Not another Star Wars game!
I'll be the first to admit, that the SW franchise has had its share of good and bad throughout the years. The good being Tie Fighter on the PC and the horrible being SW: Demolition on the Dreamcast. The market has been plagued and flooded with mediocre titles like Pod Racer for previous systems (PC, DC and PS2) and Rogue Squadron for the Nintendo 64.
The original of the series released on the N64 was a respectable game with great control, average graphics and gameplay that deserved game time. The sequel Rogue Leader not only surpasses all aspects of the original, but also meets the dogma of the toughest critiques... myself included.
The Trilogy wrapped up in one nice shiny box.
The omniscient masterminds (tongue-in-cheek) at Lucas Arts teamed up with Factor 5 to harness the power of the GameCube while not losing the appeal of the Star Wars based fans. The task seems quite easy, but if you look at 20 years of "trying" few have successfully accomplished this feat.
Gameplay is mission based, but combines the historics of the movie with a few added touches making the storylines seemingly flow from start to finish. You control the young Jedi, Luke Skywalker; or his sidekick pilot, Wedge Antilles. Rogue squadron is a group of aircraft assigned to critical missions and is the best of the best. Similar to the Green Berets of the Army.
The controls take full advantage of the GC's controller. "Big Green" is used to fire your primary weapon, but using it effectively is a key to victory. Holding the button ("A") in shoots a continual stream of lasers from your X-Wing although slightly a weaker attack. If you tap the "A" button, it will produce slower shots but much more powerful. To produce a "linked attack" requires timing and patience. This attack links all four cannons together to make a "mega shot" which can easily destroy most Ties’ with one blow.
All craft have a secondary weapon, which is either a proton torpedo or ion cannon. This can be done by using the smaller "B" button ("Little Red"). Since you are limited to this secondary weapon, use these sparingly. Controlling your high-tech craft is maneuvered with your left analog stick. Using a combination of your left shoulder button in conjunction with the analog stick will bank your craft making it easier to make a tight turn. The right shoulder button gives your craft a boost of speed. The X-Folds (wings) are brought together to make two wings, and leaves your ship without the use of a primary weapon. Using this in a dogfight leaves you wide open for attack, so use it wisely.
The tiny "Z" trigger combined with a turn makes your ship barrel roll like Top Gun. While its uses are quite limited, it is more of a "feel good" move more than anything. The quirky left D-Pad (digital pad) gives your squadron orders. For example: pressing up would tell your wingmen to stay in formation and cover you. Or, pressing the d-pad right would order your teammates to attack incoming Tie Fighters. Though it might sound cheesy, and ineffective; it is quite helpful and even fun. It's always nice to know someone has your back...
Fire it up! Fire it up!
The game should appeal to wide variety of player types. Sure Star Wars fanatics will get the most out of the game; experienced gamers will easily come to love the challenge and fun from Rogue Squadron. To get things started, there is a very nice tutorial that will show you the ropes of the gameplay. Probably the best tutorial to date, it takes place on Tatooine and is worth going through the motions. Taking the time to get acquainted with the physics and options are very helpful in the success of future mission.
I expected the game to have sickening sweet graphics and candy-coated gameplay. I went in with pretense that this game would be made to cater to the younger crowd and be shallow and easily won. I was shocked when I kept dying in the first level. The "Death Star run" wasn't so much difficult but frustrating. Each level is composed of set objectives and pre-based patterns. SW:RSII goes much further into producing an in-depth meaty game.
The game can appeal to younger players, and they might even succeed through many of the levels. But, what adds to the intricacy of the game is the "medal system". In order to receive medals you have to meet certain criteria. Hit percentage, enemy fatalities and ally loss all play in combination to either reward you with a medal or simply nothing. This is very similar to the Tie Fighter series; which gave it such an appeal to players like myself. Acquiring these medals is not as easy as I thought, and at times it is all I can do to just finish the level meeting the objectives.
To summarize up my feelings; the game plays wonderfully and complex. The difficulty ranges from cakewalk to tooth and nails. Even though the game has it's difficult moments, it can still be beaten in less than 10 hours. My first time around took me about 6 1/2 hours to complete from start to finish. I think out of the 10+ missions; I might have had one medal though. Receiving medals is as much, or more, rewarding than actually finishing the mission.
Bow before the visual Mecca.
To write about the visuals in SW:RSII would be like me trying to recreate a Picasso. The graphics are nothing less than stellar, and performance issues are nearly unnoticeable in the given ambush of flashing projectiles. A near carbon copy of the movies, most of the time the game actually puts the movie itself to shame.
The character models and ships are nothing less than eye-popping. Backgrounds and level designs is nothing short of a miracle. Not only do the ships (playable and otherwise) look better than real-life but also the effects are mind blowing. The fog and lighting effects will slap you in the face and scream NEXT GENERATION
Unless you actually play Rogue Squadron you truly can't appreciate the visual superiority it produces. I downloaded dozens of QuickTime videos and countless screen shots; but nothing shook me more until I saw it in all of its glory on my own TV.
SW:RSII is a multimedia cornucopia. The audio track is nearly as stunning when compared to the graphics. The soundtrack is classic Star Wars staple; but remixed and remastered brilliantly. The sound effects come straight from the Trilogy, and I still get warm-fuzzies when I hear a Tie Fighter scream by me.
What makes the BGM (background music) superior to most is the progressive changing audio model. To give you a "movie sense" feel, the music intensifies or retracts as the game continues. An intense dogfight with a dozen ties will significantly increase the tempo and pull you to the edge of your seat. On the other hand, floating in space patrolling a carrier will easy your tension and produce a slower paced soundtrack putting you at ease. The effect is done perfectly, and really makes you feel a part of the game.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II has all of the elements of making it a successful flagship release. Overlooked by many, this title should not be missed by anyone owing a GameCube. This is one of the few titles that save this system from mediocrity. As great as the game is, it isn't without flaws. A few other levels could have easily propelled this to Game of the Year status. If there was a way to incorporate a multiplayer aspect to the game, it could also have helped the longevity of the title. With few minor physics issues (awkward turning at times, and leveling problems), this is still a solid title from box cover to the zeros and ones.
