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LucasArts’
highly-anticipated Star Wars: Starfighter for the PS2 is an outstanding
mission-based shooter that satisfies on many different levels. Its intrinsic
quality and polish more than makes up for the many disappointing Star Wars
titles that have come out for the console in recent years, there can be little
doubt that this title is a must-own for any PS2 owner. The deep mission based
play allows for plenty of variety while the action-packed gameplay is fun and
challenging. The game’s rich graphics push the limits of the PS2’s power and
combine with the deep play make the experience one of the best overall PS2 games
to date. What’s even better is that the game expands on the Star Wars galaxy
without losing the essential appeal of the series. This is because
Starfighter’s plot is faithful to the Star Wars universe, immersing players
into an action-packed gaming experience that feels quite cinematic without
losing sight of gameplay. In addition, an expansive mission structure allows for
varied missions that are fun without becoming overly frustrating. The way the
game switches action from character to character is seamless. This allows for
loads of variety and challenge while also weaving together an epic and
engrossing plot and most importantly keeps monotony at bay. This is great for
the most part, but there are a few missions that are incredibly difficult at
first and must be played multiple times until they are completed successfully.
This can get aggravating but players with persistence and patience are
commeasurably rewarded with an incredible gaming experience. Even jaded players
will be impressed immediately by the title’s impressive graphics.
Starfighter’s visuals show plenty of polish and cohesiveness, taking full
advantage of the PS2’s powerful hardware with ship and world designs that show
a high degree of creativity and attention to detail. Finally, the excellent
controls make the flying interface simple to learn and master without
sacrificing depth or versatility in commands. Starfighter’s
story takes place parallel to Episode I and allows you to play as one of three
different characters during the course of the game. It’s a great story with
believable, sympathetic characters who come together slowly. Those looking to play through the game as Obi-Wan Kenobi or
Anakin Skywalker will be disappointed since they don’t appear in this spin-off
but on the bright side, neither does Jar Jar Binks. Fortunately, even though the
characters are new, they fit well in the Star Wars universe and are fleshed-out
quite convincingly, considering they exist as complete CGI virtual creations.
This is due in large part to its plot, which is surprisingly convincing and deep
for a game – there are some hackneyed elements but for the most part this is a
thrilling game that serves as a nice compliment to Episode I. For its duration,
the title weaves a good tale as the three seemingly disparate stories converge
later on to make for a huge climax, neatly aping the feel of the movies while
also complimenting them. In many regards and spirit, the more straightforward
story of Starfighter is closer in spirit to the original trilogy than the
prequel was and makes the game more enjoyable to die-hards, many of whom were
quite vocal in their disdain for the childish parts of Episode I. An
excellent storyline makes Starfighter’s mission structure seem logical because
the game switches between the different characters seamlessly without losing the
plotline’s cohesiveness. This has a huge impact on how the game plays. It is
best to think of Starfighter as a hybrid that combines the depth of a PC space
simulation with the action packed gameplay of a console title. While Starfighter
exists between the two planes, those on either side may find it too much of the
other for their taste. For example, PC players may not like this because it
feels like a watered down simulation, while console gamers will probably find it
a bit slower and more cerebral than they are accustomed to. In the end however,
the game seems to exist in a comfortable middle ground gameplaywise that offers
the best structural aspects of each that it should satisfy both camps. In the
end, the game succeeds because its switching character perspectives allow for
more variety in the action. This is great because Starfighter’s planet-surface
and space-based missions make for a versatile playing experience. Additionally,
the three characters each have their own ships. The famous yellow Naboo fighter
makes an appearance, as do two other unique fighting craft. While the controls
on each of the three ships are all similar, each ship features their own control
nuances that players will have to adjust for. In addition, each of the ships
have their own set of super-weapons. The changing locales range from exotic
planet-surfaces to deep space only enhance the game’s expansive feel covering
many different areas while giving the game quite a bit of visual versatility.
Starfighter’s mission structures are intelligent and challenging because
players have to deal with different objectives for each mission, ranging from
reconnaissance to shoot to kill. What’s
most impressive about the missions are their large scale and sheer magnitude –
there are literally dozens of ships and events occurring simultaneously to each
other during the missions. This can be a bit confusing at some points because it
can overload your sense of proportion, but on the other hand, it also helps to
immerse the player further into the game. The real trick to the game is to
“use the Force” to really concentrate on your own objectives and not allow
yourself to be distracted by the many other things going on. The missions are
well designed and run the gamut from protecting ships to fighting Trade
Federation vessels and destroying various installations – there is a great
deal of versatility in the design which keeps the replay value high. You have to
complete all the main objectives to beat the missions which is great, but some
of the missions are very long and replaying them all the way through because of
a small error can get very frustrating at certain points. On the plus side,
while there may be too much going on sometimes, the large levels also allow
plenty of freedom to explore the game environments. With many events unfolding
simultaneously, some strategy comes along with the action. You have to figure
out which objective to complete first, though this is obvious in most cases it
is not always clear. A big help comes in the form of the ship’s auto-target, which is surprisingly intelligent. The auto-target usually locks in on the most important objective at that moment, instead of mindlessly tracking the closest enemy. This makes playing much easier, but the game is far from a cakewalk. Another factor to consider are the wingmen on your sides. You can command the wingmen to attack specific enemies or report the current mission status – this is a significant asset to the game because it allows you to feel even more immersed in the action. Controlling them is simple, just use the digital pad and you’re all set to go with the commands simple to understand thanks to the on-screen labels. Knowing how to deploy your wingmen plays a crucial role throughout the game, especially in later levels, with much of mission successes riding on your decisions. The Wingmen are handy when you face an armada of attackers and need some support to get you through a rough spot or need a refresher on your objectives during the heat of battle. This lends a surprising amount of richness to the experience that’s relatively uncommon in console titles and one of the main reasons why Starfighter is such a satisfying experience. This utilization of wingmen allows sub-plots within missions to appear, adding more to the storyline without detracting from the bigger quest. It doesn’t hurt that the voice-acting here is also well-done. Unfortunately,
despite it’s polish and the impressiveness of the engine and gameplay
structure, there are some flaws that detract from the experience a bit. While
Starfighter’s storyline is quite engrossing, there are only 14 main missions
in total, which is a shame. Adding more missions to the main quest would have
made for a deeper game, allowed for more character development and could have
greatly reduced the game’s unfortunate reliance on bonus missions. There is a
mitigating factor, however, and that is that some of these are quite long and
extremely difficult. The difficulty is especially apparent as you reach later
levels, some of which verge on impossible. They are beatable but only after
repeated play – this gives the game poor balance. It would have been better if
there were more missions that were shorter and less taxing, but still this
should not be enough to dissuade gamers as Starfighter’s redemption comes in
the form of it’s sheer excellence. It should be noted that in addition to the
main quest, there are also bonus missions that while not affecting the main
storyline add significant replay value and allow you to improve your flying
skills. It is disappointing that these missions don’t enhance or elaborate on
the main storyline making them little more than training exercises. There is
some motivation in unlocking them since they add to the gameplay time. Unlocking
the bonus missions requires that you complete extremely difficult bonus
objectives during the regular missions and further, there are also objectives in
the bonus missions with unlock yet more missions, giving the game layers of
challenge. This means you have to play through the same missions repeatedly
until you can beat them almost perfectly in order to open the bonus missions -
this can get old in a hurry. It also would have been good if the game had other
things to unlock, such as ships, characters or, a branching plotline, because it
gets a bit dull just opening more missions repeatedly. While this is a good
structure overall, there are obvious improvements could have been implemented
that would have made this excellent game an extraordinary event. This may be a
function of console game expectations, but still there are some nagging flaws
with the overall structure that diminish the long-term appeal somewhat. The
gameplay structure is well-done for the most part, and the other essential
ingredient, an intuitive control system and a complimentary smartly designed
interface are also in place to make the game that much more enjoyable.
Starfighter’s controls are intuitive and work perfectly with the Dual Shock 2
controller while simulating a believable sensation of flight – the game allows
for quite a bit of versatility without getting bogged down in excessive
complexity and complications. Learning the controls is quite a simple task
thanks to the early levels that serve as training missions. The way the game is
structured allows players to gradually learn the methods and timing to the
myriad of commands, adding more layers as the missions become increasingly
elaborate. For example, you don’t have wingmen in the first few missions and
their uses are constrained at first, allowing you to slowly accumulate the
knowledge you’ll need without throwing you into the action without a net. The
interface of the game is excellent, clear and concise and doesn’t clutter the
screen with unnecessarily confusing bells and whistles. Using the tracking and
other devices is a snap. The on-screen indicators are simple, allowing you to
quickly locate the enemy ships. The targeting system is also quite intuitive as
well. Adding to the game are the wingmen controls, which allow you to command
and communicate with supporting craft. A sniper mode allows you to zoom in for
extremely accurate shots when you need to destroy specific objects. The controls
are transparent for the most part, making the focus squarely on the action yet
allowing the player quite a bit of freedom and versatility. Starfighter’s
excellent graphics display the PS2’s power with excellent ship models and
environments with detailed textures and few of those annoying jaggies evident in
any area of the game. This is truly a landmark title. It pushes the technical
abilities of console forward from a visual standpoint with unprecedented
smoothness and attention to detail. The planet surfaces and deep space vistas
look incredible throughout the game, offering gobs and gobs of eye-candy. In
addition, the game runs at a smooth frame rate, which is all the more impressive
when you consider the volume of objects that are onscreen simultaneously. The
individual objects display a great deal of detail and the high polygon counts
make for a believable world that feels consistent and beautiful in some aspects.
The renderings of the planet Naboo are especially commendable and truly allow
players to feel as if they are flying through canyons on the surface of the
planet. StarFighter’s extensive special effects such as flares, explosions,
and shading are abundant and incredibly impressive throughout with lasers,
flares, and reflecting lighting up the screen in brilliant color and design.
Some of the levels are stunning and seem almost magical in their realism and
design. You really have to let it sink in and allow yourself to be immersed into
the action; it is only then that you can begin to fully appreciate the sheer
amount of effort that has gone into the game. There are two especially levels:
one that takes place on the mining planet and another inside a Federation
starship which are some of the most memorable areas ever to appear in a Star
Wars video game title. The visuals in these levels are nothing less than
astounding and truly set the bar higher for other developers while immersing the
player deeply into the game. What’s great about all this technical proficiency
is that the visuals convey the Star Wars universe in such a way as to remain
faithful while introducing heretofore unseen planets into the Star Wars lexicon.
It’s all highly polished and not surprisingly, the space-based areas are quite
impressive visually with massive cargo ships and huge planets taking the player
directly into that galaxy far, far away. Not surprisingly, Starfighter looks and
plays much better in the first-person mode making for a more immersive game.
While its outside the ship views are nice, they fail to have the impact that
playing the game in cockpit perspective offers. There are some minor glitches
involving object collision detection and polygon breakups some areas, which can
potentially be a major drawback. Players should compensate for this by allowing
for it. It can be very aggravating depending on your point of view, but given
the ambition and design of Starfighter, it’s a small problem in the grand
scheme of things and is there is really nothing that ruins the experience. With
such attention paid to the visuals, you’d expect the soundtrack to be just as
excellent and it is. Legendary composer John Williams’ memorable score adds
that classic Star Wars feel to the background music that enhances the visuals
and sets the stage as brilliantly for the game as it did in the film. Hearing
the memorable score in the background should be more than enough to get your
pulse quickening. Heightening the game even more are the impressive sound
effects that also add to Starfighter’s evocative atmospherics. The most
important aspect of the game are the actors used in the duration. Above-average
voice acting adds a professional feel to the proceedings and the impressive
performances lend believability and some depth to the characters. This is all
the more impressive when you contrast the characters in Starfighter with the
generic cardboard characters and threadbare plotlines that populate many other
space shooting games. All of the actors seem to be well cast and fit the
appearance of the character models used in the game and help to make the plot
that much more immersive and exciting to experience. What’s even better is
that each character’s wingmen are all performed by a unique cast, giving the
player a further sense of depth and gravity. Few action games have been able to
suspend a player’s disbelief as well as this game has. Despite
some minor graphics glitches and too much repetitiveness in its mission
structure, this is an excellent title. The immersive storyline synchronizes
perfectly with Starfighter's challenging gameplay to create one of the most
challenging and satisfying PS2 games yet released and one of the best Star Wars
console titles overall to date. It doesn’t hurt that Star Wars: Starfighter
features some of the most impressive graphics seen on the console to date. The
fact that it lives up to ambition in most areas and doesn’t disappoint when so
many other anticipated PS2 titles have up to this point is something akin to a
miracle. Since the storyline ties in so nicely to Episode I, while also
expanding the storyline to include new characters and worlds, this should add
greatly to the title’s appeal amongst Star Wars fans. Starfighter is highly
recommended for space-combat fans. While it isn’t perfect by any means, it’s
still enormously deep and challenging. This makes for a more-than-satisfying
game should erase the memories of the more dismal Star Wars console titles from
fans’ minds and should make the wait for Episode II easier to take.
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