X-Wing Alliance | Lucasarts
Despite X-Wing Vs TIE Fighter being one of my favorite games ever, it would have taken a lot for X-Wing Alliance to carry similar favour, mainly because I've already been introduced to the genre, and it hasn't been long since I managed to wean myself off of it. I'd love to love this game, but the truth is that X-Wing Alliance is a letdown.

The introduction sequence certainly shows promise, and definately has a cinematic flavour to it. Past the intro, we're introduced to the interface which fans of the original X-Wing will remember fondly. I personally prefer the object driven interface of the command ship to the annoying and flat console of XvT. The first few missions are pretty slow at first, but the plot really kicks in quite early on. The designers have obviously taken a step back from XvT and realised that a lot of what they left out from XvT was what made its predecessors as good as they were. This game is clearly focused at the solo player, however it has all the multiplayer bells and whistles you could expect from the sequel to XvT.

Above: Some in-game screenshots from early on in development
The graphics have been much improved, most noticeably the 3D cockpits and fully functional hangar bay in which you can reload missiles, switch craft and add countermeasures during a mission. These nice additions aside, you can't help but get the feeling that Lucasarts has taken the easy route by implementing more 3D accelerator features. While effects such as lens glare and coloured light sources from lasers, missiles and even distant suns are very welcome, it feels like Lucasarts couldn't be bothered improving existing features until they were perfect. The ships, for example. Although some of them have been much improved (the calamari cruisers, for instance) they could look a lot better. How about different numbers of polygons for differently powered PCs? that would have been great, but no.

But I'm nitpicking. If you want a rich, deeply enthralling and engaging single player story with sub-plots galore, great looking graphics and those all-important 3D cockpits, go right ahead. And that's without mentioning the Death Star and the Battle of Endor, both of which have been recreated perfectly from the film Return of the Jedi. The much talked about Death Star level, which sees you piloting the Millenium Falcon through the Death Star and ultimately destroying the reactor core, lives up to and exceeds the hype generated by Lucasarts. Had X-Wing Alliance been my first taste of the space combat genre, then it would have a score somewhere high up in the nineties. As it is, it's a great game that is only let down by the fact that it is merely an improvement on a tried and tested formula. If, however you haven't played any of its predecessors then I would advise you to buy it straight away.

Download the Demo (Requires DirectX 6 or above)

RATING: 86%