Darkstar One: Broken Alliance Reviews
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GameSpot gives it a 7.0/10:
You could add a few other nitpicks to the list of DarkStar One: Broken Alliance's minor problems. The inability to drop a side mission in progress can be a real pain if you select one that takes you to a location you haven't yet unlocked, for example. Sometimes, selecting a neutral object on your target list will not select it on your screen, while another bug may keep you from collecting all 100 available artifacts. Yet with all its foibles, this space combat sim is a lighthearted and enjoyable adventure that could last you upward of 30 hours, depending on how quickly you decide to blow through the story. If you've been looking to light up the heavens with lasers and missiles, there's no reason you shouldn't forgive DarkStar One's flaws and take to the intergalactic trade lanes.
GamesRadar gives it a 7/10:
As it is, Darkstar One ultimately feels disappointingly limited, when it should be an epic voyage of discovery and adventure. But developers should take note: space sims do work on consoles. so let's have some more.
WorthPlaying gives it a 7.0/10:
There are certain elements of DarkStar One: Broken Alliance that have not withstood the test of time. The voices seem much more amateurish than before, and the cut scenes follow suit due to the exaggerated character animations. However, the gameplay is timeless and the title's depth provides a good amount of gameplay for your money. Even if it weren't the only game of its type on the console, it would be easy to recommend Broken Alliance as a purchase for anyone looking for a spaceship shooter with some depth. It's not the best surprise game of the summer, but it is an enjoyable one.
GameShark gives it a "B-":
And now here is that same basic gameplay, working just fine on a console system. It can be tough getting used to the short throw of the analog stick if you're a joystick guy. There's a fair bit of futzing around with the d-pad and radial menus, which are a minor hassle in the heat of battle. And good lord, it's a pain in the afterburner managing the map, whether it's comparing supplies to demands, finding the nearest pirate gang, or just figuring out the goofy name of whatever system where you're parked. Otherwise, this adaptation to the gamepad works about as well as can be expected, considering there's nothing to sap the feeling of being in a spaceship cockpit quite so thoroughly as clutching a gamepad. But Darkstar One on the Xbox 360 isn't the way to relive the golden era of joysticks and keyboards. Those days are gone and you're on the couch now, taking what you can get. Be glad it's as good a game as Darkstar One.
Gaming Nexus gives it a "B":
If you're an old fan of the genre like me, DarkStar One will fit you like a well-worn flightsuit. Conversely, if you're looking to get into space sims this game's somewhat streamlined gameplay is a good starting place. It's an artifact of an older age in more ways than one, but I'm hoping it sparks new interest in space sims, serving as a blueprint and inspiration for a new, more ambitious generation of games.
GamingTrend gives it a 74/100:
When you look at the list I mentioned at the top of this review you'll note that all of those titles are a few years old, and all of them are PC titles. The fact is simple consoles have gotten the short end of the stick, producing poorly done ports or being skipped entirely. DarkStar One is a fairly big (and dangerous) world; while it isn't always the prettiest game nor does it host a wide variety of missions like other contemporary sandbox titles, the important thing to know is this: for a 4 year old port it still manages to bring something new to the table that is fun and the combat works, and in the end isn't that exactly what we want out of our games? Now we just need to get other companies to bring, or develop, more space sims to the console market remember that DarkStar One helped pave the way.
And Strategy Informer gives it a 6.5/10:
So it's easy to end up yearning for more. None of the single pieces of Darkstar are particularly shoddy (voicework aside), but mixed together they form an experience that's largely devoid of anything memorable, but also one that remains hypnotically sedate until eventual boredom sets in. There is a subset of people reading this that will absolutely fall in love with the low-budget production and simplistic exploration here, but for everybody else, it will likely remain a curiosity rather than a necessity, even after extended play. Regardless however, it sits alone as king of the console space exploration genre for now.
