"Rogue Group, WHERE'S OUR COVERRRRR?"
I bought this game at a Media Play in Henrietta, a suburb of Rochester, NY, in 1998. I was three years old - it had an X-Wing on the cover and I knew I had to have it. Conveniently, my Dad also had a killer 3D Accelerator Card equipped PC, so it was a match made in heaven.
I have played Rogue Squadron 3D once yearly at minimum every year since that fateful day in 1998. It's levels, with their linear objectives and vast landscapes are burned into my brain; I know every hill and valley. Every hidden item. Every plot beat as each level unfolds, jam packed with dialogue and Star Wars Expanded Universe jargon. I have played the game on a dozen different desktops, laptops, and with at least 4 different joysticks, and yet I still find myself returning yearly.
To me, it is more than a game: it is a wave of memories. A tsunami of feelings and thoughts that stretch back through time. Yeah, its back half is spectacularly challenging in a way that its front half doesn't prepare you for, and yeah - that last mission with the World Devastators is pretty rough, but for me it transcends its faults and becomes something else entirely.
I bought this game at a Media Play in Henrietta, a suburb of Rochester, NY, in 1998. I was three years old - it had an X-Wing on the cover and I knew I had to have it. Conveniently, my Dad also had a killer 3D Accelerator Card equipped PC, so it was a match made in heaven.
I have played Rogue Squadron 3D once yearly at minimum every year since that fateful day in 1998. It's levels, with their linear objectives and vast landscapes are burned into my brain; I know every hill and valley. Every hidden item. Every plot beat as each level unfolds, jam packed with dialogue and Star Wars Expanded Universe jargon. I have played the game on a dozen different desktops, laptops, and with at least 4 different joysticks, and yet I still find myself returning yearly.
To me, it is more than a game: it is a wave of memories. A tsunami of feelings and thoughts that stretch back through time. Yeah, its back half is spectacularly challenging in a way that its front half doesn't prepare you for, and yeah - that last mission with the World Devastators is pretty rough, but for me it transcends its faults and becomes something else entirely.
Has some camera issues on modern systems, and you spend an unfortunate amount of time overshooting your target and then slowly circling back, but otherwise it's a great time. Going after medals isn't unbearable but it does require replaying and learning the level, even if the combat itself isn't anything too complicated. Fantastic sound, simple graphics that still capture the essence of Star Wars, beautiful environments (including some of my favorite N64-era skyboxes). I wish they'd make another Star Wars flight game like this.
I never could really understand the objectives. I’ll have to try it again someday to get it, but until then it’ll always just be a decent game.
Game is super wonky to get working. Also brutal difficulty. Rest of the game is actually good though.
This is a very well-done Star Wars dogfighting game. It's made up of various missions where you might be protecting something or targeting something. Graphics, sound, and use of the license are all great for a 64 title. Sadly I'm not very good at this game and it gets too hard near the end for me to finish it.
Best part was wasting tiny storm troopers in my big ol' X-wing. They even screamed! Hilarious stuff.
I got this game for $3 at Best Buy, and got at least $3.01 of enjoyment out of it. You can't beat that value, but you can play better flying and Star Wars games.
I remember my mind being blown when someone discovered the playable Naboo Starfighter in the game almost 2 years after release (because at the time I had no idea how game or film development worked).
Rogue Squadron's base starfighter controls are tight and satisfying, and the dialogue/cutscenes are fun and flavorful, but the ship-to-ship combat isn't terribly satisfying or exciting and many of the missions are unforgiving or even straight up boring.
The storymode ends on a deflated note of "nothing", but the few missions that offered a good balance between excitement, challenge, and open map exploration does make the brief playtime of about 3 hours worth it.
The storymode ends on a deflated note of "nothing", but the few missions that offered a good balance between excitement, challenge, and open map exploration does make the brief playtime of about 3 hours worth it.
I wish my N64 would turn on, just so I could remind myself of how difficult, buggy and clunky this game was.
Then again, no I don't.
Then again, no I don't.
This game rocks. I don't really know what else to say. Having so many ships that were only unlockable through crazy cheat codes was a little weird.