Microsoft Allegiance

Microsoft Allegiance is an ambitious space-combat and strategy game that combines fast dogfights with team management and tactical decision-making. Players join one of several factions and take control of spacecraft in battles where individual skill is only part of the equation. Teams also need commanders, resource management and coordinated attacks, creating an experience that feels closer to a space RTS with direct piloting than a conventional arcade shooter. The game was remarkably sophisticated for its time, especially considering its multiplayer focus. Learning everything can take a while, but once the systems click, battles become wonderfully chaotic mixtures of planning and laser fire. It is the sort of game where a brilliant strategy can last exactly until somebody shoots your reactor.