Rouge Squadren Rogue Squadron was released in 1999 for the N64 and, as the title suggests follows the happenings of the all-famous squad of fighter pilots. The game runs on a system that you fly as the leader of the squad on planetary missions set between episode IV and V. Unlike the previous X-wing and tie fighter games on the PC the battles do not take place in open space, so you spend most of the time shooting ground targets like laser turrets and AT-AT's. This does not mean the air to air battles are boring as sometimes they can make the most exiting part of the game.
Mission’s range from protecting a rebel convoy to making strike missions on an Imperial factory. One of the best (and hardest) levels of the game is when you are sent in to rescue a trio of AT-PT’s, which a team of rebels have stolen. There theft has not gone unnoticed and your snowspeeder is the only thing that can save the rebel team and get the AT-PT's to the rebel scientists. Unfortunately the game also has it's fair share of poor levels with one that is so remarkably bad that you often die without any idea of why.
There are loads of spaceships on offer including the X-wing, Y-wing, Snowspeeder, A-wing, Millennium Falcon and many others. One excellent cheat which was released by Lucasarts around the time Episode I was released was the cheat that meant you could fly as the Naboo Starfighter.
The graphics look excellent and uses the 4meg expansion quite well recreating the Star Wars feels excellently. When in the X-wing you open your S-foil and dive down towards the ground, or when in the snowspeeder you fire off the harpoon canon, you know you are immersed in the Star Wars universe.
Another part of the game that really stands out is the music and sound effects. The producers, Factor 5 have done some sterling work on this area with Dolby Surround Sound, which amazingly lets you hear tie fighters and other ships approaching from behind you.
This is a very enjoyable game, especially for Star Wars fans. It does have some problems but apart from that, an all round fine dose of shooting action.
82%
"Not the greatest space shooter ever, not even the greatest Star Wars game ever, but a tremendously fun, beautifully varied slice of Lucas-inspired mirth. 85%" Tim Weaver, N64 Magazine.
