First Impressions: Who needs the force when you've got a Gamecube
Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II is the sequel to the excellent N64 (and PC) Star Wars air combat game from a few years back. Like its Nintendo 64 predecessor, Rogue Squadron II is going to be a 3-D shooter set in the Star Wars universe. This fall, you can expect to take the roles of Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles as you lead Rogue Squadron, the Rebellion’s top squadron of fighter pilots, against Darth Vader and the evil Galactic Empire.
You and your wingmen will undertake several missions that span the timeline of the original three movies, from the attack on the first Death Star at Yavin 4 to the Battle of Endor, where the second Death Star was destroyed. In these missions, you will visit familiar Star Wars locales, like the ice planet Hoth and Bespin’s Cloud City, in various starfighters, including Snowspeeders, A-Wings, Y-Wings, the peculiar looking B-Wings, and the ever recognizable X-Wing fighter.
This time around, you are going to be able to take control of your craft from either inside the cockpit or from the chase plane perspective of the original. A great added feature over the original is that this time you are going to have a modicum of control over what your wingmen do. Several times throughout each mission, you are going to have the ability to issue commands to your wingmen through the use of the D-pad. Also, the enemy fighters are getting an AI overhaul for this outing. In the original Rogue Squadron the fighters flight path was predetermined, making the task of shooting them down into little more than finding their pattern. This time around, a TIE fighter will actually go into evasive maneuvers and engage you if you hit it once.
Perhaps the most notable thing about this game is the way it is looking. Rogue Leader is already boasting some of the finest visuals to ever grace a home console system. The models for the starships are incredibly detailed, with the massive Star Destroyers boasting 130,000 polygons each. The cockpits are also impressive, each one unique to the craft that you are piloting. In general, this game is looking as close to the movies as gamers have ever seen.
