Please login to submit a screenshot

"Have space shooting reached their limits?"

Some fans, including myself, are getting quite tired seeing the same Star Wars cast being showcased in a thousand games and counting! It is quite normal to make several games based off of movies, but I think we've gotten all the Star Wars games we can take, just until the remakes start coming in, at least. Despite this, the third installment in the very successful Rogue Squadron franchise is definitely the best the series has to offer, and one that every fan of shooting games should pick up.

The story is predictable, to anyone who has watched the movies or has played previous Star Wars game. Though just like past Rogue Squadron games, new missions were added side by side with the missions based off the movie. The story wasn't really the focal point of the series, but they could have done much better. I'm sitting there, and one of the fighters reveals the Empire is up to no good. I'm all excited, anxious to play the next mission, which is something so simple that a kid with limited imagination could think up. It actually leaves you disappointed, but the gameplay is the one to make up for it.

After playing through Rogue Leader, I couldn't imagine how Factor 5 could pull anything off that would enhance the already flawless formula. Instead of enhancing it, the company had added new elements such as on-foot missions, as well as some vehicle action. The on-foot missions are nothing to celebrate about; they're so bland and repetitive that Factor 5 was better off replacing them with flight missions.

It's alright at first, but over a period of time, you'll feel like a little kid playing Street Fighter, mashing buttons in order to reach your objective. The difference between Street Fighter and the on foot missions in Rebel Strike is that, well, there's no other tactic of battling besides mashing buttons. With only two weapons - grenades and laser guns - you can picture how tedious things can get. Not all of them are bad; the Hoth mission is actually an innovation in the Star Wars series (game-wise). Instead of taking down walkers using Snowspeeders, you'll be able to destroy the monstrous AT-AT in a quirky new way. You'll be doing this by attaching yourself on to the vehicle and throwing bombs within it. The lightsaber levels are also pretty decent, but nothing spectacular. You'll be doing a lot of platforming in them, but their appeal will quickly fade off, because there are only a total of two levels.

However, the walker missions are incredibly addictive. Most of the time you'll be in control of the AT-ST, but in others you'll also be piloting AT-AT's. The controls are just so tight; it feels so awesome and comfortable just to play. The sad thing is, there isn't really that much missions that includes the walkers to hold your interest for long, but because of the medal system, you'll be compelled to replay them until you get the very best record. Even if the single player campaign lasts at least four days, retrieving all upgrades and getting all medals will take you months. After acquiring the best medal in one level, you'll be inspired to get another medal in the next. What's also pretty neat is in the Endor level, the Ewoks will be able to give you assistance under your command. Using the D-Pad, you can choose whether you want the Ewoks to attack using catapults or logs. These commands will only be triggered only when within the certain area.

For the actual airship missions, you'll be given several tasks that will ask you to destroy key points, or protect certain people. You'll be piloting a wide variety of ships, such as the famous X-Wing, Y-Wing, B-Wing, A-Wing, Airspeeder, as well as some other unlockables, such as the Naboo Starfighter, Jedi Starfighter, the Slave1, Millenium Falcon and even a TIE Hunter. From rescuing scientists from detention camps to destroying ion cannons from below, it's all pure fun. Just like in Rogue Leader, you'll have two wingmates beside you the entire time unless you tell them otherwise. You can tell them to attack certain enemies or certain buildings, or even tell them to retreat. And as mentioned before, achieving the very best medals in every level are the most satisfying parts of the game. You'll feel kind of disappointed, though, because there's not much air combat missions as well.

Not enough on foot missions, not enough walker missions, and not enough airship missions? The game doesn't have enough missions period. If the game was all concentrated on a single aspect instead of introducing other elements, then it would be acceptable, but since it's sharing with other gameplay engines, the game will feel shorter than it really is. Nonetheless, as said before, earning the highest medals is the best part of the game. Though sometimes you wish it could be longer.

If you're bored of the single player campaign, you can always flock to the co-op and multiplayer parts. Surprisingly, the co-op missions aren't the same ones as the single player, but they're actually missions from Rogue Leader! Two games at the price of one, though the co-op missions can only be played with two players, so you aren't really getting Rogue Leader for free, but nonetheless, it's worth it. It's worth it as long as your party doesn't suck so much ass. Rogue Leader was a hard game and, to ensure that adding another pilot wouldn't make it too easy, Factor 5 decided to modify it to make it even harder! The AI is a lot smarter now, and you'll encounter a lot more TIE fighters than you did in Rogue Leader. The co-op is really great, and I would buy this game for it alone.

There's also the multiplayer to consider. Some of the modes are great, while others are decent. Dogfight pits you against another human opponent in a, well, dogfight (this is when two planes battle against each other). Rampage is a lot more fun; basically, you and your opponent will cause as much destruction as possible, whether it be destroying the endless swarms of TIE Fighters, AT-ST's and AT-AT's using Airspeeders, asteroids or bases. The tag and defend is a hate or love it type of mode. Basically, bases will be scattered throughout the entire battlefield, and the person to collect the most bases wins. The last mode is a mode that compiles different mini levels, such as racing from one end to another, either using skyhoppers or speeder bikes. The other two levels are like rampage, except you're piloting either an AT-PT or AT-ST! The AT-PT is exclusive to the multiplayer section, which is a much smaller version than the AT-ST, but is also much faster and more effective against ground troops. My only gripe for the multiplayer is that it could have at least added two more human players instead of just having two.

One thing that made Rogue Leader a standout game, compared to other Gamecube launch titles, was its amazing graphics. The slick textures, vivid colors, the smooth framerate is all shared with Rebel Strike, but better. There was never a time when the game made any slow downs, besides the times when huge explosions occurred. The airships lush in extreme crisp detail, though I can't say the same for the on foot missions. The environments still look as impressive as in the air, but the character models look quite bland. The sounds are also great. While the sounds and music are both taken from the movies, they are noticeably better.

Fans of the Star Wars license should definitely pick this up, especially when considering that not only are the missions from Rogue Leader included as a co-op experience, but all three classic Star Wars arcades are as well. While the single player campaign isn't blessed with length, it is with replay value. The co-op alone is worth it, and wrap it all up with three great classic Star Wars games and you've got yourself a complete package that no fan of Star Wars, or shooting game should pass up.



Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/04/05