Since it's inception during the days of Nintendo 64, the Rogue Squadron series of games has never disappointed me. The N64 version was a game I played until I achieved the rank of Supreme Allied Commander, earned every gold medal, and beat every mission with every possible vehicle. I accomplished everything anyone could on the game, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Flash forward to 2001. Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader was released, and I bought a GameCube just to own the next installment in the series. Despite a few very minor complaints, I was once again very pleased with the experience.
So it was with great excitement that I learned of Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike. I preordered it as soon as I could, and I anxiously awaited its arrival in my mailbox.
About a week before it was released, I received an e-mail from my cousin, John. The title of the e-mail was "Shock and Awe". "I cannot believe this," he wrote. "This is quite possibly the most surprising thing I have ever encountered in video gaming. I just got the [new Game Informer], and they reviewed RS3, and gave it 2 6.5's." No! It isn't possible, I thought. My most anticipated game in recent memory is only worthy of a 65% rating? How could this be? I felt the review must have been biased in some way, so I kept myself optimistic until I could play the game myself.
Although not as strong of a gaming experience as Rogue Squadron II, the third game in the series should not disappoint gamers looking for that Star Wars combat feel.
The first mission in Rebel Strike is entitled Revenge of the Empire, a level similar to a Yavin based mission from Rogue Leader. Even just from this first mission, it is obvious a lot of work has been done on the visuals. The terrains are much smoother and detailed than before, and lighting effects are more evident. Explosions and fire effects are noticeably better looking in this game. The starfighter and vehicle models are well detailed, as are the character models, both old and new. The frame-rate stays constant throughout, with only a few minor instances of slow down. While the graphics may not be as awe-inspiring as they are in a game like Metroid Prime, Factor 5 has done a credible job of capturing the Star Wars atmosphere. The game also supports progressive scan for those than can take advantage of it.
The soundtrack of the game fits the levels well, drawing mainly from the score of the original trilogy. Much of the sound effects are also drawn from the movies, furthering the Star Wars feel. The voice acting is the weakest part of the game’s sound. Luke’s voice is impersonated well enough, but Han and Leia are not as strong. It should be noted that Denis Lawson’s voice is absent from this game, which is unfortunate.
Veterans of the Rogue Squadron games will feel right at home with the starfighter combat the series is known for. This is where the game really shines. It’s a tough chore to find better space combat than this. Mission objectives differ from each level, but most of them involve either destroying your foes or protecting your allies. Based on your level of performance, players are rewarded bronze, silver, or gold medals, giving the player an incentive to replay previous levels and unlock new ships or earn points to unlock bonus missions.
A new addition to the series is on-foot combat, consisting of an entire mission or just part of it. This part of the game features an auto-target system that doesn’t always work as well as it could. The camera system on foot can also be awkward, as the player has no control over it. Starship and vehicle combat is much more fun than taking control of the characters themselves, but it does mix things up a little. Game play out of your ship or vehicle takes up about 30 - 40% of the total playtime.
In addition to the Single Player mode, Rebel Strike offers a Co-op mode featuring the complete Rogue Leader game playable on a two player split screen. Once again, the frame-rate drops on occasion, but not on a regular basis, and not enough to bring about frustration. This mode would have been even better if a LAN option was available.
If this wasn’t enough, Rebel Strike contains a two-player multiplayer session, including modes ranging from dogfights near the moon of Endor, to starfighter races through the Death Star trench. It’s too bad this couldn’t have been included as a four-player LAN option, but it’s fun nonetheless.
Rebel Strike is a far cry from the best Star Wars game ever, and it’s familiar game-play may give it the weakest experience as far as the single player mode goes in the Rogue Squadron series, but it is by no means a bad game. Gamers new to the series will probably find a lot to like, and experienced ones should appreciate the new game-play mechanics and new modes of play. Considering the disc is worth purchasing just for the two-player cooperative version of Rogue Leader, no gamer looking for a Star Wars fix should pass this one up.
Related Articles:
Celebration III Report
Resident Evil 4 Review