Star Wars Starfighter

"A fun flight sim with excellent replay value."

Starfighter was the first game I played on my PS2 and, although I'm in no way interested in the Star Wars movies/books, I enjoyed this game very much; mainly because it's similar to Rogue Squadron on the Nintendo 64. The game features 14 story-based missions along with 6 brand new bonus missions and a multi-player mode for friends. The only problem with the story-based missions is that they get repetitive about halfway through. Otherwise, the game is very fun and has a lot to keep you playing for a while.

Story: 9/10
Naboo is being threatened by the Trade Federation's forces and it's up to you to stop them and save the galaxy. Rookie pilot Rhys Dallows joins forces with fellow pilot Vana Sage and Nym the pirate captain to fight the good fight against the Trade Federation. Can they save Naboo and the galaxy from destruction? The story unfolds, part by part, after every mission you complete.

Graphics: 9/10
This being my first PS2 game, I was amazed at the graphics and cinemas this game had to offer. Everything is sharp and concise from the ship designs to the surroundings of each mission. However, the cinemas in between each mission undoubtedly take the cake in the graphics department. Although you only really play in about 2-3 different environments (space, land, mountains) throughout every mission, the crafts and settings are very realistic looking.

The one slight problem I had with the graphics was a bug in the eleventh mission involving a Scarab enemy fighter that somehow goes off-screen making it impossible to target, thus forcing you to restart the mission. It's nothing major but can be a big annoyance if you aren't fast enough in destroying all the Scarab fighters in that mission. Other than that, the graphics are superb.

Audio: 8/10
Good voice acting is one of the best features in a game and this title makes no exceptions. Whenever a pilot speaks, you get the sense that you're watching a movie. While voice acting gives the game a great sense of realism, the background music really disappointed me. Not because of the quality but because you can barely hear it with all the battle going on. The only time you can actually catch some of it is when you pause for a moment during battle or when going between missions.

The sound effects, however, are excellent (and very loud, might I add.) Laser fire, bomb explosions and the roar of enemy craft all give the game a high sense of realism. The closer you are to the action, the more realistic everything sounds. My only complaint with the audio in this game would be the almost undistinguishable background music. It's one thing to have the BGM blend in with the game, but it blends in just a little too much here.

Control: 8/10
The controls in the game are very easy to learn -- you should have everything down cold after the first (training) mission. You'll be using the analog stick to control your craft, as the directional pad is used for giving wingmate commands. The only problem I have is that the game makes use of the R3 button (push down on the right analog stick) to straighten up your ship. It's pretty difficult to use this button while in the middle of battle and will often distract you, thus losing valuable time needed for getting a gold medal in certain missions. Other than that, the control is fine.

Gameplay: 8/10
Fans of Rogue Squadron (N64) will understand how the gameplay works in Starfighter. At the start of each mission, you're given a set of objectives which you must complete in order to finish the mission and unlock the next. None of the missions are extremely difficult to complete (the overall concept for most missions is to either protect your cargo or destroy enemy crafts) but the real challenge is collecting all the medals for each mission. You can get a total of 3 medals per mission: bronze, silver and gold. Each bonus goal you accomplish will net you one medal. If that's not enough challenge, you can also play each mission on three different difficulty settings: easy, medium and hard.

Overall, there are 14 normal missions as well as 10 bonus missions (well, the first 6 bonus missions are the only new ones; the last four just let you play old missions with different ships) which can be unlocked by performing certain tasks in the normal missions. To start off, the gameplay is great but once you finish about 7-8 missions, it becomes repetitive and the novelty begins to wear off. The missions are pretty short which in turn makes the game short, but Lucas Arts made up for that by adding lots of replay value. Fun and somewhat challenging gameplay, but most gamers will lose interest after getting 70% through the game.

Replay Value: 10/10
Due to the game being so short, there is a lot of replay value to make up for it. After beating the game you can go back and collect any medals you missed or play each mission on a more difficult setting. You can also unlock the 6 brand new bonus missions for even more fun or you can hook up another controller and play with a friend. To make a long story short: the game has a lot of features (including a code entry option) to keep you playing for a while after beating the normal missions. Therefore, the replay value gets a solid ten.

Rent or Buy?
Despite the replay value the game has, I recommend you rent this game before purchasing. As I said before, the game can get repetitive very quickly and if you lose interest in it, you'll at least have saved yourself a good $35. Unless you're a diehard Star Wars fan or really love flight sims, don't buy this game (or at least wait for a price drop.)

Overall: 8/10
While you may get a lot of play out of this game, it's simply not one that will live on for years to come. The graphics are great, the gameplay is fun and the replay value is definitely there. If the missions weren't so similar and a bit more longer, the game would surely be better. Fans of Star Wars, Rogue Squadron or just flight sims in general will enjoy this game, others may not. Either way, the game is definitely worth a rental at the least.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/01, Updated 05/29/01