Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron 2
Reviewed by KasketDarkfyre
Until I picked up this title, I hadn't found a good
Star Wars game that truly brought to life the feel of
being in the pilot's seat of one of the infamous
ships that came from the movies and the numerous, if
not infamous battles in the old Star Wars movies.
With several different missions to accomplish and
several different levels of challenge, you'll find
that everything that the first Rogue Leader started
out with, the second game for the Game Cube delivers
ten fold with stunning visuals and challenging game
play! If you thought that the first Rogue Leader was
tough, you'll find that the second installment is
something that is completely different in the ranges
of difficulty and what there is to open up. Secrets
abound, as well as familiar locations will greet you
at all points of the game. Strategy is key, just like
with the original game, and if you've played the
other Rogue Leader, then you'll find that there is
nothing here that you really can't keep up with.
Taking into consideration that the game features some
of the most visually pleasing scenes and action
sequences in any Star Wars game to date, so if you're
really into the Star Wars Universe, then you'll find
this to be the game that you've been looking for!
The game play is everything that you would expect
from a good action game. For most of the missions,
there are a certain number of objectives that you
must complete within a set time frame in order to
continue on through the game. Where some of the more
intricate parts of the game play come in, is with the
different medals that you have to find through
exceptional skill in the different battles. Through
these battles and depending on the objectives that
you manage to make through, you'll find that the game
takes on a different game play style, in which you
unlock the bonus missions! In your race to the end of
each stage, you'll find that the difficulty
throughout the game increases depending on the ship
that you decide to use in some of the missions. Where
some of these missions are limited to one ship,
you'll be able to go back through some of the other
ones and use a ship of a completely different style
and power. Through successful playing, you'll find
that there is a ship that will match your playing
style and overall performance, which will allow you
to get the different bonuses and ultimately unlock
the different bonus ships and bonus missions!
Control wise, Rogue Leader offers you some of the
best control interfacing that you'll find with a Star
Wars flight game such as this. However, you may find
that the overall scaling of the game is harder to
control in the different missions and can be a little
more difficult when the battles go full scale.
Through the training missions, you'll be able to get
the different aspects of the control down in a better
fashion, which is a plus for those of you who have
never played the game before! With all of the
different control functions that you can find with
the ships, no matter what it is that you're using,
being able to go through the different functions will
help you in the long run. Controlling your ship and
firing is nothing more than just lining up the target
in your sights and then opening fire on whatever
happens to come into your crosshairs. This can become
extremely difficult if you're facing off against
ships that are faster than the one you are piloting,
so be prepared to do plenty of running and dog
fighting throughout the various missions.
Visually, the game is about as stunning as it gets,
and for the amount of design, detail and cut scenes
that are thrown in for good measure, it's hard to
find another game in the Star Wars library of titles
that truly brings to life the detailing that this one
does! With the amount of stages, designs and overall
speed throughout the game, you'll find that there is
nothing here that you can find wrong with the way
that Rogue Leader is presented, and in the end, it's
of movie quality. There are different styles of the
camera angles, in which you can peer out through the
pilot's seat, and you can see the intricate detailing
through the wide angled chase view in which you have
a Tie Fighter on your tail. Although the game really
doesn't show the extreme intricacy of the different
space battles, you'll still find that the overall
design and flare that this game brings to life is
exceptional in just about every way!
Audio wise, you have plenty of mood filled tracks
that literally put you in the middle of the action.
Through the use of the various themes in the movies
and through other games that you may have played in
the Star Wars line, you'll find that the different
themes and tunes found here are nothing more than an
added bonus! Different stages all seem to have their
own amount voice overs that are taken straight from
the movie, and you'll find that they really do add to
the overall feel that the game has to offer you.
Sound effect wise, it's nothing short of amazing, and
with the CD format that Nintendo has taken on, there
is nothing more fulfilling than the sound of the TIE
Fighter flowing from one end of the room to the other
on the stereo speakers. This amount of effort and
work that is put into it truly makes the game
something special, and the audio effects that you
hear really show what can be done with a Star Wars
game when done correctly!
Rogue Leader is an awesome game that has absolutely
few flaws other than it runs out of different options
to play through when you've been through the game
more than once. The different ships that you may
unlock later on and the bonus missions are truly
amazing to play with, but there is still an amount of
game play that you'll find is missing and that is
with replay! With the amount of effort that has been
put into the game, you'll still find that Rogue
Leader is a phenomenal looking and sounding game that
truly sets the standard for any other Star Wars game
that may come out. If you're a Star Wars fan, then
you'll find this to be the end all, be all action
game with the Star Wars theme that has yet to be
topped by anything else. However, if you're into
games that require you to have a little more depth
and more game play options at the end, then you need
to look a little further, because this is nothing
more that visual flare and story line fill ins here.
Overall: 8 out of 10