X-Wing Alliance
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance'' is a 1999
space simulation Astronaut training describes the complex process of preparing astronauts in regions around the world for their space missions before, during and after the flight, which includes medical tests, physical training, extra-vehicular activity (EVA) tra ...
video game, the sequel to both '' Star Wars: TIE Fighter'' and '' Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter''. ''X-Wing Alliance'' presents the story of the Azzameen family, a family of space traders. The player assumes the role of Ace Azzameen, the youngest of the Azzameen children, juggling military duty as a fighter pilot for the Rebel Alliance, and allegiance to his family, flying larger heavily armed freighters for the family business, amid a bloody family feud and in the larger context of a galactic civil war. It received favorable reviews.


Features

Apart from the usual badges and medals for winning missions – a feature shared by the other games of the X-Wing computer game series – progress is also indicated by the number of souvenirs collected in Ace's room. There is also a "mail" delivery between missions that helps to evolve Ace's background story while also providing a deeper look into his personal relationships and his family's whereabouts. ''XWA'' is the first game of the series to offer a full voiceover soundtrack and full in-flight dialogue. Flight control is marginally updated from the previous games of the series, allowing the player to link different energy weapons to fire together, as well as the addition of rudder support. Graphics are also overhauled in this game; high resolution textures, more complex models, and full three dimensional cockpits were added. However, the cockpits are not faithful to the other games; indicators and screens are separated from the cockpit, depicted as floating windows as part of the in-flight
heads-up display A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD () or head-up guidance system (HGS), is any see-through display, transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of t ...
. The player also has three "mission skips" that allow them to proceed through the linear storyline without having to complete a particular mission. "Family missions," however, cannot be skipped. The ability to fly multi-crew craft like the ''
Millennium Falcon The ''Millennium Falcon'' is a fictional starship in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Designed by Joe Johnston for the film ''Star Wars'' (1977), it has subsequently appeared in '' The Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), ''The Empire Strikes Back' ...
'' was a major new feature because the player could freely choose to be the pilot or operate one of the turrets. The AI would take over any position not controlled by the player, but could be given orders by the player. ''X-Wing Alliance'' also introduced multi-part missions that involved making hyperjumps from one region to the next; in previous games, any hyperjumps the player experienced were either to start or end the mission. Additionally, players could now enter a starship's hangar bay to rearm and/or receive repairs before rejoining the fight. They could even witness the battle continuing to unfold outside the hangar. Finally, ''X-Wing Alliance'' added a much-desired custom mission builder feature. This allowed players to quickly set up a variety of battle scenarios involving almost every vessel in the game, including dozens of fighters and combat transports that had been fought against in the single-player game and were now flyable in this mode. this included various fighters and also larger spacecraft.


Story

The game's prologue (and tutorial) concerns Ace's "family missions" in which his elder family members and Emkay instruct him in the flying of Corellian transports so that he can begin working for the family. These missions reveal that the Azzameen family are in heated competition with the Viraxo and are generally sympathetic to the
Rebel Alliance The Rebel Alliance (known formally Universe of Star Wars, in-universe as the Alliance to Restore the Republic) is an organization that features in the fictional world of the Star Wars, ''Star Wars'' franchise. The Alliance is portrayed as a state ...
. Due to their sympathies, the patriarch of the family, Tomaas Azzameen, smuggles bacta for the Alliance in the aftermath of the
Battle of Hoth ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story b ...
. This causes them to pay dearly as the
Galactic Empire Galactic empires are a science fiction setting trope, in which most or all of the habitable planets in the setting's galaxy are ruled by a single centralized political entity. Galactic empires most frequently appear in works in the sub-genre ...
raids their home station for running bacta to an Alliance outpost. Tomaas and Ace's older brother are killed and the family subsequently seeks asylum with a Rebel task force. As a Rebel pilot, Ace participates in a variety of missions for the Rebellion while also helping his family fight the Viraxo. During his tour with the Rebel Alliance, he proves himself to be a significant pilot as he participates in missions that uncover new Imperial projects, such as experimental
TIE fighter The TIE fighter or Twin Ion Engine fighter is a series of fictional Starfighter (science fiction), starfighters featured in the ''Star Wars'' Universe of Star Wars, universe. TIE fighters are depicted as fast, agile, yet fragile starfighters p ...
s and the second
Death Star The Death Star is a fictional space station and superweapon featured in the ''Star Wars'' space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire, the Death Star is capable of obliterating entire planets, and serves to enforce ...
. Some events connect the game to the movies ''
The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
'' and ''
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...
'', such as sequences that track the Rebellion's situation after the Battle of Hoth, as well as the theft of the shuttle ''Tydirium''. The game also concludes with the climactic
Battle of Endor ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American Epic film, epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to ''The ...
. Several events connect to the '' Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire'' story, such as a mission to assist
Dash Rendar ''Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire'' is a 1996 multimedia project created by Lucasfilm. The idea was to create a story set between the films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'', and to explore all commercial possibilities of a ...
in the capture of the Imperial freighter ''Suprosa'', which carries the plans to the second Death Star.


Release

''Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance'' was released in 1999, and it was released on
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
and
GOG.com GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt, based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through i ...
in 2015 along with other games in the series.


Reception

The game received favorable reviews according to the
review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...
. Tal Blevins of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' praised the ability to hyperjump from area to area and the space battles for being much larger than the game's predecessors, with up to 96 ships in space. He also praised the game's graphics and called the game "the best-looking ''Star Wars'' title from Totally Games", but criticized its software mode when 3D hardware mode is set off. Blevins felt that the game's improved details added cinematic elements that make players feel as if they are Rebels fighting in a never-to-be-released movie. The game's sales reached 143,371 copies in the U.S. during 1999. The game was a finalist for the
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...
' " Computer Simulation Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to '' Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000''. It was also nominated for '' CNET Gamecenter''s "Best Sci-Fi Simulation" award and for '' PC PowerPlay''s "Best Fantasy Sim" award, but lost both to ''
MechWarrior 3 ''MechWarrior 3'' is a vehicle simulation game, part of the ''MechWarrior'' series. It featured a new 3D accelerated graphics engine at the time of its release. The game contains over 20 missions, with access to 18 different Battlemech, mechs. A ...
''. Likewise, the game was nominated for ''
Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...
''s 1999 "Science Fiction Simulator of the Year" award, which went to '' Freespace 2''.


References


External links

* {{Star Wars games 1999 video games LucasArts games Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games with co-operative vehicle control Space combat simulators Space multiplayer online games Star Wars: X-Wing (video game series) Totally Games games Video games developed in the United States Windows games Windows-only games