12th February 2003, 11:08 AM
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader Review
By Derek Miller
Since the first teaser trailer was shown at Space World 2000, Rogue Squadron 2 has been the most wanted game for Nintendo GameCube. Back at Space World no one even knew if it was a real game. Many thought that it was just a GameCube technical demo. Even Factor 5 wasn't sure they were going to make the game. However, when they realized how easy it was to develop on GameCube, and LucasArts gave them the go-ahead, Factor 5 began to work furiously to produce Rogue Leader so that it would be ready for launch. The ease of GameCube development helped Factor 5 immensely and it is doubtful they would have been able to reach their goal had GameCube development been as difficult as that of the Nintendo 64. When Factor 5 was finished they had one of the greatest looking games on any console, and arguably the best Star Wars game ever.
Gameplay
If you played the original Rogue Squadron, or many other Star Wars flying games such as Starfighter for Playstation 2, then you know the type of gameplay that Rogue Leader consists of. The controls, however, have been nearly perfected to perform with the GameCube controller. The main analog stick controls the direction of your ship, the d-pad gives orders to your wingmen, and the c-stick moves the camera around your ship. The three directional controls all work perfectly to control your ship in the game. The R-trigger speeds up your ship and if you push past the "click-point" your X-Wing will close it's s-foils. The L-trigger is the air-brake, the A button is the laser fire, and the B button your secondary weapon. There are some really cool secondary weapons in the game but I'm not going to spoil any of them here. You'll just have to find them in the game. There is an upgrade hidden in every normal level and the majority are weapons upgrades. The X button switches to the awe! some cockpit view. Absent in Factor 5's Battle for Naboo, the cockpit view is back, and better than ever. Every ship cockpit from the X-Wing to the TIE Fighter has been meticulously detailed to make them as close to the movie ships as possible. In the documentary hidden in the game they show a comparison of the trench run in the movie to that of the game. The cockpit in the game is so close to that of the movie it's unbelievable. The Y button brings up the targeting computer which highlights important targets in yellow and other enemies in purple. With these controls you will find it easy to fly around and the radar will ensure that you rarely get lost. The gameplay is pretty much the same as previous Star Wars flying games but this is the first game to try to recreate the trilogy. If you are a Star Wars fan you will love this game. I'm not really a Star Wars fan, but I liked the original trilogy, and that's all you need to be able to enjoy this game.
Graphics
Goodness do I really need to tell you how fantastic this game looks? Just look at a few movies online or the demo in a local store and you should be pretty convinced that it's a great looking game. However, you can't judge the game's graphics until you actually play it. Some, actually most of the levels in Rogue Leader, look simply incredible, and those that recreate battles from the movie look like they were taken off the film. The Battle of Hoth actually looks much better than the movie battle, which is explained in the audio commentary of the level. Volumetric fog is used in a few of the levels, but it is no more prominent than in the Imperial Academy Heist level. As you speed along the ground at night in your speeder, you are enveloped in the fog. If you get too deep in the thick fog it even becomes difficult to see. All you will be able to see is the blinking lights of the radar stations. It is incredibly realistic and shows off the power of the GameCube. This same leve! l can be played during the day or at night, depending on what time your GameCube's internal clock is set to. This is also the case with the training level on the planet of Tatooine, except Tatooine has four different time periods: morning, day, afternoon, and night. This feature was only used in two levels but it's pretty darn cool. Hopefully more developers will make use of the GameCube's internal clock in the future. The Battle of Endor level is another great one and features over 100 TIEs. Yes you heard me right. There are over 100 TIEs attacking you in one huge dogfight. What can top that? Well how about having to attack two Star Destroyers loaded with working guns? The games graphics are simply incredible, but are by no means perfect. There are rare instances in the game where there is slowdown. One level features dozens of AT-STs walking underwater. If you try to shoot them while underwater the game slows down to a near grind. It is obvious the game was somewhat rushed! , but this is really just nitpicking. The game looks great and, currently, is on par or better than the best looking games on any console.
Sound
Factor 5 is known for great sounding games and they surpassed themselves with this one. You need to find some way to play this game on a surround sound system because it is well worth it. You can hear up to 8 TIEs at the same time buzzing by you. You may think that doesn't sound like a lot but when you hear what it sounds like you won't complain. If 8 TIEs are flying around you won't have a clue where they are coming from because the sound is all around you. The included sound test features a single TIE which will fly around and off the screen to really show off your surround sound system. Apart from surround sound, the game features great music, sound effects, and voice. The original Wedge Antilles, Denis Lawson, is featured in the game and he provides a lot of new voice clips. There are also many good voice actors who sound just like the original actors. There are some points in the game, such as the Battle of Endor, where the timing is off on some of the lines, or lines a! re cut off, but throughout most of the game the voice acting is great. Many sound effects in the game are taken directly from the archives at Skywalker Ranch, but some generic sound effects are used as well. When you are flying in cockpit mode, you will hear the beeps and warning alarms of the cockpit, you will hear (and feel with the GameCube's built-in rumble) every shot that hits your ship, and every explosion near you will rock the room you are in, especially if you have surround sound and a decent subwoofer. The music in the game is masterful. Obviously many of John Williams' original Star Wars tracks are in the game, but the genius of the game is how they are mixed with the original tracks. Parts of the game will slowly alter the music depending on your situation. It may be hardly noticeable but that is only because it is pulled off almost flawlessly. For example, on the Attack on the Death Star level, when you are nearing the end of the trench run, the music becomes m! ore and more dramatic. This is the same as when you are nearing the power generator of the second Death Star in the final level. Simply put, the game sounds great.
Replay Value
As with the original Rogue Squadron, Rogue Leader features medals that you can earn by meeting certain goals. To earn a medal (Bronze, Silver, or Gold) in a level you have to beat it in a certain time, kill a certain number of enemies with a certain accuracy, only lose a certain number of friendly ships and your lives, and use your targeting computer sparingly. The gold medals are tough to get, but they are well worth it. There are 5 secret levels in the game which can only be unlocked with "medal points." Each bronze medal is worth 3 points, silver is worth 6, and gold is worth 10. If you got a bronze medal in a level and then a gold the gold would only earn you 7 additional points so don't think you found a loophole. In addition to the extra levels that can be unlocked, there are a lot of secret ships to unlock. I won't give anything away but I'll just say some of them are really cool. There are also many cool special features to unlock, including audio commentary, a docum! entary on the making of the game, and a harder difficulty mode. Gold medals alone will take you a long time to earn so if you are really committed this game will take you a while to master
Conclusion
This was the must have game at the launch of the GameCube and does a good job showing off the strength of the system. While it doesn't really bring anything new gameplay-wise, it is an excellent title and a must for any Star Wars fan.
Total score: 8.9
By Derek Miller
Since the first teaser trailer was shown at Space World 2000, Rogue Squadron 2 has been the most wanted game for Nintendo GameCube. Back at Space World no one even knew if it was a real game. Many thought that it was just a GameCube technical demo. Even Factor 5 wasn't sure they were going to make the game. However, when they realized how easy it was to develop on GameCube, and LucasArts gave them the go-ahead, Factor 5 began to work furiously to produce Rogue Leader so that it would be ready for launch. The ease of GameCube development helped Factor 5 immensely and it is doubtful they would have been able to reach their goal had GameCube development been as difficult as that of the Nintendo 64. When Factor 5 was finished they had one of the greatest looking games on any console, and arguably the best Star Wars game ever.
Gameplay
If you played the original Rogue Squadron, or many other Star Wars flying games such as Starfighter for Playstation 2, then you know the type of gameplay that Rogue Leader consists of. The controls, however, have been nearly perfected to perform with the GameCube controller. The main analog stick controls the direction of your ship, the d-pad gives orders to your wingmen, and the c-stick moves the camera around your ship. The three directional controls all work perfectly to control your ship in the game. The R-trigger speeds up your ship and if you push past the "click-point" your X-Wing will close it's s-foils. The L-trigger is the air-brake, the A button is the laser fire, and the B button your secondary weapon. There are some really cool secondary weapons in the game but I'm not going to spoil any of them here. You'll just have to find them in the game. There is an upgrade hidden in every normal level and the majority are weapons upgrades. The X button switches to the awe! some cockpit view. Absent in Factor 5's Battle for Naboo, the cockpit view is back, and better than ever. Every ship cockpit from the X-Wing to the TIE Fighter has been meticulously detailed to make them as close to the movie ships as possible. In the documentary hidden in the game they show a comparison of the trench run in the movie to that of the game. The cockpit in the game is so close to that of the movie it's unbelievable. The Y button brings up the targeting computer which highlights important targets in yellow and other enemies in purple. With these controls you will find it easy to fly around and the radar will ensure that you rarely get lost. The gameplay is pretty much the same as previous Star Wars flying games but this is the first game to try to recreate the trilogy. If you are a Star Wars fan you will love this game. I'm not really a Star Wars fan, but I liked the original trilogy, and that's all you need to be able to enjoy this game.
Graphics
Goodness do I really need to tell you how fantastic this game looks? Just look at a few movies online or the demo in a local store and you should be pretty convinced that it's a great looking game. However, you can't judge the game's graphics until you actually play it. Some, actually most of the levels in Rogue Leader, look simply incredible, and those that recreate battles from the movie look like they were taken off the film. The Battle of Hoth actually looks much better than the movie battle, which is explained in the audio commentary of the level. Volumetric fog is used in a few of the levels, but it is no more prominent than in the Imperial Academy Heist level. As you speed along the ground at night in your speeder, you are enveloped in the fog. If you get too deep in the thick fog it even becomes difficult to see. All you will be able to see is the blinking lights of the radar stations. It is incredibly realistic and shows off the power of the GameCube. This same leve! l can be played during the day or at night, depending on what time your GameCube's internal clock is set to. This is also the case with the training level on the planet of Tatooine, except Tatooine has four different time periods: morning, day, afternoon, and night. This feature was only used in two levels but it's pretty darn cool. Hopefully more developers will make use of the GameCube's internal clock in the future. The Battle of Endor level is another great one and features over 100 TIEs. Yes you heard me right. There are over 100 TIEs attacking you in one huge dogfight. What can top that? Well how about having to attack two Star Destroyers loaded with working guns? The games graphics are simply incredible, but are by no means perfect. There are rare instances in the game where there is slowdown. One level features dozens of AT-STs walking underwater. If you try to shoot them while underwater the game slows down to a near grind. It is obvious the game was somewhat rushed! , but this is really just nitpicking. The game looks great and, currently, is on par or better than the best looking games on any console.
Sound
Factor 5 is known for great sounding games and they surpassed themselves with this one. You need to find some way to play this game on a surround sound system because it is well worth it. You can hear up to 8 TIEs at the same time buzzing by you. You may think that doesn't sound like a lot but when you hear what it sounds like you won't complain. If 8 TIEs are flying around you won't have a clue where they are coming from because the sound is all around you. The included sound test features a single TIE which will fly around and off the screen to really show off your surround sound system. Apart from surround sound, the game features great music, sound effects, and voice. The original Wedge Antilles, Denis Lawson, is featured in the game and he provides a lot of new voice clips. There are also many good voice actors who sound just like the original actors. There are some points in the game, such as the Battle of Endor, where the timing is off on some of the lines, or lines a! re cut off, but throughout most of the game the voice acting is great. Many sound effects in the game are taken directly from the archives at Skywalker Ranch, but some generic sound effects are used as well. When you are flying in cockpit mode, you will hear the beeps and warning alarms of the cockpit, you will hear (and feel with the GameCube's built-in rumble) every shot that hits your ship, and every explosion near you will rock the room you are in, especially if you have surround sound and a decent subwoofer. The music in the game is masterful. Obviously many of John Williams' original Star Wars tracks are in the game, but the genius of the game is how they are mixed with the original tracks. Parts of the game will slowly alter the music depending on your situation. It may be hardly noticeable but that is only because it is pulled off almost flawlessly. For example, on the Attack on the Death Star level, when you are nearing the end of the trench run, the music becomes m! ore and more dramatic. This is the same as when you are nearing the power generator of the second Death Star in the final level. Simply put, the game sounds great.
Replay Value
As with the original Rogue Squadron, Rogue Leader features medals that you can earn by meeting certain goals. To earn a medal (Bronze, Silver, or Gold) in a level you have to beat it in a certain time, kill a certain number of enemies with a certain accuracy, only lose a certain number of friendly ships and your lives, and use your targeting computer sparingly. The gold medals are tough to get, but they are well worth it. There are 5 secret levels in the game which can only be unlocked with "medal points." Each bronze medal is worth 3 points, silver is worth 6, and gold is worth 10. If you got a bronze medal in a level and then a gold the gold would only earn you 7 additional points so don't think you found a loophole. In addition to the extra levels that can be unlocked, there are a lot of secret ships to unlock. I won't give anything away but I'll just say some of them are really cool. There are also many cool special features to unlock, including audio commentary, a docum! entary on the making of the game, and a harder difficulty mode. Gold medals alone will take you a long time to earn so if you are really committed this game will take you a while to master
Conclusion
This was the must have game at the launch of the GameCube and does a good job showing off the strength of the system. While it doesn't really bring anything new gameplay-wise, it is an excellent title and a must for any Star Wars fan.
Total score: 8.9