But Rogue Leader truly got it right and warranted a return trip to the ice planet. In Rebel Assaultyou shot them down as opposed to tying up their legs. It might not seem like it now, but Hoth levels had become an almost tired trope in Star Wars games by Super Empire Strikes BackShadows of the EmpireRebel Assaultand Rogue Squadron all featured Hoth levels, but were often hampered by technology constraints. Throughout the main campaign, Rogue Leader takes players through a mix of missions not in the movies, from escorting Rebel convoys to dogfighting in asteroid fields to rescue operations.Īnd the sight of the crashed Star Destroyer is still pretty jaw-dropping. After surviving the initial swarm of TIEs, players engage with Star Destroyers, then move onto the surface of the Death Star and follow the Millennium Falcon inside to destroy the main reactor.Īmazing work. Here, the half-completed Death Star looms in the background, Endor is below, and giant warships battle around you.
Overall, it may be the best game adaptation of the Death Star attack ever made. You can give your wingmen limited orders on a plan of attack the in-game radar is easy to read and adds a level of strategy to the game and it captures the feeling of the original scene, from pacing to lighting to sound cues. While revisiting the level for this piece, I was amazed at how well it holds up. Using such a huge, historic battle to open Rogue Leader flipped that dynamic on its head and raised the stakes for the game immediately, throwing the player right into a key moment of the saga. For the most part, Death Star levels were always the climax of Star Wars shooters, the big payoff after hours of gameplay. In Rogue Leaderplayers control either Luke or Wedge and journey through the original Star Wars trilogy, piloting several classic ships: the X-wing, A-wing, Y-wing, B-wing, snowspeeder, along with several unlockable craft more on that later. It was clear that there was something special about Rogue Leader - and when it finally came out, it actually lived up to expectations, garnering critical acclaim and becoming a hit with fans. I loved them all, but the advance screenshots from Rogue Leader looked more detailed than any previous Star Wars game.