Overall Score
9 / 10
In February 1996, Star Wars : Special Edition was released in movie
theaters. My father, a long-time-though-not-so-avid fan of Star Wars, tried to
persuade me to see it. At that point I had seen a Star Trek film and hated it,
and made no differentiation between any of those sci-fi, outer space movies.
However, after a WHOLE bunch of nagging from friends and family, I grudgingly
went to go see it. I loved it. I mean, I LOVED it. I saw it four more times, and
it didn't take me long after seeing Return of the Jedi to decide that these
movies were my favorite of all time. The original three still are. When I heard
Rogue Squadron 2, based completely on movie events, was going to be a launch
title for the much-awaited GameCube, I jumped on it like a jawa on a wandering
droid.
Good? Yes. Great? Yes. Meeting my wildest dreams? No. (Impossible, but
still no.) Rogue Squadron is a fairly short game, depending on how good you are
and how many secrets you go after. If you're a decent player, a straight run
through the game won't take you any more than three hours, but most won't be
able to do that. There's nothing here but combat in the air...or...lack of
air...but it still manages to convey the same feelings the movie evoked in me.
The game shows great attention to detail when trying to accurately depict ships
and places from the movies, but there ARE mistakes...the third shield generator
they tell you to go after is not ACTUALLY a shield generator on a Star
Destroyer, and X-Wing S-foils are...okay, I'll shut up. This TOTALLY doesn't
matter.
Screw X-box. I mean, SCREW IT. I still have yet to see ANYTHING on X-box,
even after almost a year of it's release, that can equal this first-generation
GameCube game graphically. Though much of the game takes place in airless,
featureless space, there's still a lot to see. This game breaks out every
graphic effect known to man, volumetric fog, real-time lighting, arse-loads of
ships on the screen at a time (I'm talking upwards of a hundred TIEs, the basic
enemy ship), huge polygon counts, everything. The Battle of Endor can get
especially insane. You'll sit there in awe while hundreds of turbolaser bolts
transform your A-Wing into a massive inferno, not caring in the least. And
despite all this, the game STILL manages to stay at an almost-stable 60 FPS.
Amazing.
Normally I write a sentence or two about sound, and that's more than
enough. Not so with this game. Rogue Squadron 2 was the first game in history to
be compatible with Dolby Pro Logic 2 systems, with five-channel surround sound.
Now, back when I first got this game, I played it on my little 24 inch TV with
built-in speakers. The sound was still great, but nothing to write home about.
Recently, however, I've gained a rather impressive sound system for my video
gaming experience, and now I know what they're talking about. Actually knowing
where a TIE is because it's whizzing sound is moving behind you from left to
right is amazing. Music is great, directly ripped from John William's classic
Star Wars score, and sound effects are made up of 100% true-to-movie goodness.
Quality is unmatched. Though it may seem like it doesn't matter, this game
REALLY deserves to be played with a decent system. Get one.
I mentioned before that there were many hidden and unlockable features in
Rogue Squadron 2, and I wasn't exaggerating. Most are unlocked with "Medal
Points", gained by receiving a bronze, silver, or gold medal on a stage. These
are obtained by meeting six requirements in a single run, and let me tell you,
Golds are freaking IMPOSSIBLE. I only have two, and I'm REALLY good at this
game. There are about 6 playable ships in the normal game, ranging from the
famous X-Wing fighter to the Y-Wing bomber, the Speeder on Hoth (Ripped off
AGAIN from both Star Wars : Shadows of the Empire and Rogue Squadron 1), and
even the Cloud Car from Bespin. There are maybe another 6 to 8 unlockable
vehicles, ranging from Slave I (Boba Fett's ship from the movies) to a 1978
Buick. (I don't know. Don't ask me.) Each main stage has a special upgrade for
your ships (10 in total) which is almost essential for getting better medals.
Codes are STILL being released for it, as far as I know. There are five hidden
stages as well. Get all golds and you'll unlock Ace Mode, an unbelievably
difficult version of the game. Other features like a commentary, LONG videos of
the game development/features, and lots of tidbits for Star Wars fans make this
little minidisc feel like a DVD jam-packed with extras. There's a LOT to do, and
chances are, you'll never get it all.
Though the game shines in a WHOLE bunch of areas, Rogue Squadron is still
lacking. There are a few bugs, voice-acting is poor, the difficulty is WAY too
high, and the main game is just a bit too short. These minor problems don't
detract from an incredible game you'll pick up again and again, just to see a
Star Destroyer blow up. Even for non-Star Wars fans (What the hell is wrong with
you three?), the game deserves a rental at least. For the devoted, it's a must.
Despite the lack of lightsabers, this is the best Star Wars game yet, folks.
Pick up this game, or you might find a Sith Lord at your house one night.