As good as it gets

Being a huge Star Wars fan, I was going to buy the game whether I heard good things or bad things about it. The first time I played it, my heart raced as the game came together.

Levels
Rogue Squadron 2 goes by a storyline that takes place during the final three of the six Star Wars episodes. Your first mission is to destroy the first Death Star. Then you go on to complete such missions as fighting in the Battle of Hoth, protecting Bespin from the Empire's control, and ultimately defeating the final Death Star. I would have to say the best level by far was the Battle of Endor. This is the final huge battle in the movie Return of the Jedi. What made this level so stunning was the incredible detail and the multitude of Tie Fighters that fly at you, just like in the movie. There are loads of fighters, and action is definitely not lost in this level. I also love the final Attack on the Death Star. This is one of the harder levels in the game, which makes sense. Starting off, you have to fly across a heavily guarded stretch on the Death Star's landscape, and find the tunnel which leads you to the reactor chamber. Finding the tunnel is easy. Flying through it takes extreme skill, patience, and persistence. You will not get it the first time, but once you do, it really gives you a sense of gratification. Once you complete the levels, you find that some secret levels have been unlocked. These extra levels are really cool. I do not want to divulge too much about them, but they are very cool additions to the game. The storyline of the levels ties together and makes sense, helping make this game all the better.

Gameplay
There are so many things that make this game great. I really like the choices of ships you have. You cannot fly every ship in every level, because some ships have things that others do not. For example, in one level, you must disable a shield. In order to do this, you need to use the Y-Wing, which is capable of firing ion cannons. Ships like the X-Wing cannot do that. One thing I found a little disappointing was the fact the Millenium Falcon is very difficult to control. It is very fast, but sluggish on turns. This was not the Millenium Falcon I have come to know and love. My ship of choice was the X-Wing. It is fast, extremely maneuverable, and has a nice choice of weapons. As the game goes on and you become more successful at completing levels, there are some different ships you can unlock by winning.

Most games on the market today allow the game player to change difficulty of the game. The way this game handles the difficulty level is that it does not make the level more difficult. Rather, it gives harder goals to achieve higher levels. Receiving medals is based on things such as time limits, enemies killed, limiting allied fatalities, and lives lost. The better the medal, the harder the goals are to achieve. It is possible to complete the level without receiving a medal. However, you can either obtain a bronze, silver, or gold medal. I have only gotten about 4 gold medals. Some of the required goals to obtain a gold are so difficult to achieve, I do not think they are possible. Once you get a hang of what you are doing, you will be able to figure out how to win better medals. By winning better medals, you also treat yourself to some of the hidden vehicles and levels of the game. There are really some neat hidden additions in this game.

As the first Rogue Squadron for Nintendo 64 had a radar, so does this one. It comes in very useful, however sometimes it can be very confusing to read. If there is one negative aspect about the game, this is it. The radar allows you to see your enemies, which is always helpful. However, there are a couple levels in the game where you can get turned around or lost in patches of "space fog." In these cases, you can sometimes lose your bearings and be unable to find enemies. The radar does not help you figure out whether you are facing up, down, left, right, or right where you want to be. This can be really aggravating when you are looking to get the level done quickly in order to gain a better medal. However, like I said, this would be the one criticism I would have about the game.

Graphics
What most impressed me from the start was the incredible graphics. The Star Wars fantasy world seemed to be brought to life. Everything seemed so realistic. There were none of those polygonal shapes adding that little but of unreality to the game. It seemed as if you were looking right at live action. Not one detail was missed. When you play a level, you can tell where a light source is coming from. They do a good job of creating light variances and creating depth in the surroundings. Also, many times when you play a game like this, the explosions are always the same. In this game, you do not get any of that. The explosions are different. The one detail I really thought was cool was, when you fire off a proton torpedo, there are heat waves that shoot off from the torpedo. The actions in the game flowed and there was none of that herky-jerkiness that seems to go hand in hand with action-packed games. They are just so amazingly impressive. The graphics made the game so real and made you feel like you were in the game. I believe the graphics put this game head, shoulders, and all above all other Star Wars games.

Audio
The audio added to the extreme enjoyment of playing the game. All the classic Star Wars music was included in the game. It did not seem at all throughout the game that the music was running independently from the gameplay. It all seemed to flow in sync to provide quite a pleasurable gaming experience. The voices on the game are incredibly accurate. The actor who actually played Wedge Antilles in the Star Wars movies adds his voice to the game. Overall, the audio was well done and made the game even better.

Controls
The controls are pretty easy to get the hang of. There is a practice level where you fly around a T-16 Skyhopper on the planet of Tatooine. In this level, you get the hang of using the cannons, accelerating, and targeting enemies, among other things. This level can help you get used to the controls and what you will be encountering throughout the game. What helps make this game so enjoyable is the simplicity of the joystick of the Nintendo Gamecube. The big green button is your primary weapon, the laser cannons.
The B button allows the player to fire either proton torpedoes or your ion cannon. This all depends on what vehicle you are operating.
The Z button allows the player to execute barrel rolls, which I found I rarely use, but I guess it is just fun to have the option.
The X button allows you to toggle with the views. You can either use the cockpit view, which is a visual treat. I found this a bit more difficult to get used to. I prefer the traditional view. This view is where you are viewing the entire vehicle in front of you.
The Y button also provides a handy service. As I said, there are a couple of levels that contain some "space fog," and seeing enemies can be very difficult. By pressing the Y button, your craft displays a screen that allows you to see your enemy in sort of a heat sensory mode. This button will come in handy many times throughout the game.
The Left and Right buttons on the top allow you to see your port and starboard side. I rarely use this control either. It is just another neat effect to look at.
The D pad provides a really neat service. By pressing it, "Rebel Command" gives you some options. You can either form up, attack, or retreat. By forming up, you get two ships, one on each wing, covering you. As I said, the controls are very easy, and should not take you long to get used to.

Overall
The only thing I can say is that this game is fantastic. The audio is great, the visual aspects are incredibly stunning, the levels fit into the Star Wars storyline, thus making it realistic, and the extras make the game even more fun. It is a must-have, even and especially for those Star Wars fans. If there are better things to come in the gaming world, I cannot wait to see them because this game is just about as good as it gets.