DarkStar One: Broken Alliance for Xbox 360 Reviews & Ratings by IGN

DarkStar One was an entertaining, if largely repetitive, PC game that released in 2006. Fast forward four years to 2010 and the game is finally making its way to the 360, with touted "Full HD" graphics and a fancy new name of DarkStar One: Broken Alliance. Sadly though the new visual aesthetics and name change can't bring this game up to speed, and what's left somehow manages to be periodically fun despite its clichéd and artificially extended campaign.



Broken Alliance tells the story of a young pilot named Kayron, who's inherited a very special ship called the DarkStar One from his late father. The DarkStar has the unique ability to incorporate ancient artifacts from space, using them to dramatically modify the functionality and look of the ship. Using the DarkStar one in his journeys, Kayron sets out to find the man he believes killed his father, ultimately finding out the truth through a series of missions that culminate in an ending that feels straight out of Star Wars.



The uninspired story isn't all that problematic in DarkStar One – all games essentially tell the same few stories over and over – but it's the "how you get there" part that brings the game down. Whether you're doing story missions or simply grinding side missions for cash to upgrade your ship, the entirety of DarkStar One boils down to very few activities. You pretty much spend the entirety of the game shooting down other ships, transporting some goods from one area to another, or simply flying to far off places in order to meet up with someone. The result is a feeling of grinding, where you're doing a bunch of quests not because you really want to, but simply because you're trying to make your ship powerful enough to survive subsequent areas where you'll be doing similar activities to what you've already been doing for hours.



Thankfully combat, which you'll spend the vast majority of your mission time being in, is actually pretty fun. The dual stick controls on the 360 work great, and the aim assist the game includes (which shows you where you need to shoot in order to lead the target) makes the combat flow well. Generally the larger battles will test you appropriately, imbuing the player with a sense of satisfaction as they single handedly manage to take out a small fleet of enemies.



Shooting is only one part of what makes combat so satisfying, though. The player's ship is very customizable, allowing the player to both slot in specific parts and also to level up the ship via the artifacts the player finds. Leveling up the ship unlocks new slots for weapons, gives the ship additional health, and allows the player to equip higher level items that give the DarkStar One more oomph. More importantly, leveling up the DarkStar One also allows the player to unlock special powers for the ship, giving them access to things like temporary invulnerability, fast-charging shields, or even EMPs that can disable enemies. All of this customization makes combat more enjoyable because it helps the player feel like they're playing an active part in their ship's success or failure in battle, allowing them to make important decisions that help make their ship fit their play style. Nothing in DarkStar One feels quite as awesome as just barely surviving overwhelming odds and knowing it was because you've made your ship into the best killing machine it can be.



If DarkStar One were an eight hour game I think the combat and RPG-like ship customization and leveling could have really shined. Unfortunately the game is something more like 20 or more hours, and full of large segments that turn "being an awesome space adventurer on an epic quest" into "a working stiff who's grinding repetitive missions for cash." Seriously, if you play the first few hours of DarkStar One you've basically experienced the entirety of the game's content. Further play will only change the skin of the star clusters you're exploring, and eventually you'll realize that the designers of the game had some great ideas for a six hour space combat RPG that they forced into a needlessly long experience.



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