Star Wars Starfighter

"Star Wars gaming makes a return to the top, with a great piece of arcade based space combat"

Star Wars. I love it. Although I was a little disappointed with Episode 1, along with many others, I still have faith in the series. One thing that keeps me hanging around are the Star Wars games. Many of my favourite games have been based in the Star Wars universe (Jedi Knight, X-Wing Vs Tie Fighter). Not all series are without their flaws however, and the Star Wars series of games has a few, especially recently (The Phantom Menace, Demolition, Episode 1 Racer).

At the time I received my PS2 from my parents, as a sympathy present for my condition (you all know by now), I was somewhat bemused by the lack of any AAA titles. Although there were some good games at launch, such as Tekken Tag Tournament and Madden 2001, there was nothing to really write home about, and certainly nothing that made you want to rush down and throw away $750AU (or $300 US). I had anticipated this title since the time I started following the development and hype of the PS2, which was just before the Japanese release (and boy, was I messed after I saw the lukewarm reception they gave it).

People basically were summing it up as Rogue Squadron on the Playstation 2. Although they are partially correct, it leaves Rogue Squadron far, far behind. Mission now take place away from planets, and for any fan of the X-Wing series, this is a welcome comeback. While the ground missions are just as good, these 'In-Space' missions are something I really though Rogue Squadron could have used, as they capture the experience of the films fairly well.

Star Wars Starfighter is set around the time of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. It tells the story of 3 pilots; Rhys Dallows, a rookie pilot from Naboo, Vana Sage, a mercenary, and Nym, a pirate commander. The 3 pilots are thrown into the conflict with the Trade Federation (the 'bad guys' of Episode 1). The story is told over the space of 14 missions, based on many different planets, and in space. To top it all off, there are several bonus missions to be achieved after you complete the game, by completing certain extra objectives during the course of the basic missions. Onto the breakdown…

Graphics: 8.7

Nothing at the launch of the Playstation 2 really showed off what the machine is capable of. While Starfighter doesnt exactly take the PS2 to it's limits, it shows off some pretty neat visual effects, while keeping everything at a nice framerate...most of the time. While the framerate is pretty consistent during the gameplay, it can drop off at times during the real time cutscenes, although the chase camera perspective does have its moments of slowdown, moreso than the cockpit perspective. The pre-rendered cutscenes are pretty good, showing some of what the PS2 can do, but its nothing we haven't seen before.

The HUD (Heads Up Display) is kept pretty simple. This is fairly good, because the HUDs in most games seem to take up a lot of the screen, filling it with garbage. The HUD in Starfighter is transparent, takes up only a small portion of the screen, and tells you all you need to know.

The graphics on the ships are beautiful, lovely and shiny. Well modelled, with fairly high polygon counts. The environmental graphics are also very sweet, but can be simple at times, especially on the surface of Naboo, seeing it is 'just' a large flat green field. Other graphical components are also rather good.

Overall, the graphics are good, but don't provide anything to make you drool all over the floor (unlike Rogue Leader for the Gamecube).

Sound: 9.1

With the exception of Episode 1: Racer, every Star Wars game has had fantastic music. Starfighter is no exception, boasting great new music, as well as some old favourites from the movie, including Duel of the Fates. But this is where my problem with the music comes in. Sure, I liked the Duel of the Fates, but this game uses it to death. I know there are other tracks in there, but my copy of the game seems to have an infatuation with that particular track.

As for sound effects, they are up to the usual high standard, making the game very atmospheric, especially if played in a surround sound environment (hehe, which I have *gloat*). Voice effects are also very cool, except for the fact the wingmen dialog is very limited, kept to about a maximum of 3 lines of speech. The bad guys sound bad, the good guys sound good, and the robots sound robotic, so all is good.

In the end, the sound is great, despite it's highly repetitive nature.

Story: 7.7

The instruction booklet describes the story as '...A rag-tag group of three pilots wants to save Naboo and the galaxy from the oppressive schemes of the Trade Federation. The only question is: Can you help them?'. That’s about it. These games are based more on action than on story, probably better that way too. The story does get deeper, but I will not spoil it for you.

There's room for improvement, but not much is needed.

Gameplay: 9.0

Starfighter sticks pretty close to its predecessors in the space combat genre. The gameplay is a mix of Rogue Squadron, and Star Wars Arcade (the 1994 Sega one, haven’t played this new one). It's a mix of fast paces arcade style flying, mixed in with some deep missions. But with arcade style gameplay comes the game's downfall. It's just too easy. No reviews warned that this game is easy, so I was fairly disappointed when I finished the game in about 3 hours. Mind you, that’s just easy mode, to finish the game properly you must do all 3 difficulties. While medium is a tad harder, there still isn’t much of a challenge. Getting all the medals to unlock the secrets is a challenge, and takes some time, which is a godsend, but as with games such as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, when you fail, you do get mad. There are two multiplayer modes in the game, a dogfight, and a race, but I have no comment on them, as I have no tried them.

Enemy AI is fairly simplistic, but they do out-manoeuvre you, and you will fail some missions if you charge in with a hotheaded attitude. While the enemy are much weaker than you, the come in much larger numbers. Enemy ground units are much tougher, and will drain your shields quickly. If you think about how you would go about the objectives, you can easily succeed. Missions are plenty, but usually kept very simple, complimenting its arcade style gameplay. Beware, not all are as easy as they seem.

The control method is very easy to pick up, thankfully. Left Analog changes your pitch, Right Analog allows you to spin. Circle fires the secondary weapon, X shoots the primary weapon. Triangle and Square cycle through the nearest and most threatening targets. R1 allows you to zoom in, L1 fires the primary weapon, L2 is the break, and R2 lets you speed up. Finally, Select allows you to change your view. While the control method is easy to pick up, piloting the ships isn’t the best experience. Rhys' ship has average speed, and has only average power. Nym has shocking mobility, but packs a powerful punch. Vana's ship is fast, and also fairly strong, making it the easiest ship to pilot, in my opinion.

Overall, the game has very strong gameplay, keeping it in line with the predecessing titles in the X-wing and Rogue Squadron series.

Lastability: 8.1

Not the hardest of games, as you can breeze through the game in your first few sittings, which is usually the case for action games. Why the higher rating? Because there are a ton of extras to be earned, by getting certain medals in certain missions, completing all missions, etc. Two-player mode is unlocked when you first finish the game, which adds to the game. Admittedly, I have not tried this feature, as I am pretty much the only game player living in the house at the moment. I'm sure it could add a little more longevity to the game.

You will finish the game, but whether you will unlock all its secrets in a hurry is another story.

Pros

- Fast, addictive gameplay
- Nice, atmospheric soundtrack
- Lots of secrets to unlock

Cons

- Too easy, can be finished on your first sitting
- Vocal Effects grow old quickly
- Duel of the Fates is over-used

Overall: 8.4 (rounded to 8 for GameFAQs)

Well-rounded, addictive fast paced game, which will have you craving more. Whilst the game itself is short, there is enough to keep you coming back for weeks to come. The best game for the Playstation 2 for Quarter 1, 2001, in my opinion.

Just a little footnote....

It has been some time since I sat down and wrote a review. Things grew hectic with my treatment, and the chat server here at GameFAQs, and with its downfall, I decided to make a comeback to reviewing games. So, I'm back, with a new format, and a pile 6 feet high of games that need reviewing.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/14/01, Updated 05/14/01