Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
Third time’s the charm.
by Susie Vee

PLATFORM: GC

PUBLISHER: Lucasarts

DEVELOPER: Factor 5

GENRE: Action

ESRB: Teen

We’ve always been big fans of the Rogue Squadron series. With their arcade-style action and groovy best-of moments from the Star Wars films, they were great casual games for some quick pick-up fun.

With the third game in the series, Factor 5 has come up with some new twists to keep the series fresh. And that’s no small task, as there are only so many return trips you can make to the frozen ice planet of Hoth before things start to get old.

The big new feature in Rebel Strike is the ability to occasionally get out of your cockpit and run around shooting bad guys. It sounds simple enough, but it’s great fun.

If you’ve played the previous games in the series, than the 2/3 of the game you spend in the air will be very familiar. The on-foot sections control a little awkwardly and take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll enjoy the mindless rail-style shooting.

There are also a few cool new vehicles to pilot, including AT-STs (those two-legged robot thingies) and speeder bikes.

The only problems we had were similar to complaints about the earlier games in the series. Some of the missions have unclear objectives (like figuring out to pick up some bombs and dangle them a rope and fly then into the pylons of a bridge) and that can lead to some frustrating replaying of levels.

As in the other Rogue Squadron games, the best levels are the ones that directly ape scenes from the movies. Some of the standout levels – like rescuing Princess Leia from the Deathstar -- are the ones you unlock by earning points when you get a bronze, silver or gold metal rating on a level. In an added bonus, you can also unlock some classic Star Wars arcade games.

If you’re a fan of the previous games in the series, you’ll find Rebel Strike to be a great update. If you’re new to the series, you’ll appreciate the grab-and-go gameplay. Now…if we could only unlock Princess Leia as a playable character.