Title: Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader System: GameCube Genre: Action (Flying) Requires: 1 Controler, 1 Memory Card Players: 1 Forefathers: X-wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing vs TIE fighter (PC), Rogue Squadron (N64). Price: Now availible at some locations for as low as $49.99
Overview: The Empire is up to no good, and the Rebel Alliance needs all the help they can get. After the Battle at Yavin, which saw two members of "Red" Squadron Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles survive the Deathstar attack, Rogue Squadron was formed (by Antilles and Skywalker). An elite Starfighter Squadron known for it's daring missions. Soon when Luke's priorities demanded is attention, Wedge stepped in and became the Leader. Rogue Squadron served at Hoth, and was at Endor as well. At Endor, they reverted back to Red Squadron in memory of those who lost their lives at Yavin. Wedge Antilles eventually was one of the main reasons how Coruscant was liberated, and eventually became a General, got a wife, and currently has two children (while STILL kicking mansized amounts of butt in the Star Wars universe).
In the first mission you fly as Luke Skywalker. For the rest, you fly as the slamdancer himself Wedge Antilles.
Whats New?: A revamped medal system, new levels, new ships, voice overs done by the original ~WEDGE ANTILLES (Dennis Lawson), and a new targetting computer to help locate targets.
Graphics: I played the game for the first time using an RF switch, because my TV didn't have RCA. Inspite of that, I was still amazed with what I saw. Incredible detail on the ships, which remain faithful to Star Wars in every detail. When I played Rogue Leader on a 32 inch RCA TV, I then saw it the way it should be....even better than incredible. Smooth motions, and I can't get over the dteails. The one small problem is those grey TIES can sometimes get lost in the backgrounds, and when you're trying to get medals, using your targetting computer a lot can hurt that. But still, that thing does not detract too much from the overall picture. 4.5/5
Sound: A masterpiece. WIlliam's score can be heard throughout, plus doses of original music as well. When you first load the game, you're introduced to two things; Lucas Arts, and a little group known as Factor 5. Factor 5 is responsible for this masterpiece of audio. Outside of the Chrono series, I can't remember a time where I loved a game's sound this much. The audio is perfectly in synch, all the sound effects work and fit nicely. From the humming of engines to the sound of lasers hitting your shields, NOTHING is off. And who doesn't like explosion sounds? Factor 5 can do no wrong at this point. If I went higher than five as a score, it would get it. 5/5
Control: Tight control and great responses. You can definitly tell that certian ships have their strengths based on the control, and how well they handle. The Y-Wing handles JUST LIKE a Y-Wing should, as does an X-Wing. The pinnacle for me was when I used the Naboo Starfighter to go on a strafing run against a Star Destroyer. The speed poscessed by the craft was incredible, and dodging the Destroyer's laser blasts wasn't easy not because of poor handling, but because the ship repsonded just as a fast ship shoud. if I had one bone to pick with the control, the targetting for seeker torps can get a little confused when there's multiple targets. Also, sometimes turning around in huge space can be a problem if you can't read the radar correctly or if you can't get what ypu're looking for on your screen. Overall though, it's quite pleasent. 4/5
Fun level: This game is a blast. Star Wars fans owe it to themselves to play this game. For them, this is a 5 period. For others, it's still a top notch flying game that's outright fun to play. Who doesn't like blowing stuff up? The lack of multi-player dogfights hurts for the party-gamer, but overall, you'd be hard pressed to find a better flying game for the GameCube or any other system out there. 5/5 for Starwars fans, 4/5 for everyone else, I'll split it down the middle and call it 4.5/5
Final Score: 18/20
Final Note; Simply put, THIS is one of the reasons why you bought a GameCube.
EDIT: Agreed Parts Unknown, I can understand that. It caused a couple of people I know to go into motion sickness/vertigo as well.
Forgot to mention; next review forthcoming; Sonic Adventure 2 battle.
(edited by El Nastio on 17.9.02 2231) Habs: 0-0-0-0 (Camp has started!) Renegades: 3-9-0: Last place in the CFL East (Beat the Stamps on Saturday) Man of the Week: Saku Koivu for being cancer free. Goat of the Week: Richard Zednik for not showing up to camp.
I liked the game and agree with your points, but I actually can't play it. This is going to make me sound like a freak, but what the hell: it gives me vertigo. The stages with land below the ship (like the Hoth attack) are fine, but the free-roaming space stages literally make me dizzy and I feel frightened and like I'm going to puke. No joke. Of course, I guess that's just a testament to the game's ass-kicking ability, which is quite high.
"Oh, i'll never understand this emptiness...but I'll never really try and understand, I guess." - Whiskeytown, Sit and Listen to the Rain
Hmmm. There are only three games I've played that have made me queasy -- PSX Gex: Enter the Gecko (rapid camera shifts and ceiling-crawling), DC Spider-man (ditto), and PS2 State of Emergency (the normal mode's not bad, but the Last Clone Standing mode gets me after a few minutes).
"No society has managed to invest more time and energy in the perpetuation of the fiction that it is _moral, sane and wholesome_ than our current crop of _Modern Americans_." -- Frank Zappa
No game I've ever personally played has made me sick, but my sister used to have this Rugrats game for the PSX, and I couldn't watch the screen for more than two minutes without lying down. (That's not a joke, either.)
"The only difference between lilies and turds are those humankind have agreed upon, and I don't always agree." ---George Carlin
"Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music." ---Anon.
Every 3d platformer game on the n64 (and on the playstation) has made me sick. Same with most fps's on the 64 (but with goldeneye and perfect dark, I can go a few hours. Duke nukem I was down in 5 minutes). Have yet to have the same experience with any gc games.
Thread ahead: The Nasty One's VG Review: Sonic Adventure 2 battle Next thread: The Nasty One's VG Review #3: Super Smash Bros. Melee Previous thread: Video game reminders
There's always been an option to switch from manual to auto targeting. Auto targeting can also be overridden by manual commands pretty efficiently if you can time it right.