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REBEL ASSAULT II

Developer

Lucas Arts

Options

Distributer

Virgin

1 Player

Game Type

Shoot-em-up

Mem. Card

Review Date

May 1997

Setting the Scene

Twenty years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas stunned the movie world with the release of his futuristic masterpiece, Star Wars. This movie classic set the high standards that are still followed to this day. Who would have thought that two decades on, the Star Wars trilogy would once again be playing to packed out houses.

Rebel Assault II includes the first new Star Wars footage since Return of the Jedi, with each of the FMV scenes featuring real actors, dressed in the original costumes and surrounded by the actual props that were seen in the movies. The story of The Hidden Empire was endorsed by the great Lucas himself.

The Hidden Empire
By destroying the Death Star, the Rebel Forces proved themselves a serious threat to the Galactic Empire. Darth Vader enraged by his defeat, became obsessed with the elimination of the Alliance. Towards this end, his forces have scoured the Universe for a new weapon, one that Darth Vader hopes can catch the Alliance off guard and give the Empire undisputed rule of the Galaxy.

Genre

The game is an arcade shoot-em-up that is divided into 15 chapters. Each chapter follows your progressive adventures from a region known as the Dreighton Triangle to the grand finale at Imdaar Alpha.

Cast in the role of space cadet Rookie One, the player is allowed to sample the five essential skills that are required to become a fully fledged member of the Rebel Forces.

Using an on-screen cross-hair you must take out the enemy forces that attack your craft in a series of dog fights through a network of tunnels and open space flight levels.

Reactionary skills are required as you attempt to avoid the perils of the mined asteroid field.

Pick off the Storm Troopers with your laser gun, as they accost you from every angle, by moving your gun sight in their general direction and avoiding their fire by ducking behind scenery.

Climb on board a rookie training craft and fly through the canyons avoiding protruding rocks as you follow the path of your leader.

Pilot a Speeder Bike that is similar to the vehicle used in Return of the Jedi, through the dense forest while shooting the flying creatures.

Graphics

The graphical content is truly superb. The massive FMV cut sequences are almost cinematic quality, although the acting is a little hammy in places. The game opens with the tale of the Empire scrolling up the screen and then off into the far, far reaches of space in a style that has become a trademark of the Star Wars openings of the past.

Roll the credits. You are soon caught up in the whole Star Wars atmosphere as the camera spans the deck of the space station. Hey, there's R2-D2. No sign of any rust there. Darth Vader stands alone on the bridge as his commanding officer approaches. He has been spending the last 20 years planning a new dastardly assault on the Alliance, although he has obviously used most of his spare time turtle waxing his helmet, judging by the shine from it.

Moving off into deep space a group of enemy fighters appear from nowhere and duly take out two Rebel Sunday drivers. But how did they sneak up so close undetected? Where did they come from so quickly? How does Harrison Ford understand Wookie? Can you feel the Force? All these questions need answering.

The graphics are set over a high resolution, photographic environment which provide an accurate representation of the space battles and surrounding scenery. After a short while you feel that you are actually piloting a X-Wing fighter in a scene from the movie as you dodge the brightly lit laser beams of incoming fire. The explosions look awesome while the precise detail of the background scenery is simply jaw-dropping.

For the first time on the Playstation the FMV is of movie quality and the in game graphics are not far behind.

Sounds and Effects

The sound effects and the musical score hits the high standards that are expected from an official Star Wars production. John Williams provides the memorable music that is taken directly from the Trilogy of movies, taking you on a new high when the action becomes tension packed.

The whizzing and zapping of lasers are so well captured and crystal clear while every contact with the surrounding scenery results in an echoing thud as a part of your craft is sent flying off into space.

You hear R2-D2 chirping away in the background as you tackle a head on assault of enemy fighters, distracting, but cute. The characters speech is as good as the actors that recite their lines - average.

Playability

Well, so far, so good. The intro is stunning, the graphics are superb and the sounds are perfection. I can't wait to get stuck into this excellent game and start earning my pay as a Rebel Force pilot. Bombs away!

Chapter 1
Thrust straight into the thick of the action I checked out the controls of my fighter craft. Two views, behind craft and in cockpit, that'll do me. One fire button, simple enough and I don't need the rotate buttons in cockpit mode. Wey hey, here come those blighters. Two minutes of frantic shooting and the level is over. Hey, I must be good at this. Cue superb FMV footage.

Chapter 2
I am back on the planets surface with a laser gun in my hand. Down the corridor is three Stormtroopers who are not going to let me past without a ferocious fight. Using the shoulder buttons to pop in and out from the corner I quickly send them to an early grave in the sky. Here come some more only this time I have to pop up and down before taking a shot. Then.... that's it, but I want some more.

Chapter 3
Guiding my craft through the mining tunnels was the most challenging aspect of this game, but only because there is a section that takes an element of pure luck to pass by. This is due to the fact that your craft has a mind of it's own and decides to take the narrowest route possible. Cue superb FMV footage.

Chapter 4
Back in space again and manoeuvering through the asteroid field is a piece of cake after the last level. Even if you find this tricky, don't worry as it only lasts a couple of minutes.

Chapters 5,8 and 14.
Basically the same as Chapter 1 and lasting about the same length of time. Oh yes, and followed by some superb FMV footage.

Chapters 6, 13 and 15.
More of the tunnel flying but thankfully not so frustrating. Once you work out that you need to blast down the force shields, then you should have no problems for the length of time involved, about four minutes a level.

Chapter 7
This is a training level where you must pilot you craft through an impressive looking canyon. Beware of the low rock bridges and you should find the time to admire the scenery. For a couple of minutes. Cue superb FMV footage.

A strange thing happened next. A message came up on the screen asking me to insert disc 2. What? There must be some mistake. It was only an hour and ten minutes ago when I loaded up the game and I spent half of that time watching the superb FMV footage.

The remaining levels are similar to those on disc 1, apart from Chapter 10 which has the cool speeder bikes. Here you must guide your bike safely through a twisting course of trees in a dense forest. There are a few creatures to kill but if you leave them alone they will not harm you.

One hour and fifty nine minutes later I had completed the game on a medium difficulty setting. I dropped back to a few of the levels I had enjoyed the most such as Aboard the Terror, which was the pop out and shoot section. But then I decided to switch off and have an early night, even though it was still light outside.

Value for Money

Why? Why? Why?

Rebel Assault 2 is the best looking game that I have seen on the Playstation. It is a must for those Star Wars fans who are eager to see the first new footage for years. There is the added incentive to beat your previous score and I enjoyed most of the levels within the game, but there was just not enough gameplay.

Why? Why? Why?

Opinion

MARTIN

GRAPHICS:

Brilliant

Everything about this game was perfection apart from the gameplay. Come on, if I had wanted to watch a couple of hours of Star Wars footage then I would have rented a video. Prolonging the levels to a reasonable length would have had me shouting from the roof tops. I felt like I had just bought the house of my dreams and found there were no floors and walls inside.

SOUND:

Brilliant

PLAYABILITY:

Poor

VALUE:

Average

OVERALL
5/10

JIM

GRAPHICS:

Brilliant

Any good story should contain a beginning, a middle and an end. I guess Lucasarts just forgot to put in the middle bit, because the ending came far to quickly!

SOUND:

Brilliant

PLAYABILITY:

Poor

VALUE:

Poor

OVERALL
5/10

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