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Star Wars: Starfighter
PS2 Preview by Shawn Fogarty


If you are looking for a good old shoot'em up space combat game then take a look at Star Wars: Starfighter from Lucas Arts. Although the gameplay may be straight forward, this is a shooter with class and authenticity abound.

The game follows along a similar storyline to that of the movie, Episode I: The Phantom Menace where the planet of Naboo is invaded by the massive droid army of the Trade Federation. Players will fly missions as the story unfolds before them and will be able to control three characters with their own unique spacecraft and backstory. The three characters that you will take into combat against the droid army are Rhys Dallows, Vana Sage and Nym.

Rhys is a cocky Naboo pilot in training and lacks experience but is a quick and agile fighter. His craft carries proton torpedoes, laser cannons and deflector shields.

Vana is sort of a rogue pilot who looks for pay in exchange for her services as a fighter pilot but she has joined the Naboo in the fight against the Federation. She flies the Guardian, a super fast ship with stealth capability, sensors, tracking devices and a variety of weapons.

Nym is an alien pirate that flies the Havoc, a starship fitted with powerful bombs, lasers, a rotating gun turret and heavy shielding.

The game plays a lot like Rogue Squadron where you fly a series of missions with objectives to complete and gaining access to more advanced spacecraft. The first set of missions will take place in the skies over Naboo and as you move on, you will control the second character and then the last. The later missions take place in the planet's orbit in space as you fight towards the Droid Control Center, a gigantic mothership that controls the entire droid army that has captured Naboo. Your ultimate goal will be to break through the defenses and destroy the mothership to save the planet. The story will unfold throughout the twenty some missions in the game and feature an equal number of ships to fly as well, although details on them are sketchy. Some of them will no doubt have to be unlocked which should provide incentive to keep improving. Wouldn't you want to see what some of the old favorites like the X-Wing and Millennium Falcon look like in full, PS2 glory? Players will need the best ships they can get if they hope to survive the ferocious dogfights that will see them going up against over 50 different types of enemy craft.

I believe that we will all be in for a spectacular graphics display if the screen shots are any indication. Spacecraft models are designed with precision and the environments are expansive. The scenery, although a bit barren in some areas, continues on toward the horizon. There is no wall of fog to be seen. The sky textures are particularly impressive and greatly add to the sense of grandness and realism. However, some of the spacecraft seemed to be lacking any fine detail in their textures but that may improve before the game's release. But the particle system on the otherhand is amazing! There are bright, brilliant explosions that light up the screen and pieces of a destroyed ship will go flying in all directions.

We'll just have to hope that Starfighter plays as well as it looks and if it does, it will definitely be a great addition to the PS2 library.


Expected Release Date:
Oct. 26, 2000

Developer / Publisher:
LucasArts

Players:
1

Additional Pics:
hover tanks
droid control center
flying through canyon
incredible effects
explosion!




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