After the brilliant Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, I had extremely high hopes when I heard there was going to be a follow up; Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike. I was then ridiculously excited when I discovered a co-op version of Rogue Leader was going to be included on the disk with it! The force certainly seemed strong with this one.
When I got the game home I couldn't believe what I was playing, it was awful. It was so awful I was in fits of laughter at how terribly horrendous it was. I played the game with friends...and we all ended up laughing at how terribly horrendous it was.
Rebel Strike didn't just have the usual aerial combat the Rogue Squadron series is known for, it also had some really confusing on-foot sections with awkward camera angles and bad gun play. The aerial combat wasn't so bad but it didn't have the same immersive impact it's predecessor had, and in fact the whole experience was pretty bland and didn't leave a lasting impression.
So Rebel Strike may have stank, but did this mean the co-op version of Rogue Leader had also fallen to the Dark Side. Oh, hell yes!
Two memories stick out in my mind, both of which occur during the Battle of Endor...
During the assault on the second Death Star; one player controls the X-Wing of Wedge Antilles, and the other the Millennium Falcon. Now when you play the game solo the AI makes sure the other ships are kept out of your way, but in co-op mode it's a totally different story. You have to keep up with each other, and because the Millennium Falcon is so bloody big, you end up crashing into the walls, oncoming Tie Fighters, your mates and everything else. It took about 8 hours, and a lot of pop and snacks, to choreograph the perfect performance to spell the end of the Death Star.
The other memory is from the battle above Endor; between the Rebel Alliance and the Star Destroyers. In this fight Lando Calrissian kindly reminds us we must buy more time to allow the band of Rebels on the planet below to break the shield protecting the Death Star. The only problem is, he won't stop reminding us...
WE GOTTA BUY MORE TIME!!!
WE GOTTA BUY MORE TIME!!!
WE GOTTA BUY MORE TIME!!!
Imagine hearing this consecutively for 10 minutes straight, we tried to gun down the Falcon just to get it to stop.
Now you're probably wondering, why is this on my 100 Happy Gaming Days list?
Despite Rebel Strike's (many) flaws, it still holds some great memories. It made us laugh for all the wrong reasons, but it still made us laugh, and taking down the Death Star with a mate totally kicked ass.
It would also be a stepping stone to the brilliant Star Wars Battlefront that arrived a year later, and many other great Star Wars games that followed from there. The Star Wars universe is bursting with anticipation to see what EA will eventually bring to the table.
Will it be a Rogue Leader? Or will it be a Rebel Strike? I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
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