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Best Game No One Played

Allegiance
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Microsoft
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"Although the game features all of the excitement of a first-rate space combat sim, thanks to its great graphics and its variety of spacecraft, what really sets the game apart is how it meshes real-time strategy elements and various support roles together with the dogfighting to create an original experience." -Greg Kasavin, GameSpot Review

Allegiance was one of the most promising space combat simulations released this year. It combines multiplayer space combat with complex real-time strategy elements. It focuses on cooperative tactical team play, and although it has a fairly steep learning curve, once the pilot has mastered the controls and learned the ropes, Allegiance promises the most complete simulation of tactical space combat of any game yet released. More than any other impressive game this year, poor sales affected the experience of the game, since the game mechanics are so heavily tied into cooperative multiplayer tactics. According to PC Data sales figures, Allegiance has sold less than 29,000 copies since its release in March - a trifle compared to best-selling games, a rare commercial failure for software giant Microsoft, and an almost insurmountable problem for an online-only multiplayer game.

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What makes the game's dismal sales so disappointing is that Allegiance has the potential to revolutionize the typical space sim experience for space sim fans everywhere. However, Allegiance has captured the hearts of only a small group of very dedicated sim fans, and interest slowly dwindled after the game's initial release back in April. Allegiance requires more effort to learn and master than most other games, and as a result, the players who stick with it are the cream of the crop. This high-quality online community really cares about the game but needs far more members to make Allegiance a viable online game. The lack of numbers has shown up in the game itself: When logging on, players find that only a few games are active, and for an online-only multiplayer game, that spells trouble.

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Whether it was the game's lack of a story-driven single-player experience, the difficult learning curve, or some flaw in the game's marketing, we may never know, but it is clear that if the game had sold as Microsoft had hoped it would, it could have taken space combat simulation to a new level. Its integration of complex strategic and tactical elements with a 3D engine, which is at least as good as that of most other available space sims, should have made the game succeed. You can assume the role of commander, resource manager, or pilot of any one of a variety of detailed ships, from fighters to capital ships. Although some of the visual effects are less than breathtaking, the game engine supports several ships in combat at once on the same screen with smooth, fast frame rates and no lag. In addition, the game features strategic elements with as much depth as most pure real-time strategy games available.

There's no obvious reason for the game's poor sales. Allegiance was developed, published, and promoted by Microsoft, a behemoth in the software industry. It received great reviews across the board from both players and the game media. Allegiance has crisp graphics and sound, a good 3D engine, and innovative game mechanics that fuse real-time strategy with fast-paced space combat. Its dedicated and experienced online community is a testament to the game's great potential, and if there is any justice in the gaming heavens, Allegiance's popularity will someday grow to the proportions it deserves.

Genre Awards of 2000 »