Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
    The holiday season of 1998 was great. We got Turok 2, Zelda, and Rogue Squadron all at the same time. Ah, the good life of being a gamer. Rogue Squadron carries the Star Wars license much better than many games do. It is one of the only SW games that has not only been good, but has been really good.
    I am a huge fan of Star Wars. I have the movies, I have the card game. I even have around 20 books (including the Rogue Squadron series). I really wanted this game to be good. And I wasn't disappointed. Being able to fly several types of craft over a variety of planets is really fun. I would of liked some space missions rather than having every mission on a planet, but oh well. The setting is perfectly steeped with just enough Star Wars-ish stuff to keep fans interested, and has deep enough game play to get anyone into this game.
    The control is pretty impressive. Each of the ships controls differently. The controls are very responsive, so there won't ever be a time when the perfect shot is interrupted by a split second delay from button press to onscreen action.
    The ships are the best part of Rogue Squadron. I don't know about all of you. But I have dreamed of flying an X-Wing or TIE fighter, and I had my chance in Rogue. The number of ships you can select is pretty impressive. And the variety of secret craft will keep you coming back for more. X-Wings, A-Wings, V-Wings, Y-Wings, Snowspeeders, TIE Interceptors, a Naboo Starfighter, and even the Millenium Falcon makes an appearance. Also, you can even change the V-Wing to look like a "gangsta" car. It's fun to take each of these ships through the levels just to see which one will perform best in a given situation. It's amazing!!
    Another thing in Rogue Squadron that impressed me, and actually surprised me, is the amount of hidden things there are in the game. Entering codes will gain you a Maestro mode, and the ability to watch any of the game's cinemas. You also use this mode to unlock certain ships. Other codes affect gameplay by giving you unlimited torpedos, or upgrading your ship. There is so much fun stuff to try out via this cheat menu, it's almost scary.
    The graphics in Rogue Squadron are really exemplary. It is one of the first titles, along with Turok 2, to use the 4mb Expansion Pak, and it makes good use of it. Everything looks really clean and sharp, although some levels look kinda grainy (especially Corellia). On some levels, you can see little individual storm troopers walking around causing trouble...now that's what I call attention to detail. One draw back is that the game will freeze up. Not often, but if you do the crazy shit that I do, you'll find that you can freeze it up pretty regularly. Not a big problem though.
    The music in Rogue is pretty good, although they sound horrible like the puny Midi's they are: really tinny and crappy. The opening Star Wars theme sounds good though, which is important. The sound effects are really good in Rogue Squadron. Fans of Star Wars will hear the distinctive sound of a TIE, and the creaking joints of an AT-AT. The sounds of the lasers are ripped right out of the movies. The sound really makes you feel like you're in the cockpit of these craft, actually fighting those damn Imperials.
    Overall, I'd have to say that Rogue Squadron is well worth the wait, and well worth the money. The atmosphere is 100% Star Wars. The gameplay is top notch. The ships are cool and fun to fly. A very good game.