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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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MARTIN |
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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 |
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JIM |
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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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