What a great game. An amazing achievement for any game developers, but I wasn't surprised that Factor 5 had something to do with it. They have brought out the best of the hardware, lucky for the gamers. This game has sound that was thought impossible at the release of the system. Not to mention some of the best graphics and gameplay around.

The grapics in this game are, simply put, amazing, I have never seens such brilliant graphics. They even look amazing without the 4mb expansion pack. The ships are brillantly crafted, and the backgrounds and enemies both look amazing. There is little to no slow-down, which is an amazing feat. Factor 5 has proven that the N64 is capable of great graphics only matched by the Dreamcast or a High-End PC

The sound is excellent. The best sound e-v-e-r on the N64. Each character has there own spoken background, there is lots of chatter between piolts during missions, and the score straight from the movie. Some of the music might sound a bit "whiny" but that is just the midi kickin' in. The piolt chatter might sound blurred, but that's good, because I haven't heard of a radio in a ship (or plane) that can transmit in perfect clarity, and it's unlikely that will happen, even in the future. The sound effects have a nice strong sound, and everything else about the sound if perfect.

The controls, for the most part, are very well done. The analog stick greatly helps movement. This game could simply not be done on the PSX becuase the game perfectly uses everything related to the N64. Even the rumble pack is set to good use. The controller is really good for this game. I never have problems dog-fighting, which is very good. Not only do the controls excel, but the sense of speed is very good. A-Wings travel much faster than Y-Wings, X-Wings trail behind Tie-Fighters, etc.

The replay value of this game is there, but not really there. Factor 5 decided against putting in a multi-player mode so that the game wouldn't be delayed. Which I guess was a good thing in retro-spect. The medal system, where you get either a bronze, silver, or gold based off of your performance is nice. After you get all of one medal (or higher) you get a special stage. There is one for all bronze, all silver, and all gold.

Overall, this is a great game, a must have for any flight fan. It has very little flaws, the main being the difficulty. For some it is way to hard, and others, way too easy. Still, go out and pick it up.

Scoring

Controls-19 out of 20
Only minor flaws.

Weird thing that makes you hooked onto a game-20 out of 20
You just can't stop playin' her Captain!

Replay Value-15 out of 20
Even with no multi-player mode, this game takes a while to beat everything. Hidden ships and levels should take you a while to get.

Overall-90 out of 100

A great game, and proof that if you work hard enough, the N64 is capable of great things.