It would not only go on to exceed sales predictions, but also become the first truly great game for the franchise in modern times, and easily the best on the N64. This was understandable, as it hit stores the same month as “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,” then the long-awaited 3D debut of the franchise and now the unofficial “Citizen Kane” of video games.
![rogue squadron 3d koelsch rogue squadron 3d koelsch](https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/455910/ss_f39d1fd0a235b89de4df8dce750ca71568d52ca3.1920x1080.jpg)
While “Shadows of the Empire” was massively hyped and advertised alongside “Super Mario 64” as one of the N64’s launch titles in 1996, “Rogue” was trotted out with subdued anticipation in December of 1998. So popular was the first level on Hoth, in fact, that it served as the inspiration for developers to make an entire game comprised of flying missions that would become this one.Įven so, the expectations for “Rogue Squadron” were relatively low, even if only by the standards of a “Star Wars” game.
![rogue squadron 3d koelsch rogue squadron 3d koelsch](https://images.gog-statics.com/4517529c122f5f1f94a845779519d048700527bc89b071733af11a6dc02a7e12_product_card_v2_mobile_slider_639.jpg)
“Shadows” kicked its story off with an on-point snowspeeder battle on Hoth, and was followed by a couple of levels that had the player navigate Dash Rendar’s Falcon-esque “Outrider” through some other tense battles. “Star Wars: X-Wing” preceded it on DOS by five years, allowing players to steer letter-wing crafts from a first-person perspective in the cockpit. Indeed, “Rogue Squadron” wasn’t even the first attempt at distilling the exhilaration of piloting a rebel ship into a gaming experience. As LucasArt’s follow-up to the popular “Shadows of the Empire,” it presented an even greater challenge in succeeding than its predecessor. The game that did Luke, Wedge and company’s heroics the greatest justice is easily “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron” for the Nintendo 64. These happened to save the world from fascism, and allow General Rieekan to bitch at you nonstop while you try to actually fight TIEs. If that doesn’t just send your imagination soaring through the galaxy, good god, what will? (If memory serves me right, I was gracious in letting more Y-Wings survive than in the first movie.) Best of all about these galactic hot shots is that, just as many of the best elements of the films are rooted in classic history and cultural mythology, the interstellar scraps with TIE fighters, X-Wings and the like drew heavily upon footage of World War II aerial dogfights. (And of course, the Millennium Falcon, the coolest ship ever to be modeled after a burger with an olive next to it.) A great portion of my childhood was devoted to recreating X-Wing and Y-Wing missions, using the one or two I had of each to simulate an entire fleet. The designs of the star fighters remain the best in science fiction history, from the proficient and straightforward X-Wing to the sleek menace of TIE Fighters and other variants. Nothing set my heart racing as a kid (and still does) like the Rebels’ improbable assault on the Death Star, or the breathtaking final battle in “Return of the Jedi” that prompts Admiral Ackbar’s signature line.
![rogue squadron 3d koelsch rogue squadron 3d koelsch](https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/455910/ss_0591eaf70f5d6aa8bbdf5a92b8d35782cee033e0.1920x1080.jpg)
While some may prefer the meticulous intensity of a lightsaber duel or the chaos of a shootout with stormtroopers, the essence of “Star Wars” action for me lies in the space battles.
#ROGUE SQUADRON 3D KOELSCH SERIES#
Hell, even the weaker films of the series have produced some memorable spin-offs in this vein, chiefly the podracing titles from “The Phantom Menace.” Even though the official status of this expanded canon may be in jeopardy, as my colleague Terry Randolph detailed earlier, it nonetheless provides a rich well of material that’s fuelled efforts as dramatic as “Knights of the Old Republic” to more playful excursions like “Lego Star Wars.” Furthermore, no franchise has provided a wide array of action that could lead to such a diverse lineup of games, with some being able to emphasize specific thrills better than others.
![rogue squadron 3d koelsch rogue squadron 3d koelsch](https://images.gog-statics.com/d0cb596516eed75bd17919691d611a99095c2915609f89a6f80c850db58e872f_product_card_v2_mobile_slider_639.jpg)
Part of the challenge of making a truly A-grade “Star Wars” game is the sheer abundance of its universe.