Love this game!!! Live Star Wars in your living room!
The sound effects and music really bring you into the battle. The graphics (for a Gamecube) are superb. Explosions are very realistic (as far as I can tell). There is nothing better than flying an X-Wing through a flaming ball of exploding gas and metal that was, a few seconds before, a Tie Fighter.
The radio chatter provides another element to the game too. Listening to Biggs yell "you've got one on your tail Red One, veer left" is exciting while in the heat of battle. However, the computer AI is not always helpful. I have only once played a mission where my wingman mopped up the last tie fighter before moving on to the next mission. Usually I'm passing out orders to each "Awaiting your orders Red One" request. Regardless, the Gamecube controller makes it easy to issue attack/retreat/form orders with the press of the "+" button.
The level selection screen is easy to navigate, and SWRS2 provides shortcut key combinations to skip most of the cut scenes before starting a battle. It was just last night that I discovered the extra missions. If you push up on the left-hand joystick at the mission select screen, the additional missions are available. Unlock these by earning points in each battle. I must admit, earning points is a b**ch. So, grab some cheat codes and sally forth on adventure!
So, I'm off to finish destroying the second Death Star tonight. I'm sure it will be a blast!