In this Xbox version of Star Wars: Starfighter (the so-called Special Edition), the only features you get that are different from the other version are new bonus levels and different two-player modes. This version also boasts “Optimized graphics and performance”. Well, that should just be a given on the Xbox system.
You must choose from three heroic pilots and engage in interplanetary missions to save innocent citizens from invading Federation forces. Each character has their own ship that they are experts in. I found myself choosing Rhys Dallows and his N-1 Starfighter because I was the most familiar with it.
Sweet As A SuperModel
Ok, I like looking at SuperModels and I’m sure you do to (if you’re a man or a very friendly woman). The graphics on this game are really pleasing to the eye. In the varying missions ranging from Naboo to the Droid Ship in space, you get the awesome feeling of distance from the backgrounds and the sometimes overwhelming feeling of being there where ever you are taking down enemies. Skies are believable blue, hills have depth and height to them, and space is gorgeous as the stars zoom by at crazy speeds.
HUD: Horribly Unique Display
One of the two biggest negatives of this game is the Heads Up Display. And in this case when they say Heads Up, they mean Heads Up. For me, being a novice in flight simulators/arcade games, I found all the little nuances a bit annoying. There’s a circle here, some dots here, a line that disappears and shows up in a different part of the screen, and...oh yes, by the time you realize it, your shields are gone. But I didn’t know it because I couldn’t find that part. And with three different ships, there are three different HUDs. Ugh.
The difference between a High Performance Car and a ‘57 Chevy
The second biggest negative is the control. I found them way...way to loose for me to get a handle on them. Maybe it was just my incompetence with flight games, but it was after about 2 hours of playing this game did I just gain enough skill just to compensate for rolls, over steering, and chasing. Then did I realize that I had goals to accomplish; I thought all that playing was for the learning curve!
This problem was very apparent when playing multiplayer matches. My opponent and I would spend 20 minutes trying to get 5 kills on each other and even then we would actually get 2 kills and the rest were suicides. We would roam around the map looking for each other and if we passed each other had to make wide bank turns: now since we were both doing this, it would just be a great big circle we would run in. Not much fun, eh?
Star Bores
This game promises a bit, but doesn’t deliver on the goods. I think that since it toted the Xbox name, LucasArts figured it would sell enough to recoup development costs. But with a very loose control system and a steep, steep learning curve, this game is for Hardcore (capital H) Star Wars fans. Any other fan of any other game will be easily bored.
