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By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne Rating: Good Star Wars. Those two words alone put a smile on my face and joy in my mind. However, when you add "video game" to the end of those two glorious words, all that is good and peaceful crashes down and there is total anarchy. Every Star Wars game I have ever played has been an over-hyped piece of... human waste (nicely censored for the young ones, wouldn't you say?) that only got positive reviews from the gaming press because it was sprinkled with George Lucas goodness. For a period of time I thought I could never truly enjoy a Star Wars game. Well, that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away and before I start dissecting this game for what it is, I have to say that Rogue Squadron really surprised me. I foresee the worst in every Star Wars game before I actually play it and I have never had a Star Wars game give me enjoyment that leaves its mark for days to come until now. Rogue Squadron isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s finally a step in the right direction for the horde of Star Wars video games that always seem to suck really, really badly. If you’re one of those people that bought Shadows of the Empire just because it had those awesome levels where you got to fly the ships, this game is for you. The whole game is centered on flying around and blowing up imperial fleets. The best part is that you don’t have to bother with those awkward third-person shooter levels in between each one. Sounds fun, huh? Well, to tell you the truth, it’s a blast! It doesn’t get boring quickly, either, thanks to each level being different from the previous one and all the new ships you get to choose from. Aside from the game being just plain fun, the graphics are beautiful. There is a great amount of detail to be seen even without the N64's 4MB RAM Pak. The coloring and shading techniques are perfect, making the game look lush and full of life. There is a big problem with fog and when you’re chasing after TIE fighters later on in the game you can lose sight of them very easily, but it’s not as bad as Castlevania 64 and Turok, which I swear had hidden fog machines in them somewhere. The sound is crisp and clear, which didn’t surprise me much. Sound in Star Wars games are usually the best aspect, but in Rogue Squadron it's a nice addition, not the starring attraction (which is the case in most Star Wars games). Music is also good, but it seems like I’ve heard the same music before. That's probably because the music is the same from the movies and previous games which is, you guessed it, BORING! Rogue Squadron's control is usually great with the analog control, but sometimes I wished it were a little tighter for those extra sharp turns. It's also harder to impress your friends by flying through the legs of the AT-ATs because of the not-so-great camera angle. If you don’t like what you see, though, you can change the camera angle a little, which is a big plus with me. Furthermore, ships such as the V-Wing and the Y-Wing may frustrate some when first flying them, but I got used to them after a while. This is a good thing, too, because it adds some variety and difficulty to a game that could otherwise be very dull without these attributes. The speech in Rogue Squadron is fairly impressive as well. One would think that because there is speech you would hear the same annoying phrases repeated over and over again. (loud buzzing sound) WRONG! Unlike one game that comes to mind (Star Fox), the phrases don’t constantly repeat themselves, which blows my mind. They are also executed well, which means a guy won’t say "This is Red 5, I’m going in" right in the heat of battle. Nor will a pilot scream "I’ve been hit! This doesn’t look good!" after he has been hit for the first time. I’m really giving praise to Rogue Squadron and you’re probably wondering why I only gave it a good rating. Well, it was a really fun game, but its faults clouded up the big picture more than I would have liked them to. First of all, the mission briefings are seriously lacking. Sometimes I feel that trial and error is a more effective way of playing the game because the briefings tell you more about what's going on in the Star Wars universe than they do about your mission objectives. If you don’t know what I mean, refer back to the briefings in Goldeneye and imagine they only gave you the briefing that Money Penny gives you. Rogue Squadron is also a very short game. I’m talking Metal Gear Solid, PaRappa the Rapper, and Star Fox kind short, the kind of shortness that makes your mouth hit the floor the minute you beat the game because you can't believe you beat it so quickly. I think you get the point. The ending also stinks if you haven't collected everything you need to get the "good" ending. To put it bluntly, this just isn’t the kind of game that I would want to shell out sixty bucks for. Overall, this game is a top-notch weekend bonanza. It’s a solid, fun game that would have blown every other Star Wars game out of the water if only it had been longer. If you’re a Star Wars nut or if you loved the flying levels in Shadows of the Empire, then you should definitely give Rogue Squadron a look.
© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com