You know, I found this game in a pawn shop in Norristown a few years ago and never actually played it. Hey it was like $2.
I recently dusted off the old GameCube and hooked it up to the HD so I decided to give it a whirl. Here's my review.
I have been playing Star Wars: Rogue Squadron since its inception on the Nintendo N64. Rogue Squadron II was the sole motivating factor for me purchasing a GameCube. I saw the graphics on that thing and nearly grizzed my pants. I used to play that game
religiously. I would leave it on during the day while I was at work so I could come home and jump right back into gameplay. So you can imagine the expectations I had for Rogue Squdron III: Rebel Strike.
All I have to say is...
...ehh
That's right, a resounding indifference. Where to begin? OK, let's start with gameplay.
The flight controls are relatively similar to the previous version. Not much is different. They've made spaceflight a touch smoother, but not so the average gamer would notice. For example, the A-Wings, although there are very few missions featuring them are much easier to control at both low and high speeds. Switching to and from bombing mode in the Y-Wings is not quite so jarring as the last version. Finally, the 3rd-person POV camera no longer zooms so far out when you're being chased that you lose sight of the craft you're controlling, allowing you to focus on actually avoiding being hit instead of on repositioning the camera.
The HUD (heads-up display) has some improvements and some drawbacks as well. One improvement is adding pitch indicators on the radar. The previous game's 3-D model left something to be desired in terms of which way to go when interpreting the radar during gameplay. Having a 2-D radar in a 3-D game presented kind of a problem when the only other visual indicators you have for acquiring a target were usually the black backdrop of space and a starfix. "Which way is up?",
literally. I can't imagine how actual astronauts orient themselves. A drawback in the new HUD is adding the acquisition marker into the field of vision. When new objectives are discovered, the marker appears in the center of the screen, not long enough to interpret which way the game intends for you to go. After a few seconds it moves to its usual place on the radar screen. Simply put, it's just frigging distracting. Sometimes during gameplay the targeting reticule actually gets in the way of seeing what's right in front of you.
The addition of speeder bikes into the game is a great improvement. In the last game, I loved those missions that required you to Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, & Dodge. Now try that at full throttle through the forest of Endor with Scout Troopers all over your ass. Beautiful! They also added using captured Imperial AT-ST's and AT-AT's for some extra firepower and kick-assitude.
What was entirely a pilot game, now includes several 3rd-person shooter segments. 3PS missions include landing your craft and fighting on foot, rescue missions, and infiltration. In my opinion LucasArts could have left this out of the game entirely. The graphics blow and the combat is cheesy. The camera somtimes shifts to an angle which makes it impossible to see which way you are going or which way you are supposed to go. If I'm supposed to move forward, why is the camera directly above my head, looking down so that I can't see what's in front of me? And trust me, the radar doesn't help. If the camera is overhead and my character is facing southwest, and my objective is to the east, which way to I move the stick? Sometimes you have to jump on what's called an
E-Web gun (which by the way is a stupid name for a gun). You have to constantly fight with this gun to aim it. Like it's spring-loaded and constantly trying to center itself. Gawd. My advice is just get through these missions as fast as possible. There aren't many and they're relatively easy, thankfully.
The storyline of the game is convoluded and unclear. In the previous game, you played missions chronlogically between Episodes IV and VI. When you finished one mission, you progressed to the next mission in the sequence. In this one, there is a selection of the next mission, ultimately choosing the character's storyline. If you don't know this, it is not obvious until you have completed the game in one possible storyline and you're left wondering why there aren't more levels. There are, you just missed them.
Overall, the game is too easy. I shouldn't have been able to beat the game in under a day of gameplay, even if I didn't know what I was doing from the last game. I would have wished for more missions for more gameplay.
This game rates a C--, 2 stars out of 5. Positives are additional levels, improved flight controls, new story, and new vehicles. Negatives are the 3rd-person shooter, limited gamplay time, and decreased 3-D logic. If you're a fanboy, go buy this game, but don't pay retail. (That is, if you're even still playing the GameCube) I'm sure you could find this game in a pawn shop or yrad sale or used bin somewhere.
Here is another
review of this game.
Labels: Games, Rants, Star Wars