puffycloud's Full Review: Total Air War for Windows
I remember hearing about Allegiance a while back when it was in beta testing. Though it sounded interesting, something just didn't quite grab me about it. It's claim to fame was the internet-only play and it's brilliant netcode. I decided to just wait on the game until it hit the store shelves. Unfortunately, I forgot about the game for a long time.
One day I was chatting in IRC with some counter-strike halflife players and one of them mentioned how much he loved playing Allegiance. Something in my head clicked and I remembered everything I had heard before. I asked him what he thought of it and such, he said he loved it and played it much more than half-life or any other game in his collection. I'm not really a person who goes on only one other opinion. So I decided to check out some message boards. All I saw were positive messages, except for the Allegiance zone, in which you must pay a monthly fee of $10 to access.
I decided to just pay my 35 bucks and pick the game up. That was one of the best decisions I've made in a while. I popped the game in, played the tutorial, and hopped into a Free Zone game. It was about 9 p.m then and I didn't turn the game off until well into the morning the next day. I couldn't stop playing.
Now let's get into the full review here:
Pros:
The game has the most wonderful netcode I've ever seen. I can't remember the last time I've played something this smooth. Granted I have an adsl connection, but from the modem users perspective it sounded brilliant. It puts a new spin on things. Instead of the normal shoot 'em up, repeat gameplay, you get in depth positioning via the commander (a person on your team designated to control the team), upgrades for weapons courtesy of the investor (a person designated to control the teams' spendings) and many different spacecrafts all at your disposal. As the game begins, you aren't able to just fly out of your ship and blow stuff up, but you must plant probes and scout the galaxies for new upgrades. My favorite part of the game still is the ability to jump on board with a couple buddies and take control of a rotating gun turret. These things can really knock bad guys out of the sky. In order to be victorious, you must work as a team, put aside your pride and listen to orders. It will be more fun in the end.
Cons:
The learning curve is crazy in this game. Several different button combinations must be mastered as well as the lingo and objectives. Play the tutorial, without it you WILL be lost. I used the tutorial and it still took me a day or two to fully grasp what I was supposed to be doing. Also, the game is focused on realism. When you are flying around, it does take a while to get from place to place and you will get lost the first few times. You should be cautious about your armor and shield guages too, because once you are forced to eject for the first time, you will understand the pain in flying 10-20 min back to your base in a little pod with no weapons. Now, you can get a teammate to pick you up, but they have to fly all the way to you. This is another reason to travel in teams. The games support 100+ players, but that's only on the Allegiance Zone, which as stated earlier, costs $10 a month. Worry not, I've still found plenty of great games on the 32 player max Free Zone.
So if you've got a few weeks to spare, you may want to get yourself hooked on this bad boy.
Bottom line:
If you're looking for a new twist on multiplayer space simulations, pick this game up. If you're looking for fast paced action, pick this game up. If you are looking for a great player community and helpful people, pick this game up. If you want to play 10 minute games where you can run around by yourself and kill everything in sight, purchase QUAKE.
This NEW boxed Allegiance for Windows 95/98 by Microsoft from 2000 is still factory sealed.The scanned picture in this listing is the actual item you ...More at eBay
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