An audio-visual tour-de-force, Rogue Leader is one of the Gamecube's most impressive and entertaining games.
Graphics: One word sums up Rogue Leader's graphical prowess: AMAZING! No game I've seen on any platform has caught me more by surprise than the graphical beast that is the Rogue Leader engine. While I suppose that I shouldn't be all that surprised, Factor 5 did some great work on the Nintendo 64 after all (Rogue Squadron & Indiana Jones & the Infernal Machine in particular), I suppose that I just wasn't prepared for the leap they were able to take from the Nintendo 64. Not only are the ship models extremely accurate to their motion picture counterparts (I've read specs that state that they're actually MORE detailed than the 3D models used in the Special Editions), but the textures are top-notch. The level of detail is also amazing. Not only have the environments from the films been effectively recreated (one might argue that some even look better), but the little things, such as stormtroopers running around and turbolasers firing in the distance as far as the eye can see, convince you at times that you are actually there. Via the GameCube, Factor 5 has basically accomplished in real time what fans have been wanting for years...a chance to PLAY the movie. Sure, I might be exaggerating just a bit, but I will not be guilty of underrating Rogue Leaders visuals; they are that good. Besides, as a long-time fan of the classic Trilogy (hey, I've played the Atari computer version of Star Wars Arcade!), you'll forgive me for that. Impressive...
Sound: If you've ever watched a Star Wars movie, you'll know what to expect here. The sound effects, voice-overs and John Williams' trademark soundtrack are all here, and in fine fashion. Thanks to the mini-DVD medium, a Star Wars game on a Nintendo system has never been better. In the advent of the surround-sound home theater, Rogue Leader's ProLogic II surround sound is also welcome. While you have to have a newer receiver to be able to take full advantage of the format, it still sounds very good on my older ProLogic receiver, so good in fact that you can hear the TIE's coming up from behind. It's hard for a game that LOOKS this good to blow you away in the sound area, but let me be the first to say, that Rogue Leader *ALMOST* pulls it off. Most impressive...
Gameplay: Where many licensed games fall short is the area of gameplay, and there has been more than one Star Wars game to fall prey to that trend. Fortunately, Rogue Leader manages to play extremely well: controls are well-laid out and responsive, while the design, which can be difficult, never seems that overwhelmingly difficult. That being said, there is very little new here. It's basically Rogue Squadron with better graphics after all. Right? Not quite... While the play mechanics of the original are basically unchanged, there are two areas that have been improved upon GREATLY: 1) SPEED & 2) AI. In Rogue Squadron, there were points in the game where you just felt like your X-Wing was literally CRAWLING across the sky. You won't have that sensation here. While your ship still never seems to move as fast as you need it to (remember, the TIE's are faster than just about anything the Rebellion has...even the A-Wings can't quite do it), the sensation of speed is there, particularly when skimming over the surface of a Star Destroyer or some other large-scale obstacle. As for the AI, I'm not so much referring to the forces of the Empire as I am your fellow Rogue Squadron members. You can't depend on them to do all the work, but their reactions to your commands are responsive, as you can actually see them doing the order you just issued.
Theme: This is a Star Wars game, and if that says anything, it's that there are thousands of (rabid?) fans waiting for more realistic immersion into the Star Wars universe than games have allowed. While Star Wars Galaxies promises role-playing in the classic Star Wars universe early next year, no game captures the speed and epic scale of the space battles of the Star Wars films like Rogue Leader does right now. The scale of the game, the size of the Star Destroyers and Death Star, the swarms of TIE Fighters, it truly is one aspect of the Star Wars experience on a grand scale. With the space expansion of Star Wars Galaxies well over a year away, no other title puts you there like this. You'd need your own astromech droid for it to be any more convincing.
Overall: While launch titles are almost never considered to be representative of what a hardware platform is capable of, it's hard not to think that Factor 5 has been able to tap into the GameCube's capabilities at an unrivaled degree. By staying with the formula that had proven successful on the N64 with Rogue Squadron (and the lest touted Battle for Naboo), Factor 5 has been able to refine the gameplay for a game that's ultimately very easy to just pick up and play, but difficult enough to master. Perhaps the biggest compliment that can be given to the game though, is that once you have mastered it, you might just want to take it for another spin, if only to take in all the beautiful scenery.
Final Grade: 94%