"Rogue Leader OwNz0rz j00r b0x0rz... and you can't have them back, you spoony bard!"

As a new system launches and anticipation grows to the point of re-reading features, previews, impressions and such to the point you've memorized everything you can find about said console, the gaming community collectively tries to find the one game that can be deemed the system seller. The game to be on everyone's want-list, the game that will beep across the checkout counter more than any other game, that will appeal to people regardless of what genres they like or what tastes they have. That game is Rogue Leader.

Or not.

Now no, this game admittedly will not hold up on all of those accounts, it likely will not appeal to anyone, and it will likely still be overlooked to the likes of Luigi's Mansion. But regardless, this is still the game that everyone in the gaming community -the people who follow games like a sports fan follows their teams- has their eye on. Why? Why Rogue Leader?

Well, if you've played a Nintendo 64, you've likely played Rogue Squadron. If not, you've missed out on one great gaming experience, and if so, you probably want this game just as much as the rest of us. That's right folks, this game is the sequel to Rogue Squadron, and while it doesn't stray too far from the game play found in its predecessor, it has just upped the ante of all aspects. More control over your squad (hey, you're Rogue Leader, right?), drastically improved graphics (and I mean jaw dropping!), incredible sound (the N64 surely wasn't known for its sound system), and of course -more of that great fun found in Rogue Squadron.

Now let's get into the good stuff, the game play -the reason this game was to be a sure bet as far as launch games go. Now I'm sure if you've played the original, or if you even follow gaming news in general, you've figured out this is a flight-sim type game, in the Star Wars universe of course. Flight-sim games generally don't do a thing for me, but the Rogue series is really less of a sim, and more of a fun-loving action fest, which is definitely fine by me! Really though, the fact that this game uses the same (albeit modified) engine as its older counter-part is really a testament to the first game in that this still holds up and is loads of fun.

Anyway, the actual game play is made up of mission based levels (10 standard levels, plus 5 secret levels) where you're given a number of orders to fulfill to progress the story. Speaking of story, this game is really just a combination of many of the most famous scenes of the Star Wars movies, so don't worry about having to put much focus into the story side of Rogue Leader. Back to the game play -Rogue Leader really plays largely similar to Rogue Squadron on N64, so if you've played that you should be right at home here. Newbies should also fear not, for Rogue Leader is really quite easy to get into and start busting up TIEs right away. That's not to say it doesn't have depth though, anyone who plans to get gold medals (the highest ranking) on any of the levels will certainly have to master the controls and all of Rogue Leader's nuances.

What then does Rogue Leader offer that we haven't seen before? Well, to be honest, not much. I mean there are a few things, for instance you can now give your wingmen various orders, such as attacking TIEs, going after guns, or fleeing. This really does help, Rogue Squadron had your wingmen often times doing things that didn't help at all, so this improvement comes very welcome. Another welcome addition is the targeting computer, this basically shows the screen in that 'heat vision' view that's often seen in movies. This really helps a lot in finding your targets, especially in the levels with a black space backdrop. Really though, there's not much else here in terms of innovation. It's damn fun, but it's nothing incredibly new.

Another hit against Rogue Leader in terms of new things are its levels. Most of the levels have already BEEN in a video game =P I really can't consider this a flaw, because frankly, they took the best of other Star Wars games, and threw it all together to form a sort of 'best of Star Wars' collection. A Star Wars launch game with the best levels from previous Star Wars games? Works for me!

Now another huge improvement over its predecessor, and a spectacle in its own right, are the graphics. All of the various craft are extremely high-polygon models, each one painfully detailed, and adorned with all kinds of shadow and reflection techniques (sounds like I'm narrating a coin commercial eh?). Even the small soldiers found on ground levels look great! The levels themselves are also beautiful. Huge backdrops with gigantic animated planets and solar systems, lush, high-resolution textures, and incredibly detailed worlds abound in this latest Star Wars release. One level in particular has some of the most beautiful water effects my young eyes have ever witnessed, with a Star Destroyer downed near a coastline as a beautiful sunset peaks just over the hillside, shining the most brilliant light across an area of the water, a breath taking site, no doubt.

I'm very impressed with the Gamecube's hardware, and all of the potential it holds. This game is a perfect example, showing just how much this system can push with some of the most epic battles I've ever seen. One of the latter levels finds you and a large Rebel fleet headed to take on the Death Star, but you find out it's a trap and to your back are faced with two gigantic Star Destroyers (each with dozens of their own self sufficient guns), at least 50 or more (literally) TIE fighters, a few dozen TIE Interceptors, and twenty or so TIE bombers. All of this happening in real time, dozens and dozens of ships flying around, large and small, laser fire in every direction, and all without a dip in the frame rate. How's that for epic?

Another huge mark in the Star Wars universe, and another huge mark for Rogue Leader, is all of the excellent orchestrated music. Just about every song from the Star Wars universe can be found here, all reproduced using the top of the line Dolby Pro Logic II sound system for optimal quality. And the Dolby Pro Logic II isn't just integrated for flash, it also influences game play. With Pro Logic II you're actually capable of hearing TIEs coming up from whichever direction they're on, a great touch indeed.

And of course, all of the signature Star Wars sound effects are here as well, most notably of course, the classic screech of the blasters and fly-by of the TIEs. There is also plenty of voice work to be found here, much taken directly from the movies. Some actors were unavailable though (most notably the voice of Darth Vader -James Earl Jones-, but the voice actor did a fine job anyway).

Another thing the Star Wars games are known for are their replayability, and Rogue Leader is no exception. The Star Wars games are known for their replayability primarily because, well, they're damned tough! That's not to say there isn't plenty of incentive to keep trudging on (besides the sheer fun of the game that is) though, as there is plenty to unlock in Rogue Leader, including many various ships, some secret levels, and even some special behind-the-scenes features like many DVDs are accompanied with now days. To get most of these hidden features, you're going to have to meet certain requirements to get medals in each level, gold being the most valuable, but hardest to get. And I mean these missions are HARD. Nothing like a really hard game every now and then amid the easier direction most games are going in now days.

Overall, I must say Rogue Leader is definitely not a perfect game, it has its many ups and downs, but its ups far outweigh the downs, and in the end, this is definitely a great game, certainly a hell of a lot of fun. If you're a new Gamecube owner and are looking for one game to lay your cash out on, this is probably your best bet, as it provides that quick bang for the buck to show off to your friends, but also has an excellent -and long lasting- single player experience for when you've got the Cube to yourself. This is a keeper.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/26/01, Updated 11/26/01