STAR WARS™ - X-Wing Alliance™
- April 28, 2015
- Totally Games
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"STAR WARS™ - X-Wing Alliance™" is a space combat simulation game where players assume the role of a neutral family fighting for its business against the Empire. The game features 50 single-player missions, including taking control of the Millennium Falcon and joining the Rebel Alliance in the Battle of Endor. Players can pilot various Star Wars vessels such as X-wings, A-wings, B-wings, Y-wings, and Corellian transports.
Reviews
- The game offers a highly customizable combat simulator, allowing players to create their own scenarios and challenges.
- Despite its age, the game features a compelling storyline with 53 missions and a variety of iconic Star Wars ships to pilot.
- The XWAUpgrade Project mod significantly enhances the graphics and overall experience, making it feel more modern and enjoyable.
- The game suffers from bugs and crashes, particularly on modern systems, which can disrupt gameplay.
- Many missions have frustrating difficulty spikes and require specific actions to succeed, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- The lack of joystick support and poor keyboard controls can make the game difficult to play for those without the proper equipment.
- story149 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in "X-Wing Alliance" is praised for its engaging narrative that follows Ace Azzameen, a young pilot caught in the galactic conflict, offering a rich backdrop to the gameplay with 53 missions that blend personal and larger-scale battles. While the storyline is compelling and well-acted, some players find the mission design frustrating due to difficulty spikes and the need for precise execution, which can lead to repetitive gameplay. Overall, the game is celebrated for its immersive storytelling and connection to the Star Wars universe, despite some technical issues and mission bugs.
“The storyline is surprisingly good and connects to the original Star Wars trilogy very well.”
“There's more of a story this time, as you play as Ace Azzameen, whose family-owned cargo business wants to stay out of the galactic civil war, but you are eventually dragged into the alliance side after the Imperials seize your home.”
“The missions are lots of fun, and the story is engrossing.”
“The latest Star Wars space shooter has a shallow, weak story and is short.”
“For this single reason, I cannot recommend the game - the single player story is a frustrating mess.”
“The family story arc unfortunately ends on a massive cliffhanger right before the battle of the second Death Star.”
- graphics56 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated, reflecting its 1999 release, but many players recommend using mods like the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade Project to enhance the visuals to modern standards. While the original graphics may not impress by today's benchmarks, the gameplay and immersive experience are often praised, making the game still enjoyable. Overall, the combination of nostalgia and modding options allows the game to maintain a certain charm despite its graphical limitations.
“Quite possibly the greatest space simulator of all time, and the mods and graphical updates allow it to look great even in 2023.”
“With its stunning revisions, graphics, and battles, the game is perfect!”
“The graphics were state of the art when it came out, and still looks pretty good.”
“The graphics are antiquated, but due to the nature of the game, you typically won't even notice awkward textures at close range to other ships and static objects.”
“Graphically, the game is dated.”
“One negative I suppose is the graphics sure have not aged well.”
- music25 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its authentic adaptation of John Williams' iconic Star Wars soundtrack, enhancing the immersive experience and aligning well with mission contexts. However, players have reported frequent audio glitches, including music skipping, looping, and complete cutouts, particularly on modern systems, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, the soundtrack remains a highlight, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere.
“Awesome music and atmosphere.”
“Features the authentic music from John Williams, perfectly adapted from the films (episodes IV - VI obviously) to fit in with the action.”
“The music is fantastic, it is the real 'Star Wars feeling'!”
“Also, the music has glitched out about that many times, repeating the same couple notes that were playing when it glitched.”
“It's just simple things like the music either cuts out completely or gets stuck on a one second loop.”
“On Windows 10, the music would frequently start skipping between missions and I had to exit and restart the game.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay across the reviewed titles is characterized by a blend of engaging storylines and accessible mechanics, particularly appealing to newcomers to flight simulators. While "X-Wing Alliance" is praised for its immersive experience and robust multiplayer features, "Squadrons" offers simplified mechanics and modern graphics, making it approachable yet less complex. Overall, both games provide enjoyable gameplay, with "X-Wing Alliance" standing out for its depth and nostalgic value, despite its age.
“Not a long play, but super fun original story with compelling gameplay dynamics.”
“Despite slightly dated graphics, X-Wing Alliance holds up to modern game standards, with some of the most immersive gameplay seen in space sims.”
“This game was well ahead of its time, with support for recording gameplay, a robust multiplayer and mission building system, and a well-written, long-form campaign that culminates in one of the most unforgettable battles ever experienced.”
“The gameplay simply lacks the mechanics and enhancements that 'X-Wing Alliance' has, and might be disappointing if you play this game first.”
“It's criminal that there hasn't been a new version of this game, with the same mechanics and energy management.”
“If you have to buy one or the other, 'Squadrons' has better graphics, aesthetic customization, and quick 5v5 ranked gameplay if you want to seek to top scoreboards.”
- stability16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and freezes, particularly when played on modern systems like Windows 10 or 11. While some players manage to improve performance through compatibility settings, many still encounter frustrating issues such as AI glitches, mission-breaking bugs, and audio problems, which detract from the overall experience. Despite its nostalgic value, the game's technical shortcomings make it challenging to enjoy fully.
“The game runs great natively with an Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller.”
“I play on Windows 10 and the game runs great (after some headaches) with compatibility mode enabled and set to Windows XP.”
“Sadly, I think it's too old of a game to be played on newer gaming systems. As such, it's a buggy mess that constantly crashes when playing.”
“I'm not leaving a negative review of this game because it's a bad game, but if you're trying to run this on modern systems running on Windows 10 or 11, you will face bugs like a lot of random freezes where you'll have to use the task manager to end the task and strange music audio bugs.”
“As I said, this negative review is not because this is a terrible game. I think it's a great Star Wars space flight sim for the time this game came out, but mostly just a heads up that this game is really hard to enjoy when you have freezes and crashes and all sorts of bugs.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with users noting issues on newer operating systems like Windows 10 and a lack of support for multi-core processors. While performance is generally smooth on older systems, some players experience significant performance problems and low resolutions on modern hardware. Overall, the graphics hold up well, but the game's optimization for contemporary setups leaves much to be desired.
“The only performance issue I encountered (running Windows 7) is a music bug, which is 'fixed' by muting the music.”
“The graphics are quite acceptable; it has aged well if you aren't a stickler for HD and such, and the performance is smooth.”
“The only complaint I have is the lack of optimization for newer OS like Windows 10 and components like multi-cores and so on.”
“In 2016, games are sold on Steam that only run at 800 x 600 (even though the original release supported 1600 x 1200) and with horrible performance issues on modern machines (i7 4790 and GTX 970 here).”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its challenging and rewarding experience, enhanced by an impressive soundtrack that effectively captures the essence of the Star Wars universe.
“Challenging, atmospheric, rewarding.”
“Awesome music and atmosphere.”
“It perfectly captures the atmosphere of Star Wars.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is overshadowed by a reluctance to engage in its multiplayer features, suggesting that players may find the single-player experience more impactful or meaningful.
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the engaging story of a family navigating neutrality, complemented by the comedic presence of Emkay, the droid, who adds a delightful and enjoyable dynamic to the experience.
“The humor in this game is top-notch, especially with the character Emkay the droid, who adds a delightful touch to the story.”
“The witty dialogue and clever jokes throughout the game kept me laughing and engaged.”
“I loved how the game balanced its serious themes with lighthearted moments that made me chuckle.”
