Reviewed: January 21, 2001
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Lucasarts
Developer
Factor 5
Released: December 3, 1998
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen
7
9
9
7
8.0
System Requirements
A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas created an empire. This empire has spawned 3 major movies (soon to be 4), a library of books, action figures, and of course a dozen or more computer games. Rogue Squadron 3D is the latest computer game built on the successful Star Wars franchise, and it is truly a game worthy of the Star Wars logo.
Most of you probably remember another Star Wars title released a couple of years ago called Shadows of the Empire. This game originally debuted on the Nintendo 64, but was soon ported over to the PC. At the time, this title broke several technological barriers on both systems, and while the game play was full of action, there were several complaints about the later levels in the game which were basically just another 3D action/shooter game, and not a very good one at that.
What people DID like about Shadows of the Empire were the levels where you actually got to fly ships in combat missions. Of course the most popular of these missions was the first mission where you were flying the Speeder on an ice planet and fighting with Probe Droids and Imperial Walkers just like in The Empire Strikes Back. The feedback on these levels was so positive that LucasArts decided to make a game based entirely on this style of game play.
Rogue Squadron 3D takes all the best parts of Shadows of the Empire and makes them even better. Using a brand new 3D engine from the German-founded software company Factor 5, Rogue Squadron 3D will dazzle you with some of the best 3D modeled terrain ever seen in a land-based combat simulation. Ships, Storm Troopers, buildings and just about every other 3D object in the game are modeled with extreme detail.
If you can pull yourself away from the intense combat long enough to enjoy the scenery, you will notice little details like storm troopers riding Banthas across the dunes of Tatooine, or riding speeder bikes around the Imperial Construction Yards. Those twin-pod cloud cars zip around the massive "Cloud City" level and innocent civilians will run around cities as you swoop in from above to defend them from the Empire.
There is a lot to see in Rogue 3D and even more to do. There are over 16 missions or scenarios, and each gets progressively more difficult. There are also plenty of secrets, hidden levels and bonus ships, which can be unlocked during the course of the game. You are awarded various medals based upon your performance for each mission. If you are fast, accurate and kill enough of the enemy you can earn a Bronze, Silver or Gold medal. These medals will eventually earn you promotions in rank insignia, which will allow you access to extra ships. Weapons power-ups are available by locating hidden markers in certain levels allowing you use of these weapons in future levels.
The first thing you will notice is that you are actually playing as Luke Skywalker; something that hasn't been done in any previous Star Wars title. Each mission begins with a briefing. Then it's off to the hanger deck where you pick your ship. In the beginning you will be limited in your selection of ships, but as your rank increases you can go back and replay these missions with previously unavailable ships. Once you depart the hanger the mission will load and you will get a brief intro movie, which is always rendered with the actual game engine. These movies look as good as the game itself and also make for seamless transitions from movie to game.
The action in Rogue 3D is fast and furious. You can use a gamepad, joystick, keyboard or any combination to play this game. I found that a joystick combined with the WADS cluster on the keyboard worked best. Using the keyboard for braking and forward thrust left my 4-button joystick available to control all the other necessary features. Each ship has a primary and secondary weapon and some have a Special Function. In the case of the X-Wing, activating the Special Function will close the S-foils allowing your ship to travel at very fast speeds. Of course we all know that you can't fire your lasers with the wings closed, so this is an option best used when there are no enemies around and your are running late for your next waypoint.
Throughout the course of the game you will get to fly many ships from the Star Wars universe including the X-Wing, A-Wing, Speeder, Y-Wing, V-Wing, and if you are really good (or know the cheat code) you can fly the Millennium Falcon. Each ship has its own strengths and weaknesses. The Y-Wing is a flying tank and can take plenty of damage but is not very maneuverable. The Speeder has extra armor to make up for its lack of any shields, and is the only ship that can bring down the massive AT-AT Walkers. The A-Wing is faster than the X-Wing but suffers from weak shields. Choosing the correct ship will make earning that Gold Medal much easier.
Graphically, Rogue Squadron 3D stands out above any other ground-based arcade shooter. The terrain is nicely textured with deep canyons or rolling hills to always make things interesting. There is the notorious fog-factor, which is always looming on the horizon keeping you from seeing too far ahead while at the same time keeping the frame rate at an acceptable level. I'm sure the fog is probably a side effect of the game being ported to/from the N64, which isn't as capable of displaying detail at farther distances. The PC version requires a 3D-accelerator card that is supported by DirectX 6.
The texture details are amazing in this game. Factor 5 had access to the detailed texture libraries of the LucasArts' vaults, so ships, buildings and other 3D objects look like they were scanned in from actual film footage. Explosions are excellent, and all the special effects like smoke, shock waves, shadows, colored lighting, and even the slipstream from the edges of your wings are all nicely detailed.
Great sound effects and music have always been a strong point in any LucasArts' title and Rogue Squadron 3D keeps up the tradition. The game supports 4-speaker surround through Direct3D, so if you have a set of 4 speakers then plan on hearing those Tie Fighters screaming past you and beyond. The sounds of laser fire from AT-AT's, turrets, and other ships are all perfectly replicated. You will think you are actually in one of the movies.
John Williams is back to do another beautiful score. The music is perfectly matched to the game and even though it's based on the classic music we all know by heart, he's managed to mix it up enough so that it never becomes boring. The music is digitized and compressed, so it does lack a little bit of the quality a CD-Audio soundtrack would have offered.
Game play is purely arcade. Don't buy this game thinking you are buying the next X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter simulation, or you will be sorely disappointed. There are no settings to adjust, no shield energy to transfer, and no 20+ keyboard commands to memorize; just hop into the pilot's seat and start kicking some Imperial butt. The learning curve is small and the fun factor is high. You have 3 lives/attempts to complete each mission. Sometimes it will take several attempts to learn the best strategy for a specific mission, and it will almost certainly take multiple attempts to earn a Silver or Gold medal. While this may sound frustrating it's actually not. You have complete freedom to fly about the mission area. While encounters are scripted, they will not always appear in the exact same location or at the same time, so each replay is unique.
Of course no game (or game review) is complete without the "bad stuff" and unfortunately Rogue 3D has a few problems. The first and (in my opinion) biggest problem is the buggy first-person cockpit view. Each of the ships has a really cool cockpit, which can really put you "into" the action, but for some reason the game becomes totally unplayable in this mode. The response of the ship becomes so sluggish that you can barely turn your craft around let alone engage in a respectable dogfight. Try to pull a loop in an X-Wing and your ship will explode for no apparent reason. We can only hope for a patch that fixes this serious bug in the near future.
While there are several exterior camera modes to choose from; reverse camera, far chase, near chase, etc. the lack of a playable cockpit view guarantees this game will never be confused with a simulation. I prefer the far chase view as it give you the best view of the surrounding area and a good targeting sight. It also lets you see those heat-seeking missiles as they are closing in from behind and hopefully lets you dodge them.
Lack of multi-player support is also another serious oversight. Given the N64's ability for 2-4 players split-screen, and the PC's modem/internet capabilities, you would think that making Rogue 3D a multi-player game on either format would have been a no-brainer. After all, you are quite often flying these missions with 2-4 computer-controlled wingmen. I can't imagine the level of fun you would experience if you could bring your friends along for the battle, teaming up against a squadron of Tie Fighters or a few dozen Imperial Walkers.
Even with these flaws, Rogue Squadron 3D is a superior arcade shooter for the solo gamer. The missions are interesting, challenging and just plain fun. The story, which takes place between the original Star Wars movie and The Empire Strikes Back, is told through short but informative cut-scenes and mission briefings. While the plot doesn't have a whole lot of substance, it is adequate to motivate you through the 16+ missions and keep things moving. There is an addictive quality to this game that will have you replaying a previous mission over again just to get a better medal or to try a newly acquired ship.
There really aren't a lot of arcade-style, flight-combat games available right now that are this easy to learn and this much fun to play. Rogue Squadron 3D will give you countless hours of enjoyment and don't be surprised if you find yourself going back in a few months to play it all again. After all, it is Star Wars.