Fly! for Windows

Ok, I am a little behind on getting to play cool Ultra-3D Games such as Rogue Squadron. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had a PI-233 with a 2MB Video Card. :) That all changed when I ordered a 600 Mhz Athalon with a 32 MB 3D Video Card, so I decided to check out some of the cool 3-D games I had acquired but were unable to play, up until now.

First on my list was Rogue Squadron 3-D. Being a huge Star Wars fan, and lover of the games "X-Wing" and "Tie Fighter" (But very disappointed with the Rebel Assault series) I was interested to see what direction this game would go to.

I was impressed. The sound was immersive and powerful, the graphics were top notch, and the gameplay was, for the most part, extremely smooth.

However, this is definitely more of an Arcade style shooter than a Simulator, so hardcore Star Wars fans will find some annoying inconsistencies, such as unlimited power to your lasers.

Gameplay was extremely smooth, although a couple of times when banking into sharp turns, the action would bog slightly. The camera angles, besides your main angle, while cool to look at, were basically unplayable. And with the main camera angle, when dogfighting sometimes it would become tough to see the enemy ship.

My only other main complaint involves the dialogue, which, ala pretty much every video game, is annoying and cliche.

I loved the in-game difficulty modifier of the different "medals" acquired after each level, it allowed you to go through the game a little easier, or take the high road for better rewards, and I like games that have that sort of goal based challenge factor, as did X-Wing and Tie Fighter with the Mission Objectives system.

So while not a sim, Rogue Squadron offers many great features for those who want to play a beautifully deisgned fast paced arcade style game in the Star Wars universe. The graphics and sound were top notch, and the gameplay was smooth, and I loved the Medal element.

Mr_D