Pros: Incredible graphics, Atmospheric Sound, Intense Gameplay and Brilliantly crafted speech.
Cons: Some levelling difficulties, initial difficulty levels.
The bottom line: Rogue Leader has done what game producers have been trying to do for decades – bring the Star Wars world into a game. Rogue Leader has done it with style.
How many attempts have their been at the Star Wars trilogy, to make the films into workable games? Well, more than you can count on your fingers let me assure you. And the closest we came to the feel of the movies was with TIE Fighter on the PC, which, while very good, still faltered when it tried to tell the story, portrayed in the films.
But Rogue Leader has changed all that. It is, quite simply, a joy to behold and play. And here’s why.

From the moment you insert the disc you know there is something very ‘next generation’ about this title. DVD style video clips play in the background behind the menu options, depicting scenes from the original trilogy, along with some pretty stunning sound tracks. Starting a new game, you can select the training mission on Tatooine, where you take control of Luke Skywalker on his home planet. This is the best training mission I have ever seen – free roaming, you can decide what tutorials you can do, fly races, bull’s-eye ‘womp rats’ in a bizarre mini-game, and find certain items dotted around Tatooine, such as Mos Eisley and Jabba’s Palace. This is really worth having a go at, and the allotted time of 20 minutes is more than enough to get to grips with the game.

After having a crack at the training mission, it’s on to the first mission. And what else to start your Rogue Leader experience than the Death Star Attack? There are two points during this mission where you will begin to grin uncontrollably. First, is when the Star Wars credits at the beginning of the film start, replaced with Rogue Squadron II, Rogue Leader instead of Episode IV, A New Hope, for example. The second is when you begin the trench run, and everything, I mean everything, is almost exactly like the film. I won’t mention any more, so that I don’t spoil it for you, but by the time the mission is done, you will love this game to pieces already.

And what after that? You are treated to mission after mission of stunning gaming. The graphics in EVERY level are an absolutely joy to behold, and you will find it hard not to collapse on your knees and start weeping at the sheer brilliance of the graphics. The lighting is superb, and gives so much atmosphere to the game its uncanny. The detail on your own craft is stunning, right down to the weathered look of the X-wing to the scorch marks on the A-wing. The craft themselves are varied and all very different, drawing on the film all the time for their inspiration. The enemy craft are also extremely detailed, adding to the overall splendour of viewing. The peak of the craft’s brilliance has to be the Star Destroyers, which are exactly like the films, down the many turrets on the surface; the command deck; the shield generators - everything.

So the layout of the missions? They are in ‘objectives’ format, where you must complete certain objectives in a certain time period in order to progress. Failure to adhere to these instructions leads to quick failure. Objectives include avoiding sensors, protecting ships, gunning down enemy fighters, attacking targets and many others. By completing all the objectives you will win the mission. However, as the conditions of the mission change regularly, you will be forced to change tactics quickly, such as gunning fighters to bombing targets etc.

When you complete a mission, a list of statistics flashes up on the screen, saying how you have performed in terms of time, shot accuracy, enemies killed etc. By getting better in these areas (i.e. faster time, more kills) you can forfil requirements to receive medals. The first is Bronze, which you can normally get after about 3 or 4 plays of a mission. Silver is harder, and the hardest is Gold, requiring some very intense gaming on your part. For example, to earn Gold on one mission, you must take out a Star Destroyer in just under a minute and a half. Tough? You betcha. By getting medals you are awarded points, which you can ‘spend’ to unlock secret missions after you’ve completed the game. To give an idea of how hard it is to get these medals, when I finished the game I had 2 bronze medals. To fully complete the game you need 15 Golds. Comprenez? Even now, after playing the game for more than 20 hours, I have only 5 bronzes and 2 silvers. You may think I’m a lousy gamer, but trust me, it is very challenging, yet highly rewarding and fun.

So after you’ve done about five missions, all of which have been better than the last, you think to yourself; ‘How on earth could this get any better?’ The answer is that the missions just keep on getting more varied, involving and above all stunning. By the time you reach the Battle of Endor, you will love Rogue Leader and want to have its babies. Imagine, 6 capital ships, about 20 rebel fighters all heading towards the Death Star out of hyperspace. Suddenly, after a few choice words from the film, those infamous words; “Break off the attack! Pull up – all craft pull up!” echo into your brain. You turn your ship around and are confronted with the lines of Star Destroyers in the distance. Your pulse increases. The capital ships begin to turn round. There comes a warning of enemy ships, then General Ackbar declares; “It’s a trap!” You can hear the distant roar of TIE fighters. The music swells, and suddenly…. Wham! About 150 TIE fighters suddenly scream past you out of the darkness of space, laser blasts everywhere and the music erupts. Fighters everywhere, fantastic Star Wars music pumped into your ears, you are there, in the Battle of Endor, and you are playing the film. No questions asked.

All of the above, whilst trying to be descriptive, doesn’t come close to the excitement you feel throughout this mission. The dog fighting is incredible, and it doesn’t stop there. I won’t say any more, save to say, it gets even better, incredibly, again.
I must have played this level about 12 times now, and yet I still get the rush from playing it comparable to when I first did. What Lucas Arts have done here is truly incredible, and must not be missed by anyone.

So, the graphics are incredible, the music and sound brilliant, but what of the Gameplay? I’m glad to say that it is spot on. Though some ships are a little stiff in turning, most of the ships are great to play with, and the steering is precise and exact. It’s all you would expect, seeing the visuals.

So, all in all, this is a pretty spectacular game. The original mission outline varies in how long it will take you to complete. According to sources, and how long it took me to complete, the chart below should show you how long to expect.

Novice Gamer – 25+ hours
Medium Gamer – 16/18 hours
Hardcore Gamer – 10/12 hours

This is not exact, but its what you should expect the game to take you if you are at each of these levels. I’ll say it now. This game is very challenging, and should not be attempted lightly. To complete the game takes this amount of time (above), but to collect the Gold medals on each is going to take almost the same time again, if not more. This game will keep you happy for a long time, but only if you are up for a challenge. For the really new gamers, you may struggle greatly at points. The key to it is to stick with it, as although it may seem impossible at first, every mission is doable, and practice makes perfect.

So, Rogue Leader is a very, very accomplished game. It will take you a long time to complete it, and is a very enjoyable experience, one which is as of yet unmatched in gaming History - you really are playing the film.