Star Wars has been a very successful franchise since its release. However, not everyone was happy with the first game for the N64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. The one most liked part of that game was the opening Hoth level. This though occurred to someone at LucusArts, and he followed it up with another amazing thought: Why doesn't someone make a game with levels that are all like that? Voila! Star Wars: Rogue Squadron was born.

Graphics: The graphics in this game are fantastic, even in low-res. Having the RAM expansion gives you an optional high-res mode, as well as additional graphic effects if you choose to run in low-res. There is a drawback, however. There is an amount of fog that can become very annoying at times. It's not as bad as Turok though, so you can relax a bit. Other than that, the graphics are superb.

Sound: Sound is very important in the Star Wars universe, and this game does not disappoint. The sound in this game is the best I've heard in any N64 game. Not only is it high quality, there is tons of it! I've heard it's about 40 minutes worth, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was even more. It is a lot of fun to hear the chatter of the Rogues while you are flying. The music is also excellent.

Gameplay: The single player mode in this game is very well thought out. The only real problem might be slightly unbalanced level difficulties. You beat the first two or three levels with no problem, and then BANG! You're hit with a level that's twice as hard. Once you get the hang of it, however, it is a lot of fun. There is not much of a learning curve, and there are multiple controller configurations given. The inclusion of medals adds good replay value to this game (until you manage to get all the gold medals). The 19 levels in this game give you a fair variety of objectives to complete. One must question what they were thinking (smoking?) at Factor 5 when no multiplayer mode was included. That is the biggest drawback for this game.

Satisfaction: The medal ranking system gives this game some replay value. The lack of a multiplayer mode may leave you rather unhappy, though.

Bottom line: You don't have to like Star Wars to buy this game; it's a good choice for anyone who likes to blow things up. Highly recommended for fans of Star Fox. If you have friends, you might want to stay away from it.

Chris