2nd Op By

Keith McDonald 5.0 RATING

Calebs Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II review brings up several valid points in regards to the titles beautiful graphics, lack of story and unoriginal missions. While I agree with his assessment for the most part, I feel a few points werent stressed enough or overlooked.

The lack of originality in the titles missions is what really kills it. As Caleb brought to light before, there were a few levels that mirrored the previous Nintendo 64 installment and several classic Star Wars battles, but I feel this point should be stressed more. I just dont understand why they couldnt have created a few more original missions for this title. There were a couple exceptions, but only two at most. The most disappointing thing about the new missions is that they are really fun. They offer players the chance to switch up craft in flight and even use the GameCubes internal clock to determine the time of day for levels located on planets. Had this kind of creativity been present throughout the title, it would have pushed this game above average.

Something I feel was missed in the previous review is the length of Rogue Leader. With several of the Nintendo 64 titles levels making a return appearance, the game felt incredibly short. Had there been a few more original missions offered on this title it might have made a difference. However, I had already played these missions in the previous installment, and I was left wanting more.

Caleb also failed to mention the overwhelming difficulty in the final few stages. The game starts on a simple difficulty curve that skyrockets as you near the end. The sheer amount of ships that must be destroyed, or the daunting task of keeping your craft in one piece is very aggravating. Now I am very adamant about not using codes to complete a game but I broke down and had to use an unlimited lives cheat just to complete the title.

Like Caleb, I feel that LucasArts titles are either an expansion on the Star Wars universe or just another rushed product to beat the merchandising horse. I was expecting Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II to be similar to its predecessor by expanding George Lucass wondrous universe. However, Rouge Leader is nothing like its predecessor. It may have a couple innovative ideas, but theres not enough to make this title shine.

Public Opinion

ColonelT 7.5 Rating

It's hard to disagree with any of Caleb's points; Rogue Leader is indeed a stunningly beautiful recreation of Star Wars' greatest battles, and it is indeed derivative and unoriginal. I'm pretty sure I've blown up 7 or 8 different Death Stars in my video game lifetime, and it gets a little less remarkable every time.

It's a bit of a shame, because there are shining moments of true creativity in the game. The "salvage parts from a downed Star Destroyer off the beach at sunset" level is gorgeous, and using harpoons and tow cables on AT-AT's as they lumber out of the ocean is a fresh and innovative concept. And yet for every mission like that, there's yet another variation on the Battle of Hoth, the Battle of Endor, the Battle of Cloud City, and so on.

Finishing the game does yield some delightful extras; there's a great behind-the-scenes documentary on Rogue Leader's creation (which confirms the rumor that you have to be a little nutty to be a game designer). And particularly insightful are the "director's commentaries" for each level; if you've ever wondered "What the heck were they thinking?" these commentaries help explain the logic behind and the limitations of game level design.

Caleb's right; Rogue Leader is a blast while it lasts (which is not very long), and is a great way to show off what your GameCube hardware can do. In the annals of videogame history, though, Rogue Leader will be a footnote.

And graphically, there are some imperfections which are quite irritating—vehicles leaving no footprints on snow, an unrealistic water, unrealistic polygon behaviour—these all bring the game down.

Finally, the medal system in the original used to be a beauty. It lasted ages and was fun all the way. In Rogue Leader, medals are either laughably easy or impossible to obtain. Overall, the game has some fun moments, but it will never go beyond a pass-time of the kind you get when you play cell on your PC.

Reader Second Opinions