Pros: Movie Graphics, Movie Sound, Classic Missions, Intuitive Control
Cons: No Multiplayer
The bottom line: Rogue Leader has unbeatable graphics, booming surround sound, classic missions and more! Only on GameCube!
Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron 2 is developed by Factor 5 and is THE title to demonstrate GameCube's prowess over all other game consoles.
The graphics are unbelievable. 30,000 polygons on each ship, with 4,000 for the pilot inside! Plus texture mapping and shading, and tons of TIE Fighters on the screen for you to destroy! This is all at a constant 60 frames per second, for the smoothest gameplay ever. Also, in the Hoth level, the AT-ATs are completely animated down to the smallest mechanical joint. Also the snow is texture-mapped and you can see snow troopers running away as you strafe them with your Snow Speeder. Even the insides of the cockpits, when you're in cockpit mode, are heavily detailed for each ship. Needless to say, this is just the tip of the iceberg for graphics on the GameCube.
The sound of this game is also phenomenal. All the fully orchestrated tunes from the original trilogy make it into the game during each mission. In the Death Star trench run, the music gets more frantic as you reach the end of it. Also, lines from the movie are repeated in sync with your progress (ex: "Luke, you've turned off your targeting computer", and "Use the force, Luke"). Plus all of the original and familiar sound effects are there, like laser fire, and explosions, and the engines of TIE Fighters as they whiz by, and the mechanics of the walking AT-ATs.
But what's a game without gameplay? Not much. The decidedly unique GameCube controller fits perfectly for this title, and is so easy that you can just pick it up and pretty much be a master at the controls. The control stick maneuvers your fighter, D-Pad commands your wingmen, A fires lasers, B fires secondary weapon, X switches to cockpit view, Y turns on targeting computer, C-Stick looks around inside cockpit and switches view outside the ship, R speeds you up and the click gives you a boost, and L slows you down and switches to attack mode.
Overall, this is THE best launch game for GameCube, and should be in any game enthusiasts library.