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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       9th May 2002: Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader  Rogue Leader Standing By! At last we can be Luke Skywalker in Europe! Posted by John Grothier - GameCube - UK and Europe For over twenty years I have been waiting for a computer game to really encapsulate the stunning space battles from the Star Wars universe. At last Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, for the new to Europe GameCube, is finally here. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is a follow up from the original N64 title, but this time thanks to the power of the Cube, the action looks almost as real as the films themselves. Be Luke Skywalker flying down the trench of the original Death Star, or Wedge Antilles and take on the monstrous walkers on Hoth. Fly the Millennium Falcon in the skies above the Cloud City on Bespin, or hurtle through the asteroid field in an almost impossible attempt to escape from the Empire. All your favourite Star Wars locations are included, even the intense Battle of Endor and the almost suicidal strike on the core of the dreaded new Death Star. In fact if you sent this game back through time, say around 20 years, as an impressionable twelve year old I would have literary exploded at sight of this masterpiece. In actual fact I came close - even though I'm thirty-two years old! Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is a very polished title, lovingly put together by fans or the original Star Wars Trilogy. Everything that you would want and hope in a Star Wars game is here, with lots more besides. Once you have mastered the basics of flight control in your T-16 Skyhopper in Tatooine Training, you are thrown straight into the deep end with the assault on the Death Star, from A New Hope. The games opening cinematics are almost exactly the same as the film, with all the speech from the allied pilots, and of course, that fabulous John Williams music. First off you must take out the deflection towers on the surface, then a few squadrons of Tie Fighters, before diving into the trench to begin your bombing run. I have to say the first time I played this level, my jaw literally dropped - it really is like taking part in that wonderful scene. You even get to hear Darth Vader breathing down your neck just before he declares 'The force is strong with this one!' Missions are based on all the key action sequences from the movies, plus a few more that don't appear in the films, but yet make perfect 'Star Wars Sense' being there. For instance, after you have blown away the Death Star the next mission that you fly is called 'Ison Corridor Ambush'. Here the frigate Redemption and a convoy of transports are heading for the new rebel base on Hoth. It's your mission to protect these transports as they head through the stunningly beautiful nebula. There are eleven standard missions to work your way through, plus at least five bonus missions to unlock. My favourite of these has to be the 'Triumph of the Empire' level, in which you get to play Darth Vader and take out the rebel ships as they race down the trench. Most levels allow you to pilot more than one craft. After completing some of the later missions, these ships will become unlocked, and there is much fun to be had trying out the levels with different craft. All the ships from the Star Wars universe are here including the X-Wing, Y-Wing, A-Wing, B-Wing, and the Snowspeeder. If you work hard enough you can also unlock lots of 'secret ships' including the Millennium Falcon and even the N-1 Naboo Starfighter from The Phantom Menace - boo hiss! Each craft looks stunning and true to the films, and there is even an inclusion of a cockpit view - try flying down that trench with this on for the full Star Wars effect! You can even look around inside each of the ships by using the C stick. The attention to detail is simply staggering; if you manage to unlock the Tie Advanced, Darth Vader's ship, you can even hear his heavy breathing inside the cockpit! Issuing orders to your wingman is also an important part of the game. These commands are assigned by using the control pad, use 'form' to get them on either side of you ship for a bit of extra firepower. Or you can ask them to go after various targets such as Ties or other mission based objectives. You can even ask them to 'flee' if you want to rank up those kills yourself; this is especially useful if you are going after a medal. Medals are awarded if you perform well in a particular mission. You will be awarded bronze, silver and gold medals if you satisfy the right criteria - finish the mission under a certain time, destroy a certain number of enemies, how accurate you are in firing, and how little you use the targeting computer. For each medal earned you are awarded with it a number of points: three for bronze, six for silver and nine for gold. These points can be exchanged for the bonus missions hidden within the mission select screen. Be warned though, there is no way to undo your selection - so spend those points wisely! The graphics in Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader are the best I've seen yet on the GameCube. The game is the closest yet to bringing Star Wars into your living room, and graphically it oozes style. The cut scenes are lovingly reconstructed in real-time and the presentation of this title is stunning. Each level has its own distinctive look and feel to it, from the battles above the Death Star to the icy world of Hoth; each mission is absolute joy on the eyes. The sound in Rogue Squadron II is also awesome. John William's fantastic score booms out in Dolby Pro-Logic II, and Factor 5 have mixed music from the original trilogy with their own fantastic midi system. Voice acting it top notch with key lines from the films included in the cut scenes and also in-game. The voice of Dennis Lawson, the actor who plays Wedge Antilles, features in the game and the overall effect of the graphics and the sound really put you in George Lucas's famous universe. Overall Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is a fantastic Star Wars game, certainly the best I have played. My only gripe with this title is again the poor PAL conversion. Sure it has a 60htz mode, but unfortunately the picture does not 'fit' on the screen properly; the game hangs off to the left loosing a substantial part of the picture, and so leaves a large black bar down the right hand side of the screen. This means every time you want to play the game the way it was intended, you have to use the screen adjust option in the GameCube's bios. I can't believe that we have waited six months for this game and no one at Activision has even tested it on a television! So thanks to Nintendo for at least including this option in the hardware, but this really should have been addressed earlier, and as so I've marked this fantastic game down a point. John Grothier             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  Awsome cinematic graphics and intense action-packed gameplay puts you 'in the movies'! Be Luke Skywalker or Wedge Antilles and fly X-Wings, B-Wings, Y-wings, Snowspeeder and a few secret ships to unlock! 11+ heroic missions send you to Hoth, Cloud City, the Death Star and other legendary Star Wars locations!  Related Games:  Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader for GameCube  13  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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