STAR WARS: ROGUE LEADER
Developer: Factor 5
Publisher: Lucas Arts
Game Type: Arcade Flight Combat
Similar To: X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter

Date: 4/7/2002
By: Rice

    One of the best things about George Lucas's Star Wars universe is its endless possibilities for spinoff story lines. Take the original trilogy for example. Luke Skywalker and his quest against Darth Vadar was the main arc, but along the way, it created a couple other side stories that weren't really explored. Factor 5's Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader picks up on one of those side stories, which mainly follows Luke's childhood friend and rival, Wedge Antilles, in his battle against the Empire as a pilot in the famed rebel Rogue Squadron.

    The game spans from the destruction of the original Death Star up until the final decisive battle at Endor. Along the way, you'll play through levels that relate directly to the trilogy, as well as several side missions that occured inbetween scenes from the movies. Factor 5 did an excellent job recreating the feel of the Star Wars universe. Right from the get go, you're thrown into the middle of the climatic moment from Episode IV where Luke's gotta squeeze a missle through a miniscule opening that leads to the heart of the Death Star, all the while dodging laser blasts from ground turrets and pesky Tie fighters that dog you. Even the voices of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo make cameos that further enhance the entire experience.

    Now that's what I call a first impression. If you have access to a GameCube, and are a Star Wars fan, there is no need for you to read any further to be convinced Rogue Leader is a must-own title.

Blasting Imperial Walkers on Hoth.

    The gameplay is single player only, and revolves around a mission based format, which unlocks sequentially as you progress through them. There are a total of 10, which may sound like a small number, but its medal system plus its 5 bonus levels that you can unveil using those medals you've earned adds a significant amount of shelf life. For example, if you get a Bronze in all 10 regular missions, you earn enough points to unlock only one measly bonus level. It's going to take Silvers and Golds to gain access to all 15 missions, and to that I say, "Good Luck!" because earning anything better than a Bronze will take you a hella lot of tries.

    Not only are there secret levels, there are also secret ships to find as well. Your typical arsenal will include the ubiquitous X-Wing, the overweight Y-Wing, the paper airplane-esque A-Wing, and the jack of all trades B-Wing. However, as you wander around the hanger at the beginning of each level to choose your vehicle of destruction, the Millenium Falcon will be sitting quietly in the corner, mocking at your inability to choose the famous bird. That is, until you unlock it of course. A bonus level also allows you to use Vadar's infamous Tie Advanced and its deadly cluster missles. I believe the Naboo Starfighter is also available for operation. Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch--you have to work to get all of these goodies.

Gotta take these badboys down with harpoons.

    The technical aspects of Rogue Leader are all grade A. Graphics are slick, anti-aliased (i.e. no jagged edges), and detailed. The X-Wings are modeled in such a fashion that you can see the dings and scratches on its body paint, making it appear realistic, as if it's just gone through hell battling hordes of Ties. The framerate is 99% consistently smooth, even during scenes where waves of Imperial fighters buzz around the level. Also, in every type of craft, the cockpit is modeled uniquely (i.e. X-Wings and Y-Wings place their HUD's differently), which gives it a very authentic feel.

    The music draws mostly from John Williams' famous scores, and the sound effects are all vintage Star Wars. Word is that the voice overs for Wedge was done by the exact same dude who played Wedge in the trilogy. If you have a fancy 5.1 audio setup, I think you can enable some extra effects in the game that take advantage of them. All of these features make Rogue Leader the best game to showcase the GameCube hardware's power. To think, once developers get the hang of optimizing for this console... let's just say the Xbox better watch its back.

Certain missions only allow you to select certain crafts.

    Of course, no game is perfect, but anything listed here on out is pure nitpicking. One one level, the framerate lags noticeably, which threw off my timing more than once. I also wish Factor 5 would have incorporated a multiplayer mode of some sort. A co-op option would be infinitely rad, since most of the missions involve a team of rebels, i.e. protecting a supply ship or launching an offensive on a Imperial Star Destroyer. Your A.I. teammates are pretty worthless, and they constantly ask for your orders, which sometimes come at very inopportune moments. Finally, it's too damn hard to get gold medals! Some of you out there are dedicated enough to do it, but I have a feeling for the majority of gamers, it's like scaling Everest--the rewards don't justify the task. I ended up leaving the last couple of bonus levels locked, because I couldn't muster up enough energy to replay the missions over and over again, memorizing where each enemy flies in from and calculating the optimal kill/speed ratio. Forget that! I like Star Wars, and I like games, but I also like eating and sleeping too.

    A must-have, console defining game (e.g. Halo for Xbox), Rogue Leader is not. What it is, though, is a high octane arcade style flight combat title that happens to use the Star Wars license very well and looks & sounds gorgeous... undoubtly a solid addition to any GameCube owner's library.

Boring training mission on Tatooine.

Final Grade: B+
Summary: Great usage of the Star Wars license. Very authentic looks and sounds. Replayability is a question mark. May not appeal to those who don't like flight combat.

Gratuitous Screenshots:

They're making another Death Star!

It's not really practical to play in cockpit mode.

Gunning down weak but agile Tie Fighters.

Weaving through Cloud City in my A-Wing.

Prepare for an ass beating when facing Imperial Star Destoyers.