Game captures 'Star Wars' hype

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

Nintendo 64

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With anticipation for "Star Wars: Episode I" (just four months away) starting to reach a fevered pitch, LucasArts is hoping to cash in on the hype with the release of "Rogue Squadron" for the Nintendo 64.

Courtesy of LucasArts Entertainment "Rogue Squadron" adds to the multitude of merchandise available in preparation for "Star Wars: Episode I."

In this flying action game you take the role of Luke Skywalker and pilot any of five different ships (X-wings, Y-wings, A-wings, Speeders and the new V-wing) in an effort to defeat the evil empire.

The absence of any space battles allows for each of the 15 different missions to take place on the surface of an incredibly detailed planet taken right from the Star Wars Universe. The gameplay is very similar to the first level of an earlier Star Wars N-64 game, "Shadows of the Empire," which put the player in a speeder on the ice planet of Hoth. Fortunately, the control in "Rogue Squadron" is much better than in "Shadows of the Empire."

Mastering the flight control of each ship is a quick and easy process. The first level of "Rogue Squadron" highlights an X-Wing sweep over Luke's home planet of Tatooine. The detail involved in the game is amazing. During the mission, land speeders roam the streets as skyhoppers soar through Beggar's Canyon. Major landmarks from the films, such as Luke's original desert house, Jabba's Palace and even the legendary Sarlacc Pit can all be found here. Later levels include a flight through Cloud City and a visit to Han Solo's home world of Correlia.

After each level is completed, a bronze, silver or gold medal is awarded, depending on the feats accomplished. Gold medals can only be won by solving secret mission objectives. But, if the player obtains a gold medal, bonuses are awarded that include extra missions and the control of new ships, including the Millennium Falcon. These bonuses add to the game's replay value. This, however, really could have been enhanced by the addition of a multi-player mode.

The best part of "Rogue Squadron" lies in its incredible graphics. When running in high resolution, the game's ships look better than any seen before in a Star Wars game, PC or console based. To get the game running in high resolution, though, players will have shell out $30 for the four MB RAM expansion pak. While the display still looks decent without the expansion pak, with it, the game looks so beautiful it's enough to make a "Star Wars" geek break down in tears.

The 3-D ships, worlds and enemies are so stunning that they rival any game that has been released thus far on the N-64. The only minor flaw with the graphics is the excess fog that appears in the middle of the screen on certain levels, but this doesn't hinder the overall graphic beauty of this game.

Another remarkable aspect of "Rogue Squadron" is its sound quality. For a cartridge, the game duplicates John Williams' original score with near CD quality. The music is quite possibly the best the N-64 has to offer. Although the sound effects exclusive to the game are just as amazing, from the roaring engines of passing Tie fighters to the thundering stomps of attacking AT-ATs, it's all here and it sounds great.

Also included in the game is 40 minutes of digitized speech. The voice of "Star Wars" superstars from Wedge Antilles to Chewbacca are all excellently imitated. The speech that occurs during the action adds excitement to the game and helps to totally immerse the player into the "Star Wars" universe.

The addition of a multi-player "death match" option could have made "Rogue Squadron" a Nintendo classic on par with "Goldeneye" or "Zelda." But as it stands, it's still one of the best games of the year and will help make that four month wait until the release of "Episode I" a little more bearable.

01-13-99