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Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GCN)
Publisher:  LucasArts Developer:  Factor 5
Genre:  Shooter Release Date:  10/21/2003
ESRB:  Teen More Info on this Game
By Bryn Williams | Oct. 28, 2003
The Force is not quite as strong as it should be in Rebel Strike, but it's strong enough to please even casual fans of the Star Wars universe.
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Some of the best graphics / sound around; fun two-player co-op mode; lots to do; cool extras. More of the same; on-foot levels are poor; pretty frustrating in places; controls can bring down enjoyment.

Star Wars. It's an institution of sci-fi culture. As such, LucasArts' bread and butter continues to develop video games based on George Lucas' kitsch universe. For a third, and possibly final time, Factor 5 was drafted in to create a Nintendo-only action title that sees the player assume the role of either Luke Skywalker or his right-hand pilot chum, Wedge Antilles. Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike is a game that oozes reference-quality audio and visual presentation, which fans of the Star Wars phenomenon will likely pop a vein to experience. Like its other GameCube predecessor (Rogue Leader), Rebel Strike puts you in a position of power in the eternal struggle between the Rebel Alliance and the evil Imperial Forces. While the overall game experience ranges from frustrating to epic, there's something special about the title as a whole.

Rebel Strike looks incredible. Factor 5 really knows how to push the GameCube to its limits. Featuring a progressive scan resolution option, the quality of the models, environments, and textures are second-to-none. An impressive framerate is maintained through most of the single-player game, and even the multiplayer modes move along at a decent pace. But as a whole package, Rebel Strike's strongest point is its visuals. Of course, as you'd expect, Factor 5 has done a bang-up job of creating stunning audio set throughout the entire game. Familiar tunes, crisp explosions, and decent voice recording are all made even more impressive through the use of Dolby Pro Logic II and Pro Logic IIx 7.1 -- a rare treat indeed for those gamers with the right hardware to decode the sound.

So how is the actual gameplay? Well, for the most part, it largely remains the same as that found in Rogue Leader, which itself created quite a stir when it was released at the launch of the GameCube a few years ago. The game sees you piloting various Rebel craft around in deep space, or across some of the many different planets in the Star Wars universe, with the intent of seek-and-destroy or defend-the-ship missions. There are also a number of ground-based missions -- played either on foot or via a vehicle such as a speeder bike or AT-ST walker. The flying levels are where Rebel Strike really gives up the good times. Conversely, the on-foot missions are implemented poorly and are a significant letdown because of shoddy controls and frustrating camera angles. More on that in a while...


Is that a lightsaber in your hands, or are you just happy to see me?
Both Luke and Wedge have their own set of missions which branch away from the same starting point, meeting up again later on in the story. As Luke, you'll get to learn the ropes on Tatooine in a series of decent training missions. These introduce you to the various control systems from on-foot environments, to speeder vehicle piloting, to AT-ST maneuvers. A good variety of subsequent story-driven missions take place on planets such as Hoth, Dantooine, and Geonosis where taking down Imperial ships, troops, and weapons are commonplace. Rebel Strike's single-player game is at its best when you're thrown into some of the epic TIE fighter dogfights. These prove to be really challenging and exhilarating … for the most part.



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