Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

"The Force is with you, Rogue Leader. But you're not a Jedi yet."

The Nintendo 64, despite all of its flaws, has always managed to churn out great Star Wars titles. It's first venture with the license, Shadows of the Empire, was hailed (by me, at least) as the the first decent Star Wars game available, and it alone was reason enough to purchase a Nintendo 64. Evidently, a lot of people felt the same way. It became a Player's Choice title. So I can tell you that Star Wars geeks everywhere were dancing with their Yoda action figures with joy when a sequel was announced. It was announced that it would all be like the space levels in Shadows of the Empire. So it would be a flight simulator in the Star Wars universe. Sounds good. But is it actually worth the money?

Graphics
The graphics have vastly improved over Shadows of the Empire, with or without the Expansion Pak. The first thing you'll notice is the fact that you can't make out each individual polygon like you could in Shadows. Definitely a plus. The environments look great. Tatooine looks great, as does Bespin, Hoth, and all the other levels in which you blow things up.

This is one of the first games that makes use of the Expansion Pak. While it isn't required, I highly recommend it to fully enjoy the visuals. Without it, the graphics look bland and choppy. The Expansion Pak cleans it up considerable, making the overall experience that much more fun.

The game is slow, in a sense. Those who haven't played any of the Star Wars games on the 128-bit systems won't be able to tell a difference, but there is definite lag between Rogue Squadron and Rogue Leader. It's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. It's just hard getting used to it again after playing Rogue Leader for 8 hours. Graphics with Expansion Pak: 9/10. Graphics without Expansion pak: 7/10

Sound
Probably the only major disappointment in the game. The in-game music is awful. It sounds like they completely re-did it with new instruments. I can't really describe it, but you'll understand what I mean when you plug the game in. They completely butchered the Main Star Wars Title. And the scumbags messed up the Imperial March. They must die for that.

Fortunately, there is plenty of in-game chatter between the Rogues as you complete the missions. And in the cutscenes, there is dialogue throughout. This adds a movie-like quality to the game, which is really great. So the great voice-acting kind of cancels out the lousy music. Sound: 8/10

Controls
Very good controls. Basically, A accelerates and B fires, Z brakes, and the C-buttons do various functions like secondary fire, closing the foils, and linking the lasers together. You use the control stick to maneuver. The controls were tailor-made for the N64 controller, and it shows. Controls: 10/10

Replay
Very high replay value. The main missions are killer, especially when trying to get a gold medal. Plus there are tons, and I mean tons, of secrets. Secret levels such as The Battle of Hoth and The Death Star Trench Run can be unlocked. You can unlock a TIE Advanced, the Millenium Falcon, and a Naboo Starfighter! This may sound easy, but trust me, it's not. Attempting to unlcok everything will make you play this game for ages, and you'll enjoy every second of it. Replay:10/10

Challenge: High

Rent or Buy?
If you are a Star Wars geek, or even just a casual fan, I highly suggest buying the game. It won't be that expensive anymore, and it is really great. Those who don't care about Star Wars may not get all of the technicalites and hidden jokes and such, but they will still enjoy the game. So in other words, buy this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/01, Updated 01/22/02