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Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strike
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game: Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strike
posted by: GF! Back Catalogue 10/2004 => 1995
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date posted: 12:00 AM Mon May 26th, 2003
last revision: 12:00 AM Mon May 26th, 2003


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By Matt James

At first I had planned on holding back from buying a Nintendo Gamecube. All that changed at my first glance of Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. I quickly got rid of an extra kidney, hocked my stereo, and sold off millions of my potential children just to have one. Rogue Leader was a beautiful game, looking far better than any game of its kind. Of course, the real bonus was getting to play the actual missions from the first movie trilogy. You got to fly the trench of the first Death Star, assist the evacuation of Hoth, and lead to assault on the last Death Star. It was excellent. Now imagine getting to play it all co-op (like Han and Luke!). That's right. Those great missions from Rogue Leader are going to be available as a co-op game. Oh, and did I mention that was just icing on the cake? It is all just a bonus feature of an all-new Star Wars: Rogue squadron game: Rebel Strike.

I really don't know what to be more excited about, the new levels or the co-op levels. On one hand, I had always wished that Rogue Leader had a co-op mode but on the other had Rebel Strike looks so freaking awesome. I thought Rogue Leader was gorgeous. I was wrong. It could not have been, because then I wouldn't have an adequate word to describe Rebel Strike. Is gorgeouser a word? If not, it should be. Rebel Strike is way gorgeouser than Rogue leader. (Ok, that doesn't work. Let's just say it is a damn sexy game.) The dog fights above the temples on Yavin Four are some of the coolest graphics I have ever seen.

Then there are the things that Rebel Strike adds to the Rogue Squadron game series. Take the evacuation of Hoth. This level has been done and redone. But it has never been done like this before. Striving to be even more true to the movies, now Luke crashes his snowspeeder and you must get out on foot and assault an AT-AT with your grappling hook and lightsaber. How many of us have been dying to ride a tauntaun? (Remember when Han sliced one open and stuffed a dying Luke inside to keep him warm? Ewww!) I know I have and now you can. I'm just not sure how much help your blaster pistol will be when facing the AT-ATs though.

n Endor, you will get the chance to hop on a speeder bike and manuever through the lush jungle moon. I am hoping to get the chance to blast an Ewok, but I won't hold my breath. In fact you will get the chance to pilot nearly every one of the vehicles from the movies, even the AT-STs (chicken walkers). The levels will be slightly different depending on which character you choose, playing up to each characters strengths (Luke for more land action, Wedge for more star fighting, and Han for the very best jive talking).

The two-player aspect of the game goes beyond just the co-op play. There is also a versus mode, which looks to include a capture the flag type game. This makes me so happy.

To top Rogue Leader, they needed to go big. It is nice to see that they realized this and then went nuts. I would almost guarantee this won't just be the best Rogue Squadron game, but the best Star Wars game thus far. Look for Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike to come out sometime in November of 2003.