The Force is with Factor 5

It's safe to say that I've played almost every Star Wars video game in existence. My humble beginnings were with X-Wing for the PC, which led quickly to Tie Fighter, Dark Forces, X-wing VS Tie Fighter, Jedi Knight, etc etc etc, and so forth. So of course as soon as I got ahold of a Gamecube for myself, the very first game I picked up was Rogue Squadron. I sat down to play it, and was in for the treat of my life.

Gameplay
The gameplay is outstanding. The game consists of one Training Mission on Tatooine (where you fly a T-16), ten regular missions, and three secret missions that you can unlock by earning medals in the missions. There are three medals (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) for each mission. Bronze is worth 3 points, Silver is worth 6, and Gold is worth 10. In order to unlock the secret missions, you need to earn points, and then can spend them to unlock the missions. This means you'll have to work very hard in order to unlock all the secret missions. Not only that, but there are special ships you can unlock by getting medals in all the ten main levels, such as The Millenium Falcon, or Darth Vader's Tie Fighter. Within the ten main levels, there are also ship upgrades hidden, such as Advanced Shields, and Homing Concussion Missiles. These upgrades come in very handy, and make it easier to complete missions, and earn better medals.

Graphics
Factor 5 went all out for the graphics, and it shows. Rogue Leader really makes excellent use of the Gamecube's power, and the visuals are amazing. My jaw hit the floor when I first played the Death Star Mission, where you have to take out Towers, TIE's, and then make the Trench Run. My head almost fell off when I unlocked the secret mission where you fly the Millenium Falcon into the Asteroid Field to avoid the Imperials. Each ship looks simply stunning, and there was no slowdown or lag whatsoever when I played the Battle Of Endor mission, where there were upwards of 50 ships on screen at once, including humongous capital ships like Star Desroyers, and Mon Calamari Cruisers. Each level was created with stunning beauty. The level where you fly into a Nebula comes to mind.

Sound
Being tight with Lucasarts has it definate advantages, as is displayed in Rogue Leader. Every sound, from TIE's screaming past you, to the sound of Imperial Laser Cannons coming towards you from the Star Destroyers, has been perfectly presented. The sounds of being hit by laser fire, and the hum and whine of your engines when you switch into Cockpit mode, is simply amazing.

Control
This is the only spot I had trouble with Rogue Leader. The Control is mostly great, but sometimes when you need exact precise aim, it takes a bit of meddling with the control stick to get it right, but you soon become use to it, and I found myself vaping TIE's with pretty good accuracy after a time.

Factor 5 has really done an impressive job on Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, and I can't wait to see what else they're capable of in the near future.