The people at LucasArts have done it
now. Theyve managed to entwine two of the hottest debates raging today among 18-35
year-old pop-culture know-it-alls (we know who we are): PS2 vs. Xbox vs. Gamecube, and Old
Trilogy vs. New Trilogy--or, in simpler terms, Rogue Squadron vs. Starfighter. The
convergence of these ongoing wars will cause a ripple effect that will be felt
by
well, pretty much only those of us who choose to dip our toes into the strange,
bubbling pond that is the home of red-eyed Warsies and pasty-faced gamers. Star Wars Rogue
Squadron 2: Rogue Leader (apparently, Lucas and his cronies revel in creating titles that
would make Fiona Apple jealous, and they appear to be getting longer) brings the original
Star Wars Trilogy to the Gamecube as no other game, on any other system, has done before.
In terms of presentation, Rogue Leader is unmatched, even by the PS2s Episode I
shooter, Starfighter. I could go on forever about the graphics and not say enough. One
simply has to look at Rogue Leaders version of the Battle of Hoth to understand that
this is as close as we have come to adequately portraying the splendor of the Star Wars
universe on a game console. Levels such as the Ison Corridor Ambush, with its nebulas
background, richly rendered planets, moons, and bright sun, are works of art. The levels
are vast; the perspective rolls on for what seems like forever. The ceilings are high,
even during canyon runs. Yet none of this takes away from what is right in front of you.
In fact, the closer you get to things, the better they look, as when a TIE fighter pulls
ahead of you in a dogfight, perfectly rendered and textured, with shadows moving across
its surface according to a nearby sun. Then you fire upon it and a red glow shines upon
its surface as your lasers pass by. Cut screens mirror scenes from the movies exactly. All
of this and there is only occasional slowdown and very rarely, some glitches and pop-up.
Also, the menu screens feature actual movie clips from each of the films. This is an
incredible cool touch, and, oddly enough, represents the first time that the Holy Trilogy
has been on DVD format. File that away in your bank of useless trivia.
The sound is,
as we have come to expect, Skywalker Sound perfect. All of the sound effects are delivered
in true form, as are many of the original orchestral pieces from the films. Denis Lawson
(Wedge Antilles) is the only original cast member to provide voice acting for the game,
but all of the other actors provide spot-on impersonations that are nearly
indistinguishable (with the possible exception of Luke Skywalker).
Like its N64
predecessor, the levels of Rogue Squadron take place both within and around the events of
the original Star Wars Trilogy. You take on the roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and
Wedge Antilles in order to aid the rebellion against the evil Empire. This time, however,
the levels are less tangential and more closely related to the actual events of the
movies. Some levels place you directly inside of some of the greatest moments in Star Wars
history. The Death Star Attack gives you the chance to join in the climactic battle of A
New Hope, shooting down TIEs, dodging cannon fire, and eventually performing the harrowing
trench run. Other levels include the aforementioned Battle of Hoth and the Battle of
Endor. Bonus levels have you manning the guns of the Millennium Falcon during the escape
from the Death Star, and playing as Han Solo as you evade a Star Destroyer by flying into
an asteroid field. There are also original missions that take place between the scenes of
the movies. One level has you escorting rebel forces to Hoth. Another puts you in charge
of stealing the shuttle Tiderian. While other levels make broader diversions from the
movies, the overall connection remains much stronger than those of the original Rogue
Squadron, the Battle for Naboo, or Starfighter. With the familiarity of the movies acting
as a connective tissue for the narrative, this provides Rogue Leader with the appearance
of a complete story arc, rather than that of a bunch of unrelated missions. It also has
the added effect of giving die-hard Star Wars fans chills when they hear Darth Vader say
"the force is strong with this one" during the trench run, or Han say
"dont get cocky" as you take out your enemies.
As in just
about every other arcade dogfighter/shooter out there, the mission objectives are mostly
limited to destroying things, protecting things, destroying some things while protecting
others, and the occasional infiltration of an enemy stronghold. However, unlike most
games, Rogue Leader manages to rise above the formula. First of all, as any fan will tell
you, the spacecraft in Star Wars are bar none the best there are in any movie, in any
game, period. In Rogue Leader you will pilot the X-Wing fighter, the Y-Wing bomber, the
faster A-Wing, the B-Wing, Snow Speeder, Millennium Falcon, Cloud Car, TIE fighter, and
others. Like the Battle for Naboo, Rogue Leader often allows, sometimes requires, you to
switch craft mid-mission. Sometimes it is merely for show. Other times it is strategic, as
in the Imperial Academy Heist, where killing a TIE fighter pilot and taking his ship is a
viable strategy for infiltrating the Imperial base, though not necessary. Occasionally,
however, it is crucial, as in Vengeance on Kothlis. In this mission you must first protect
a transport as it attempts to deploy troops to enter a fallen Star Destroyer. Once it has
landed, a group of AT-ATs emerge from crash site, and you must quickly switch to a Speeder
to take them out. Then you must open the hull of the Destroyer by switching to a Y-Wing
and using its bombs. For further diversity, some levels change according to whether you
are playing them in the day or night. In one case you pilot a Y-Wing through a canyon,
underneath Imperial radar by day. But by night you will play the mission in a Snow
Speeder, and sure enough, through the fog step a group of AT-ATs that werent there
when you used the Y-Wing.
If you are
coming to Rogue Leader having only played Rogue Squadron or Battle for Naboo on the N64,
the control system will be an improvement on what you are used to. The right control stick
steers your ship. You pull the right analog trigger to accelerate, and click it down for
turbo boost. You pull the left to slow down, and click for a hard brake. The A button
fires your blasterspressing it fires a single, more powerful shot while holding it
down fires a less powerful continual burst. The B button fires special weapons. The X
button switches to the cockpit view, while Y activates your targeting system and the C
stick moves your head to look around the cockpit. This is by far the coolest addition, as
the interiors of the ships are exactly as they are in the movies, and the targeting system
comes in handy on many levels. The Control Pad gives various commands to your wingmen,
allies, and R2 units, such as to form on your wing, attack certain enemies, and repair
your ship. The downside to the control system is that it still moves according to the same
stilted physics as the previous N64 titles. You move up and down normally, but your ship
turns left and right while vertical, and on a dime. The Z button rolls your ship, but it
is almost useless as banking left and right is not intuitive. It is also made nearly
impossible with the camera system, which is constantly fighting to right your ship so that
you can turn left and right vertically. Although less pronounced, this is the case even
when you have supposedly disabled the auto roll and level in the options menu. There are
no words for the frustration I have felt as I was in the middle of a dogfight, about to
put down a particularly troublesome foe, when the camera suddenly decided to right itself,
causing me to lose my target. And that happens a lot. Those who have played Starfighter or
Ace Combat 4 on the PS2 will be especially disappointed. Both of those games managed to
pull off dual joystick flight control that enabled players to bank and turn with finesse
according to more realistic physics. And they were still able to yaw left and right for
minor corrections, and, in the case of AC4, switch to cockpit view and move your head
around. Both of those games were arcade dogfighter/shooters as well. Rogue Leaders
controls just plain suck by comparison.
The AI in
Rogue Leader is split down the middle. The TIEs tend to swarm in that odd triangle pattern
of theirs, but they are not suicidal. If you are taking pot shots at a TIE, or one of its
wingmen, it will break formation and evade. In the case of a TIE Advanced, the methods of
evasion can be downright graceful. Your wingmen on the other hand can be annoying to the
point of making you want to kill them yourself. They are constantly requesting orders,
even when you have just given them a command or it is just plain obvious what they should
be doing. And half the time you have to do everything yourself, no matter what you tell
them to do. This seems especially true when you are trying to take out something
particularly troublesome, like a Star Destroyer. About the only time you are aware that
they are doing anything at all is when they are gone (either dead or fled), or when they
manage to destroy that last target you needed to take out yourself in order to get a gold
medal.
Unfortunately,
Rogue Leader is also pretty short. There are ten regular levels, a few bonus levels, and a
training mission. Like its predecessor, bonus levels and spacecraft are unlocked by
attaining bronze, silver, and gold medals according to certain criteria in each of the
main levels. Also, once you beat a level you can go back and play it with a variety of
different ships. Many of the levels are fun enough to keep you going back to play them
over and over, as are many of the spacecraft. The game is also incredibly intense. The
sheer number of Imperial ships you will encounter at times is astounding. And the
difficulty of navigating the infrastructure of the second Death Star, or taking down a
Star Destroyer with only handful of torpedoes and a couple of lacadaisical wingmen at your
side goes without saying. So, while you may be able to beat the game in a few days,
getting all of the medals and unlocking all of the options will take considerably longer.
I can safely say that you will get a lot of playing time out of this game. In fact, I have
had to pause while writing this review more than once because I couldnt write about
it without getting excited to play it. I only wish LucasArts would consider how much even
the simplest, Starfox 64-style 4-player skirmish would add to the Rogue Squadron series.
Sure, Starfighters multiplayer levels stank, but that is another game, another
movie. Imagine trying to evade three of your buddies and take them out in your Millennium
Falcon or X-Wing.
Rogue Leader
is an incredible game, the best the original Trilogy has been on any console, and a must
buy for any true Star Wars fan. Yes, it is a bit short, the control system is not the best
LucasArts has ever given us, and there are camera and AI issues, all of which prevent this
game from receiving a perfect score. I will also admit that the Hoth battle has been
milked for all its worth, after being more or less the same for three games now.
Fighting the AT-ATs as they walked through the waters of Kolith is much more original,
challenging, and fun anyway. And yes, you have to destroy two Death Stars within ten
levels, but hey, three out of four of the movies end with a climactic space station run of
some sort, so what do you expect? Just sit back, live the Trilogy, and enjoy.