Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
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| Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader |
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| Developer(s) | Factor 5 |
| Publisher(s) | LucasArts |
| Release date(s) | November 17, 2001 (NA) |
| Genre(s) | Action, Space simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) ELSPA: 3+ |
| Platform(s) | GameCube |
| Media | 1 × GameCube Optical Disc |
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is an exclusive launch game in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube based on the Star Wars universe. It was developed by Factor 5 and published by LucasArts.
The game deals with the Rebel Alliance unit, Rogue Squadron, who under the command of Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles use starfighters to engage and defeat the Galactic Empire. The game is set during episodes A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi and recreates the battles that take place during those films, notably the Battle of Hoth. Some levels in the game are based on the novels and comic books from the 80's. The game featured a "making-of" documentary, similar to those found on DVDs. According to this the game was assembled in the span of roughly just 8 months.
Rogue Leader was developed as a sequel to the earlier game, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. It featured significantly improved graphics and a new tactics menu that allows the player to form up their squadron or set a target for their squadron such as laser turrets or enemy TIE fighters. The game also expanded on the unlockable levels of the original—Beggars Canyon is included in the tutorial, the opening level Battle of Yavin was included in both games (Rogue Squadron called the level Death Star Trench Run), and Battle of Hoth was made more authentic with the GameCube's advanced power. The other major battle in the original movie trilogy, The Battle of Endor, was arguably the biggest, most atmospheric, and most challenging scenario in the entire game. This is also one of the few GameCube titles to make extensive use of bump mapping and other advanced multitexturing effects.
Rogue Leader also features short clips from the movie trilogy, during the menu screens and certain cut-scenes.
A sequel, Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, was released in 2003.
Contents |
[edit] Levels
[edit] Tatooine Training Grounds
Luke Skywalker explores Tatooine and races his friends Biggs and Wedge while flying a T-16 Skyhopper.
[edit] Death Star Attack
Luke Skywalker and his allies must destroy a series of deflection towers in an attempt to provide cover fire for the squadrons making a run at the Death Star's main trench. A Squadron of TIE fighters soon join the fray, and after dispatching them Luke must fly down the trench himself.
[edit] Ison Corridor Ambush
A Rebel convoy is attacked in the Ison Corridor, a trade route used to transport goods from the old Yavin base to the new Hoth base. Rogue Squadron must eliminate a series of TIE fighters and interceptors in the heart of a dense nebula.
[edit] Battle of Hoth
Rouge Squadron must drive off a wave of AT-STs attacking the Ion Cannon. Upon saving the Cannon, the Rogues attempt to attack the AT-ATs, but Luke Skywalker is shot down in the fray. Wedge takes command of Rogue Squadron and leads the attack on the remaining walkers. After the Shield Generator is destroyed, the Rogues make their way back to Echo Base to get into X-Wings and destroy a wave of tie bombers to escape.
[edit] Prisons of the Maw
Rogue Squadron must pilot Y-Wings on a rescue mission into an Imperial Prison. This jail is hidden in an asteroid field in the Maw, a cloud of Black Holes near the planet Kessel. Upon flying through the asteroids, the Rogues use their bombers to cover a group of escaping prisoners.
[edit] Razor Rendezvous
After receiving information of a new Imperial weapon in production, the Rebel Alliance beamed a set of plans into a blockade runner, the Razor. Arriving at the rendezvous with the frigate Redemption, Rogue Squadron, Green Squadron, and Blue Squadron found the Razor being captured by an Imperial Star Destroyer over Kothlis, a world of the Bothans. After destroying the three shield generators, Wedge destroyed the command bridge, sending the Destroyer and the captive "Razor" crashing into the oceans of Kothlis.
[edit] Vengeance on Kothlis
Wedge, Crix Madine, and a squad of commandos head down to the surface of Kothlis to retrieve the data. The transport carrying the commando team is attacked by a swarm of TIE fighters, and the Rogues are tasked with flying cover. Squads of AT-ATs and AT-PTs survived the crash, and escaped the wreckage. They attack the commando team on the beaches near the wreck, but they are eliminated by Rogue Squadron. The commandos enter the wreckage and retrieve the plans from the "Razor". After uploading the plans into a computer, Madine discovers that the Empire is constructing a second Death Star.
[edit] Imperial Academy Heist
Wedge Antilles must attack the Presbelt IV Imperial Academy and steal the Shuttle Tyderium. By night, he sneaks in under the fog in a Snowspeeder, but by day, he storms the compound in a Y-Wing. Both times of day offer the chance to steal a TIE Fighter for a much stealthier infiltration of the base.
[edit] Raid on Bespin
Preparing a major attack on the Empire, the Rebellion realizes they have a shortage of fuel. Lando Calrissian points them in the direction of Cloud City on Bespin, the Tibanna mine at which he was administrator. Rogue Squadron leads the strike on the city, driving out the Imperial forces by knocking out power generators in canals around Cloud City.
[edit] Battle of Endor
The Rogues are ordered to defend the Medical Frigate and Home One from an onslaught of TIE bombers and Star Destroyers.
[edit] Strike at the Core
Wedge must defend Lando from a wing of TIE fighters as he makes his assault on the second Death Star's main reactor.
[edit] Secret levels
- Death Star Escape
- The Asteroid Field
- Triumph of the Empire
- Revenge on Yavin
- Death Star Endurance
[edit] Co-operative
In Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike, there is a mode in which two players can play a co-operative version of Rogue Leader. This mode, however, uses the Rebel Strike engine, so a few features have been changed. For example, the A-Wing's concussion missiles now have an auto lock-on feature. There are several problems with the co-op version, however. Four examples are:
- Continuous spawning of AT-PTs on Kothlis -- even after your objective to "destroy all AT-PTs" is ticked off
- Gun turrets in Bespin do a lot more damage
- Only one Cloud Car in Bespin
- In Imperial Academy Heist after both players get into the shuttle if you get into the TIE fighter the gunner will be on the TIE fighter as a gunner.
[edit] Reception
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| Compilations of multiple reviews | ||
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Rogue Leader got the best reviews among the GameCube launch titles, getting praise for its gameplay and graphics, considered some of the best in the console[7].
Rogue Leader was also the most successful third-party game of the GameCube launch (and the second overall, behind Nintendo's Luigi's Mansion), being the 7th best-selling game of November 2001 [8]. The game is now available in the Player's Choice line.
[edit] Awards
- E3 2001 Game Critics Awards: Best Action Game
[edit] References
- ^ IGN review
- ^ GameInformer review
- ^ GameSpy review
- ^ GameSpot review
- ^ Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Reviews. gamerankings.com. Retrieved on 2006-01-20.
- ^ Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Reviews. metacritic.com. Retrieved on 2006-01-20.
- ^ The Top Ten Best-Looking GameCube Games, IGN
- ^ November software sales charts, GameSpot
[edit] External links
- Official Rogue Leader website
- Cheats for Rogue Leader (includes unlockable vehicles)
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader at MobyGames
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