''Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike'' is an
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Factor 5
Factor 5 GmbH is an independent software and video game developer. The company was co-founded by five former Rainbow Arts employees in 1987 in Cologne, Germany, which served as the inspiration behind the studio's name.
In order to have a s ...
and published by
LucasArts
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a large ...
for the
GameCube. The game is set during the original ''
Star Wars'' trilogy and recreates battles that take place during those films. The game follows the
Rogue Squadron
Rogue Squadron is a fictional starfighter squadron in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Many surviving members of Red Squadron, the Rebel attack force that Luke Skywalker joins during the Battle of Yavin in ''Star Wars'' (1977). The squadron app ...
, which, under the command of
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in ''The E ...
and
Wedge Antilles
Wedge Antilles is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a supporting character portrayed by Denis Lawson in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. He is also featured in the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, most notably as ...
, uses
starfighters to engage and defeat the
Galactic Empire
Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of s ...
.
''Rebel Strike'' was developed as a sequel to ''
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron'' and ''
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader''. ''Rebel Strike'' added the ability for players to leave their starfighters to participate in ground battles as well as enter and pilot other vehicles during certain missions. The game also has a two-player
multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
mode allowing cooperative play for all but two missions from ''Rogue Leader''.
Gameplay
In ''Rebel Strike'' the player controls several ''Star Wars'' vehicles such as the
X-wing
The X-wing starfighter is a name applied to a family of fictional spacecraft manufactured by the Incom Corporation from the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Named for the distinctive shape made when its s-foils (wings) are in attack position, the X-win ...
and
AT-ST
All Terrain Walkers are armoured fighting vehicles from the '' Star Wars'' universe that traverse the landscape on mechanical legs. They are used by the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire, and the First Order for ground assault, reconnaissanc ...
across missions that span the movies and moments outside the films. It also contains on-foot missions in addition to the space battle missions found in the previous ''Rogue Squadron'' series games. The game also includes some unlockable classic missions inspired by the ''Star Wars'' original trilogy.
The game also features two multiplayer modes: Co-op and Versus. Co-op allows players to replay missions from ''Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader'' in split-screen, excluding the levels Triumph of the Empire and Revenge on Yavin. In Co-op, players share the same pool of lives. Versus features a variety of modes, such as Dogfight and Survival. In any Versus mode, players can pilot several craft, including X-Wings, A-Wings, TIE Fighters, and
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
's TIE Advanced.
Plot
The story is set shortly after the destruction of the
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional space station and superweapon featured in the '' Star Wars'' space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire, the Death Star is capable of annihilating entire planets into rubble, and serves t ...
above
Yavin 4
Yavin (also known as "Yavin Prime", to distinguish it from its moons) is a fictional planet in the '' Star Wars'' galaxy. It first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' and is depicted as a large red gas giant with an extensive satellite sys ...
. The Empire drives the Alliance off the moon, leaving the Alliance searching for a planet to serve as its next base. Tycho Celchu, an Imperial officer, defects to the Alliance on
Dantooine and leads it to a group of scientists on Ralltiir who wish to defect. During the battle to rescue the scientists, Rogue Squadron member Sarkli defects to the Empire. Despite this, Rogue Squadron and the scientists escape safely in a transport craft. The Rebels settle on
Hoth
Hoth is an ice planet in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. It first appeared in the 1980 film '' The Empire Strikes Back'' and has also been a setting in ''Star Wars'' books and video games.
Description
Hoth is the sixth planet of a remote ...
, but the
Battle of Hoth
''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story ...
forces them to leave as the Empire attacks and destroys their base.
The Wedge Antilles campaign takes place after the Battle of Hoth, leading a raid on
Bakura to extract rebel hostages from the orbiting prison. Sarkli leads Rogue Squadron into
Geonosis
The fictional universe of the '' Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Dis ...
' orbit, where he and Wedge both crash following an ambush by
TIE fighters and Imperial
escort carriers
The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...
. Wedge fights with
stormtroopers and
battle droid
In the ''Star Wars'' space opera franchise, a droid is a fictional robot possessing some degree of artificial intelligence''.'' The term is a clipped form of " android", a word originally reserved for robots designed to look and act like a huma ...
remnants. By making use of various pieces of deactivated
Galactic Republic
The Galactic Republic, often referred to as simply the Republic, is a fictional galactic polity depicted in the ''Star Wars'' universe, where it existed prior to the establishment of the Galactic Empire. The Republic is most prominently por ...
machinery left over from the Battle of Geonosis, he escapes and flees the system. This uncovers a ploy to wipe out part of the Alliance fleet over Dubrillion, and, in response, Rogue Squadron raids the shipyards of
Fondor to destroy a Super Star Destroyer under construction.
Emperor Palpatine
Sheev Palpatine, also known by his Sith name Darth Sidious, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Initially credited as the Emperor in the original trilogy films, ''The Empire Strikes ...
reveals that the recent battles were manipulated, making the Rebels overconfident. This proves disadvantageous to the Rebels in the upcoming Battle of Endor. Nevertheless,
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...
, having been rescued from
Jabba the Hutt
Jabba Desilijic Tiure, more commonly known as Jabba the Hutt, is a fictional character and minor antagonist in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Created by George Lucas, Jabba is voiced by Larry Ward with several puppeteers inside a one-ton puppet po ...
, disables the shield protecting the
second Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional space station and Weapon of mass destruction, superweapon featured in the ''Star Wars'' Space opera, space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire (Star Wars), Galactic Empire, the Death Star ...
over Endor while killing Sarkli, allowing the Rebels to achieve victory.
Development
The production team felt the need to expand upon the game's predecessor by adding enhanced atmospheric effects, more impressive explosions and the capability of having many more enemies on-screen at once than ''Rogue Leader'' could handle, among other improvements. The game ran into some troubled development. Because of the decision by Director of Technology Thomas Engel and Development Director Holger Schmidt to scrap all the coding of the
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...
for ''Rogue Leader'' so they could "reinvent the wheel" with the knowledge of the GameCube engine they had at that point, Factor 5 ran into various
glitches
A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as amo ...
as well as ultimately had various difficulties in development of a new landscape engine, causing it to go as long as tedious as in ''Rogue Leader'', due to underestimating the amount of time it would take to do so.
In the United States and some European countries, anyone who
pre-order
A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
ed the game would receive a special copy of the game with a playable version of the original ''
Star Wars'' arcade game immediately unlocked (which is usually unlocked after completing a certain level or entering a pair of
cheat code
Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...
s), plus a bonus disc featuring demos and trailers for several upcoming games and a concept art gallery.
Reception
''Rebel Strike'' was met with positive reception, as
GameRankings gave it a score of 76.61%,
while
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
gave it 75 out of 100.
Critics praised the intense gameplay and the ability to have more enemies on screen than on ''Rogue Leader''. However, ''Rebel Strike'' was criticized for its on-foot missions, due to its clunky gameplay and lack of refinement.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
2003 video games
Cooperative video games
GameCube-only games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Rebel Strike
Video games scored by Chris Huelsbeck
Video games developed in the United States
Video game sequels
Factor 5 games