Star Wars: Rogue Squadron - Reception

Reception

Many reviews compared Star Wars: Rogue Squadron to one of its inspirations, the Battle of Hoth flight combat level in Shadows of the Empire, considered one of that game's best elements. GamePro remarked that Rogue Squadron "enhanced the flight model with true pitch, roll, and bank mechanics". IGN praised its inclusion of "upgrades, more enemies, better sound, and stunning second-generation graphics". The Nintendo 64 version received mostly positive reviews, and received an aggregate score of 85 percent from both GameRankings and Metacritic. GamePro named it one of the best games released in 1998. In a 2008 retrospective, IGN's Levi Buchanan stated that the game revived the Star Wars license on consoles through well-paced gameplay, a story tied into the Star Wars canon and visuals that made it "one of the generation's top stunners".

The game's technical aspects were singled out for acclaim. Its visuals were called "respectable" in the standard resolution, but highly praised in high-resolution mode (achieved via the Nintendo 64's Expansion Pak). GameSpot remarked that in a higher resolution, " textures of the landscapes, the ships, the lighting effects—everything looks so much better," while IGN's Peer Schneider said, "After playing the game in the optional high resolution mode (640 × 480) once, it's impossible to go back to the still respectable standard resolution." Citing details such as decals, Rebel markings, R2 units, cockpit views and exhaust flames, Schneider described the game's 3D ship models as "gorgeous". IGN's Matt Casamassina said that the game was the best-looking Nintendo 64 game to date.

Reviewers also praised the game's sound design. Powered by the new Factor 5 audio drivers, Rogue Squadron features about 40 minutes of speech and 40 minutes of music. GameSpot's Ryan Mac Donald believed that the game's inclusion of extended voice work helped create a "movie-like" atmosphere. IGN noted that in addition to being technically impressive, the game's Dolby Pro Logic surround sound was an important gameplay element. The audio signals helped players determine enemy positions and direction of travel. IGN awarded the game three sound awards, including Sound Effects, Best Voice and Best Overall Sound of 1998 on the Nintendo 64.

Some reviewers complained about aspects of the game's visuals; critics disliked the heavy reliance on distance fog. Another common criticism of the game was the lack of multiplayer modes. GamePro's review called the omission a "serious, unforgivable sin"; Schneider believed that while adding these modes would have extended Rogue Squadron's replay value, the game was still enjoyable for its medal reward system and large number of secrets and unlockables.

Although nearly identical, the game's PC version garnered lower review scores than its Nintendo 64 counterpart, with an aggregated GameRankings score of 80 percent. This version enjoyed many of the same praises for its gameplay, but handling and graphics were cited as problematic. Directly comparing the two versions, Allgame's Brad Cook wrote that PC version's handling is more difficult than the N64 version. He believed the PC's "choppy" feel made it difficult to target enemies. In contrast to its opinion of the N64 version, IGN's PC review was not enthusiastic about the game's visuals. IGN staff remarked that Rogue Squadron's "graphics and special effects aren't spectacular" and that they had "seen better graphics" on the PC.