civil war, your family tries to stay neutral, even as it's split along pro-rebel and imperial-loyalist sides (guess which side you're on.) Despite its seemingly civilian trappings, interstellar freight forwarding involves a lot of space combat - you're armed with turbo-lasers and ion-cannon, and equipped with deflectors. Though you won't face imperials immediately, combat will come quickly - forcing you to fend off the Viraxo, your family's hostile rivals. As the war progresses, the Viraxo leap to the Empire's side, forcing you to the rebellion, and trade your Corellian freighter for an X-wing fighter. Until then, the game offers a series of missions that evolve from tutorial to modest test to more intense combat. You'll likely already have the skills needed if you've played the older SW Fighter's games, but these also set up the back story. (On an interesting note, sci-fi fans may note a resemblance between the Viraxo fighters and the Angel fighters from "Captain Scarlet".) The game climaxes with the epic battle of Endor, in which you take on the 2nd Death Star from the inside (in a mission I like to refer to as "Operation watch-that-overpass!") As in older games, you fly alongside and against AI pilots, though they're more chatty than before (including a motor-mouthed droid named M-Kay who makes C3PO sound positively mute) making the dialog sound more natural than it should. (That is until you've replayed the mission a few times, and it all starts to get old.)

"Alliance" is a mixed bag of hits and misses. Ties to the original "X-Wing" of 1994 are painfully clear in terms of graphics and gameplay - this is still about flying canned missions in linear order in which you must complete by fulfilling a set of specific and not infrequently counter-intuitive goals (i.e., no matter how many Tie Fighters you swat down, ALL Lambda Shuttles MUST dock with the medical frigate; ALL Correlian cruisers must survive; you MUST inspect EVERY container; etc...). Counterintuitive mission goals guarantee that you'll fly even moderately challenging missions more than once.

Graphics and sound are up-to-date - the date unfortunately being 1999. The big news is that you can now pad-lock those enemies or mission-critical craft - which is great not only for improving your 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 essentially gave you 2-D renderings of the same flight panels we've seen since 1994). While shading and lensing effects are also added, I usually get too focused on the enemy to really 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 get hung if the mission lasted too long). The mission areas seem larger, and you now seem to have even larger numbers of enemies to fight against (clouds of fighters instead of just swarms). Also, you may now have to zoom into different areas (via hyperspace buoy) in a single mission - although I just find that increases the chances of running into bugs that make missions unwinnable. Also, failure to achieve goals in one of the mission areas means that you'll have to re-fly the entire mission set again.

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 flyboy. (Looks like somebody at "Totally Games" fired up a copy of the orginal "Tie Fighter", and was reminded why that game was so much more popular then "X-Wing".) Instead your fight is for survival against greedy competitors, soon to become a personal vendetta against the empire. Characters you meet between missions, including M-Kay and other vengeful relatives, advance the plot and keep it focused throughout successive missions. Even when you join the alliance, you'll still be asked to handle some family business. 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. Other notable improvements - besides fighters, you can also fly armed freighters in the class of the Millenium Falcon or another class of ship that looks like a souped up version of the MF. To add to the complexity, you can turn over the actual flying and man your gun turrets, or set turrets to defensive fire - while that reduces the laser fire you can devote on targets you attack while flying, it's another example of how the game challenges you by forcing you to allocate your limited in-flight resources. Other new wrinkles - as a freighter you can pick up cargo, which makes for interesting missions retrieving contraband from a combat zone. (In an early mission, you've got to snatch a container of warheads from a space station under attack by a Star Destroyer - the way the mission is structured, you can't retrieve until near the end of the mission, when the station is about to explode.)

Most PC's should run this game without problems. I played it on my P4, having few WinXP compatibility problems (sound among them). The game also supports rudder pedals - for rolling maneuvers such as those used by scores of Tie Fighters. In short, an X-Wing battle-sim that's guaranteed to please, though obviously pleasing most those who've never tried one before.

Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance - One of the Finest in its Days!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I just got X Wing Alliance a few days ago, and it's pretty old now LOL - it was made in 1999. It's 2006 now, almost 7 years later! Guess what? It's still UNBELIEVABLY fun!!! I dare say that the experience itself surpasses even some of the modern flight sims we see today. The story is excellent - You are a member of the Azzameen family; trading company, slightly sympathetic to the Rebellion, but circumstances force you to join the Alliance and the game lasts 53 missions, the final of which is the Battle of Endor. Side stories are cool! They can help fill the gap in stories, and explore new plots. The gameplay is still mesmerizing, although the graphics seem old now - actually not too bad since I have an ATI mobility Radeon 9000 on my laptop. Functions like diverting shield power, laser fire mode and missle lock seriously enhance the experience; you actually feel like you're sitting in the cockpit of an X wing or whatever craft you are flying. The missions are varied too, with a gargantuan repertoire of objectives. Everyone loves hyperspace, and Rebel Alliance gives it to you: Ever imagine what it was like when Han Solo, Luke and good ol' Obi Wan narrowly escaped the star destroyers in the Tatooine system through hyperspace? Just play X Wing Alliance.

5 out of 5, and I'm still inclined to give more!

The learning curve of the game may be quite a bit longer for those who have not played the X Wing series before, but once you get used to the controls, you're in for the joyride of your life! Excellent stuff!

Thank you LUCAS ARTS & TOTALLY GAMES!!! Your OLD GAMES STILL ROCK!!!

Don't Pay Alot for this game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I think all the previous posts have said what needs to be said. This is a great game in the series that picked up where Tie Fighter left off.

If you don't have it, try to find it on an overstock website. You'll get it for 15 bucks new there, instead of paying the outrageous 75 that some people are trying to rip you off with.

Best game for even this timeline.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: March 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

What can I say? This game is absolutly the best of the best. The older X-Wing and Tie Fighters had choppy controls I think, and the option to litteraly play the mission from the film room took away. Why would it do that? Anyways, I've turned my head towards the flight sims of Star Wars, because I have been thoroughly dissapointed by almost every Jedi game. Dark Forces II and Mysteries of the Sith were great, but Jedi Outcast really took away the challenges. The only 3 Jedi games I'm actually proud of owning are Dark Forces II, MotS and KOTOR. But Alliance still flys rings around them. Graphics don't make the game, and this is the perfect example. Yes, an older game, but the replay value is always a 5. Different stuff happens, you don't just do the same thing over again. This game offers such a challenge that even I sometimes must flee from a battle. The only real problem I saw was in the Death Star, where either you had to be your slowest or probably had to have mastery of the force in your own body just to evade the obsticles. But overall, great game, and I wouldn't trade it in for a million dollars.

Star Wars X-wing Alliance

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 5
Date: March 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game, starting after the Battle of Hoth with the Azzameen family and ending with the Battle of Endor with the Rebel Alliance.There were so many types of ships, and different missions. It has great Chapters with bonus footage. Ilove it!

The Most Excellent Star Wars Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: November 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was a fan of the first X-Wing game, and, immediately purchased this game upon its release in 1999. The inclusion of the Battle of Endor at the end was the selling point. Ever since, I have not needed another computer game! The other reviews have pretty much spoken for the game's plot and basic features, so I won't comment on those. This game, despite its age, is simply one of the best flight simulator type game out there!

If there is one way to describe this game, its detail! From the complicated story, of which you feel a part of, to the 3-D ships, to all the stuff that happens in the missions it is simply incredible! In the heat of a difficult mission, I have often lost myself in the game, only to shudder when returning to reality!

There are over 50 different family business and Rebel Alliance missions. In these you fly YT-1300 (Milinium Falcon type) freighters, Z-95s, X-wings, A-Wings, B-Wings and Y-wings. Compared with all past games, there is alot of function. You can dock with capital ships, carry containers, operate gun turrets on the freighters and fly through space stations. Space battles are replicated down to the smallest details - sunglare, blast shockwave, large debris, even ejected pilots! You have the ability to communicate with the pilots in your squadron, and there is a variety of "comm chatter" that you get from them!

I have beaten the game twice (it takes a long, long time). The final treat is that you get to fly the Milinium Falcon in the Battle of Endor (the big space battle in Return of the Jedi), complete with a VERY challenging run through the Death Star's interior! Strap on your flight helmets...

In addition to the missions, there is a "flight simulator" section where you can review past tour of duty missions as well as create your own missions! Here you can fly most of the starfighters (Rebel, Imperial, Pirate, Civilian, etc.) see elsewhere in the game. There is a third "Pilot Proving Grounds" section where you can fly Rebel starfighters through a series of mazes and obstacles while competing for the best time. In between Tours, there are some excellent cut scenes. You also earn awards in the Rebel missions and gather various "souviners" during your family missions.

This review has gotten way too long and no one is going to read it anyways, however, X-Wing Alliance is a supurb effort put out by Lucas Arts Entertainment and is well worth the purchase!

A Great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: July 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best games I have ever played. You start out with some family missons, and later get to do missons for the rebels. After each family misson you get a cool souvenir. There is also a combat simulator where you can replay missons you've already won. You can also create your own missons! The best part of the game is the end, where you get to attack the second death star while piloting th Millenium Falcon! This is a great game. You should buy it.

best pc game i've ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: July 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

this game rocks.once you get the basics it's a blast.a few bad apple missions make it a little frustrating however.the only anoining thing is you can't pick your ship.buy this!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most Underrated Game Ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Really.This is one of the best games I have ever played,but there are few who have played it.

Anyway,here's my review.

The game starts off in between The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi.You are Ace Azzameen.You are the son of a succesful family who runs a trading buisiness (that is being hassled by the vicious Viraxo). Later,your father is killed,and you become a pilot for the Republic (like pretty much every other Star Wars game). I'm not going to spoil the plot any more.

The game plays like most other combat flight simulators.You assume a first-person view inside the cockpit of a ship,and you fly around and shoot stuff.Sometimes you have missions where you have to deliver certain cargo,ect.

The graphics in this game are excellent (assuming that you have a good video card).If you have a outdated video card,the graphics can get kind of ugly.
The sound and voice acting in this game is excellent,too.LucasArts really picked the perfect actors for their roles.The sound is crisp and clear,but the music is just the same generic Star Wars music we've all heard about a million times by now.

PROS:
Great graphics
Good sound (and voice acting)
Nice controls
It's Star Wars!
Very cinematic

CONS:
You should have a good video card
Need joystick

? Why is it so underrated ?

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