STAR WARS
Thoroughly mediocre flight combat. Sluggish and unsatisfying handling. The PC port barely functions on modern hardware. Annoying escort missions. Battle Above Taloraan has a random chance of just crashing to desktop upon completion due to some longstanding script bugs in the mission. Downing AT-ATs is j a n k. Draw distance?
The only reason this ever received any praise is because it let you fly an X-Wing without fucking around in DOS. Brb, I'm going to go fuck around in DOS.
Just skip to the second entry. The OG is a historical curiosity.
The only reason this ever received any praise is because it let you fly an X-Wing without fucking around in DOS. Brb, I'm going to go fuck around in DOS.
Just skip to the second entry. The OG is a historical curiosity.
I've played quite a lot of Star Wars games over the year, and I've been something of a fan of Star Wars for quite a long time too. In my head, I always knew that this game was quite popular, so I've been meaning to play it for absolute ages, but it's only now that I've finally gotten to playing it. I'm not the biggest fan of flying games, but given that this was more arcadey than sim-like, I figured this would be okay for me. It was clearly okay for me enough to beat it, at least! XD. It took me about 9 hours to beat the game's 16 missions, and out of those I got 3 silver medals and 6 bronze medals. I played the Japanese version of the game on real hardware.
Rogue Squadron is the story of the titular squadron, who are a fighting unit in the Rebellion and then in the New Republic in the Star Wars expanded universe. This game has four chapters, with the first three having five missions and taking place in or around the respective first three Star Wars films, and the last chapter 4 only having one mission and taking place well after the 3rd film. You usually play as Luke Skywalker and it's following side stories around him specifically. The writing is nothing really amazing or exceptional, but it all makes for a fun time. This game exists to facilitate fun Star Wars Stuff, and the story does a very good job of allowing that.
The gameplay is a more arcadey approach to a flight sim. You play in a series of missions with their own specific objectives, and sometimes those objectives evolve and expand as you progress through the respective mission. Your flying is far from complicated as far as flight sims go, but it's a lot more complicated than something like Star Fox 64. There are even some upgrades you can find hidden in some missions to empower your arsenal even further. They're quite hard to find and generally very well hidden, so I'd recommend a guide to find them, but there was no way I was ever going to beat the game without them.
I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of game, and I'm also not super familiar with this kind of game in general, but with my limited experience with these kinds of things, I found it fairly well designed. That said, there are some design choices and hardware limitations that really harm the overall experience. The missions have basically no checkpoints outside of 4 respawn extra lives you get. Player information is also quite poor, as you only ever know your own health. The health of the thing(s) you're guarding, where objectives are at all, or even where missiles/shots are coming from is never made clear and it can make it very difficult to survive missions, let alone complete them. On top of all that, the very often poor framerate really makes the whole experience that much more frustrating than it already is. None of these are totally game breaking problems, but they definitely show just how badly the game has aged, and it'll all likely make for a very frustrating time for people more used to more recent (and better optimized) flying games.
The presentation of the game is, like the story, perfectly suited to facilitate fun Star Wars Stuff. All the ships you fly and fight against are just like they are in the movies and such. The voice overs and VA are good quality, and the sound-alikes they got for the characters from the films sound spot on. It's a bit of a shame that there's no Japanese VA, because I can only imagine how difficult it is playing a flying game while hurriedly reading subtitles, but at least that's something you can justify by saying that it makes it more like the films if we keep the original English voices. The music is also taken largely right from the films, and the presentation is really just what you'd want from a space-flying N64 Star Wars game.
Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. While I will fully admit that this just isn't a game for me, the technical issues of the hardware its on make it a pretty difficult game to recommend. If you're a fan of flying games or a BIG Star Wars fan, you very well might find this game a lot of fun, but if you're just looking for some casual Star Wars fun on the N64, this game is probably going to be quite a difficult game to get through, and it's likely going to be a pretty tough time to find fun with it as well.
Rogue Squadron is the story of the titular squadron, who are a fighting unit in the Rebellion and then in the New Republic in the Star Wars expanded universe. This game has four chapters, with the first three having five missions and taking place in or around the respective first three Star Wars films, and the last chapter 4 only having one mission and taking place well after the 3rd film. You usually play as Luke Skywalker and it's following side stories around him specifically. The writing is nothing really amazing or exceptional, but it all makes for a fun time. This game exists to facilitate fun Star Wars Stuff, and the story does a very good job of allowing that.
The gameplay is a more arcadey approach to a flight sim. You play in a series of missions with their own specific objectives, and sometimes those objectives evolve and expand as you progress through the respective mission. Your flying is far from complicated as far as flight sims go, but it's a lot more complicated than something like Star Fox 64. There are even some upgrades you can find hidden in some missions to empower your arsenal even further. They're quite hard to find and generally very well hidden, so I'd recommend a guide to find them, but there was no way I was ever going to beat the game without them.
I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of game, and I'm also not super familiar with this kind of game in general, but with my limited experience with these kinds of things, I found it fairly well designed. That said, there are some design choices and hardware limitations that really harm the overall experience. The missions have basically no checkpoints outside of 4 respawn extra lives you get. Player information is also quite poor, as you only ever know your own health. The health of the thing(s) you're guarding, where objectives are at all, or even where missiles/shots are coming from is never made clear and it can make it very difficult to survive missions, let alone complete them. On top of all that, the very often poor framerate really makes the whole experience that much more frustrating than it already is. None of these are totally game breaking problems, but they definitely show just how badly the game has aged, and it'll all likely make for a very frustrating time for people more used to more recent (and better optimized) flying games.
The presentation of the game is, like the story, perfectly suited to facilitate fun Star Wars Stuff. All the ships you fly and fight against are just like they are in the movies and such. The voice overs and VA are good quality, and the sound-alikes they got for the characters from the films sound spot on. It's a bit of a shame that there's no Japanese VA, because I can only imagine how difficult it is playing a flying game while hurriedly reading subtitles, but at least that's something you can justify by saying that it makes it more like the films if we keep the original English voices. The music is also taken largely right from the films, and the presentation is really just what you'd want from a space-flying N64 Star Wars game.
Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. While I will fully admit that this just isn't a game for me, the technical issues of the hardware its on make it a pretty difficult game to recommend. If you're a fan of flying games or a BIG Star Wars fan, you very well might find this game a lot of fun, but if you're just looking for some casual Star Wars fun on the N64, this game is probably going to be quite a difficult game to get through, and it's likely going to be a pretty tough time to find fun with it as well.
I was a huge Star Wars fan growing up so playing this was just pure bliss as a kid. And I’m so glad I got to experience this because this game had me hooked. It really made you feel like you were flying around in dog fights like in the movies, fighting against Tie Fighters and AT-AT’s. Quite possibly one of the best Star Wars game ever made.
man...
I wanted to like this game a lot, due to both me being a reasonable enough fan of arcade dogfighting games as well as how much I admire factor 5s insane technical prowess, but shit man the balance is too off for me to really say I enjoyed myself here.
It really didn't feel like the vehicles were designed around the levels or vice versa, as each of the five main vehicles felt like they were more designed for air-to-ground combat rather than air-to-air, with maybe the exception of the V-wing? Each vehicles primary method of attack is the laser blaster cannon doohickeys, and the laser beams they shoot are slow and only shoot straight, and every vehicle except the speeder has an extremely limited supply of either static rockets or bombs as a secondary weapon. As someone used to games like Ace Combat, I was yearning for some homing missiles to actually pressure airborne enemies instead of being essentially locked to a guns-only run. Hitting moving targets was pretty much an absolute crapshoot in my run, which was kinda a problem given that's the core aspect of the gameplay. The speeder doesn't even get a secondary weapon, as it's stuck with the iconic AT-AT tripping harpoon. You actually can find upgrades for the vehicles to improve attack/defense parameters as well as getting actual homing missiles, but the game doesn't really tell you that the upgrades exist in the first place and they are quite well-hidden so it's easy to completely overlook things that make the game significantly more digestible.
On the topic of the levels themselves, things were quite inconsistent. Sometimes, a level would be quite straightforward and after a few tries of grasping the objective and routing things properly I could clear it, and sometimes the levels are marathon gauntlets from hell that took hours to get through. None of the levels have checkpoints, so it makes those longer levels all the more punishing if you die like 10 minutes into a run because that's 10 minutes you aren't mfin getting back, loser. Specific shoutouts to the level where you need to protect a whole ass city juggling different time-sensitive objectives in the mfin speeder where killing AT-ATs takes 7 centuries from needing to loop around the legs so many times. Or the many, many escort missions, particularly the one where you need to protect this random mfin ship as it slowly bumbles around four prisons collecting passengers for 10 minutes while you get pelted by TIE interceptors and SAM turrets the whole time. And let's not forget the penultimate second-to-last level where you need to destroy every single enemy unit on the map while the game just throws as much shit as it can at you, to the point where you spawn in right in front of an active homing missile cannon because fuck you I guess. Call it a skill issue or whatever but I just found this game absolutely aggravating to play through.
And that sucks! because this game does a lot of really cool things too! I really like the visuals, the fact that they were able to use the expansion pak to run the game at 480i without adding much slowdown is really impressive! There's a hefty amount of voice acting and the audio is really good due to factor 5s incredibly impressive audio compression on N64! The draw distance is really far and there's still a ton of detail in the worlds and lighting! There are tons of fun little cheat codes like the famous hidden naboo starfighter and the goofy flying car that replaces the V-wing! It has that feeling of being made by a small team that cared about what they were doing and had a decent amount of fun doing so, which pains me all the more to be filtered by it so much...
In all honesty if they put checkpoints in the longer levels and balanced the capabilities of the vehicles to more closely match what the missions demand for, this would be a banger for sure. Maybe there are mods for the PC version that do just that, I have no idea. I partly played this to hype myself up to play the sequels on gamecube, but after struggling through this game I'm def a bit weary to give those an earnest go... Maybe they will fix the problems this game had?
I wanted to like this game a lot, due to both me being a reasonable enough fan of arcade dogfighting games as well as how much I admire factor 5s insane technical prowess, but shit man the balance is too off for me to really say I enjoyed myself here.
It really didn't feel like the vehicles were designed around the levels or vice versa, as each of the five main vehicles felt like they were more designed for air-to-ground combat rather than air-to-air, with maybe the exception of the V-wing? Each vehicles primary method of attack is the laser blaster cannon doohickeys, and the laser beams they shoot are slow and only shoot straight, and every vehicle except the speeder has an extremely limited supply of either static rockets or bombs as a secondary weapon. As someone used to games like Ace Combat, I was yearning for some homing missiles to actually pressure airborne enemies instead of being essentially locked to a guns-only run. Hitting moving targets was pretty much an absolute crapshoot in my run, which was kinda a problem given that's the core aspect of the gameplay. The speeder doesn't even get a secondary weapon, as it's stuck with the iconic AT-AT tripping harpoon. You actually can find upgrades for the vehicles to improve attack/defense parameters as well as getting actual homing missiles, but the game doesn't really tell you that the upgrades exist in the first place and they are quite well-hidden so it's easy to completely overlook things that make the game significantly more digestible.
On the topic of the levels themselves, things were quite inconsistent. Sometimes, a level would be quite straightforward and after a few tries of grasping the objective and routing things properly I could clear it, and sometimes the levels are marathon gauntlets from hell that took hours to get through. None of the levels have checkpoints, so it makes those longer levels all the more punishing if you die like 10 minutes into a run because that's 10 minutes you aren't mfin getting back, loser. Specific shoutouts to the level where you need to protect a whole ass city juggling different time-sensitive objectives in the mfin speeder where killing AT-ATs takes 7 centuries from needing to loop around the legs so many times. Or the many, many escort missions, particularly the one where you need to protect this random mfin ship as it slowly bumbles around four prisons collecting passengers for 10 minutes while you get pelted by TIE interceptors and SAM turrets the whole time. And let's not forget the penultimate second-to-last level where you need to destroy every single enemy unit on the map while the game just throws as much shit as it can at you, to the point where you spawn in right in front of an active homing missile cannon because fuck you I guess. Call it a skill issue or whatever but I just found this game absolutely aggravating to play through.
And that sucks! because this game does a lot of really cool things too! I really like the visuals, the fact that they were able to use the expansion pak to run the game at 480i without adding much slowdown is really impressive! There's a hefty amount of voice acting and the audio is really good due to factor 5s incredibly impressive audio compression on N64! The draw distance is really far and there's still a ton of detail in the worlds and lighting! There are tons of fun little cheat codes like the famous hidden naboo starfighter and the goofy flying car that replaces the V-wing! It has that feeling of being made by a small team that cared about what they were doing and had a decent amount of fun doing so, which pains me all the more to be filtered by it so much...
In all honesty if they put checkpoints in the longer levels and balanced the capabilities of the vehicles to more closely match what the missions demand for, this would be a banger for sure. Maybe there are mods for the PC version that do just that, I have no idea. I partly played this to hype myself up to play the sequels on gamecube, but after struggling through this game I'm def a bit weary to give those an earnest go... Maybe they will fix the problems this game had?
There's not a lot to dislike about this sleekly-controlling arcade flyer, though the PC port has some significant issues; the camera, for one, is broken in the default view, forcing the player to play with the camera very closely attached to the craft, or in cockpit mode. The silver lining is that it doesn't affect gameplay too much, except maybe in the realm of tying up AT-ATs (a hard task made even harder by the unreliable camera). Still, it's either this or the outdated N64 version.
The core flying combat is fun, but some sections (defending weak targets and the fucking walker takedowns) are sufficiently bad for me to quit it early.
Pretty fun overall, convoy missions notwithstanding. Also no one of us could ever get all Gold.
It's rough to get the controls right on the PC, but once you do it'll be an enjoyable time. Some levels are pretty tough, and I have no IDEA how people get gold on missions, but I had a good time playing it, especially because of how much nostalgia I have from playing this at my friend's house with the joystick controller and being terrible at it.
Does not have space battles.
I don't remember this game as clearly as its sequels, but it was fun to play and any rogue squadron content is a plus for me.
This game is the original rouge squadron and has some of the best extras. 1. is an episode 1 starfighter refrence and the other one is a legends refrense!!!
As a kid this was the coolest game.
As an adult this is the coolest game.
As an adult this is the coolest game.
Doesn't reach the absolute peak of it's sequel Rogue Leader, which I maintain is the best Star Wars game of those that I have played, but still scratches that itch of Star Wars dogfighting.
Peak console Star Wars flying game when it came out for the Nintendo 64 (expansion pack a must). It provided an incredible level and feel or realism based in the movies for a unique experience. Graphics were top notch for the time and art direction and themes were all carefully developed to remain faithful to the films and Star Wars universe.
Level design was good for the most part but there were a couple of annoyances such as convoy missions and the overall difficulty could be up there as well as unfair sections of the game with the combination of current and tie fighter surprise attacks.
All in all, it is a must-play for the fans of the movies and an important game that paved the game for the Gamecube Rogue games.
Level design was good for the most part but there were a couple of annoyances such as convoy missions and the overall difficulty could be up there as well as unfair sections of the game with the combination of current and tie fighter surprise attacks.
All in all, it is a must-play for the fans of the movies and an important game that paved the game for the Gamecube Rogue games.
peak dogfighting in space
This game is great, if notably rough around the edges. Maybe I got the rose-tinted goggles on for this one, but it's just as much a blast these days as it was back in the day. The only problems I'd say it has is its love for turrets and anti-air missiles, and a pretty strict margin for error. TIE Interceptors will absolutely melt you from offscreen.
Oh, and the final main story level is pretty ass. A level that encompasses all of my nitpicks into one mindless sludge of a level to a point where I'm surprised it's not also another damn escort mission. But it DOES get quite possibly the lamest final boss that's ever been in a Star Wars game. Which feels like a far cry from the Star Destroyers I remember taking down in the sequel.
Still a great game. Maybe just turn on the infinite lives cheat for "Moff Seerdon's Revenge."
Oh, and the final main story level is pretty ass. A level that encompasses all of my nitpicks into one mindless sludge of a level to a point where I'm surprised it's not also another damn escort mission. But it DOES get quite possibly the lamest final boss that's ever been in a Star Wars game. Which feels like a far cry from the Star Destroyers I remember taking down in the sequel.
Still a great game. Maybe just turn on the infinite lives cheat for "Moff Seerdon's Revenge."