"Puts you RIGHT in the pilot seat!"

This is really an incredible game. Its rare to find such a breathtaking game for a titles launch, as most of the releases *cough*HALO*cough* are simply overhyped. Not true with RL. Ill make this short and sweet:

Graphics: EXCELLENT, perfect 10 for graphics power. This game REALLY shows off the power of the GCs Gekko superprocessor. Explosion effect are perfect, lighting effects are perfect. Low-to-ground craft have real-time shadows. The graphics are SO DAMN GOOD you cant tell youre not watching the movies!

Storyline: speaking of the movies, this game follows them perfectly. Right down to cutting out voice clips from the original movies when those plot points come up in the game. Obi-wans famous ''use the force Luke!'' to Vaders ominous ''I have you now.'' Also the in-game scinemas come straight from the movie, as it follows all the events between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Endor.

Sound: 9.5 There are a few minor bugs in the sound department. If youre taking a really long time in a mission and complete an objective late, certain cinemas and voice clips will be abruptly cut off, making some in game conversations sound odd. Sound effects are perfect though.

Control: 9.5 I personally love the new GC controllers, but this game has one minor problem: Rolling manually (for tighter turns, etc) is almost impossible. The tiny little Z button is used to activate the roll, and with your hand positioned to use it, it becomes very difficult to hit the fire button with your thumb. Everything else is spotless.

Originality: 6.0 Face it, this is the same Rogue Squadron we've all come to know and love. Aside from a couple control issues and revamped graphics the gameplay is IDENTICAL. Not that that's a bad thing mind you. Why fix it if it aint broke? But I have to be fair and lower the score due to lack of innovation.

Game Length: with only 11 regular missions it sounds a bit short, HOWEVER... and this is a big however: taking the time to earn the various medals in each level, which will unlock secret ships like the Millenium Falcon, TIE Fighter, and 3 secret missions will take skill and a good chunk of play time. But it's SO worth it! ^_^

Overall (not an average) I give it a 9.5 Nearly perfect, but couldve used a little more power boost and innovation over its evilly-fun predecessor on the '64.

Rent or Buy? Im gonna go with Buy. It will provide you with a good chunk of AWESOME gameplay, and personally I think it was the only launch game worth PLAYING, let alone buying. Its that good.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/18/01, Updated 11/18/01