For those of us who are considered ninth or tenth generation gamers, the Star Wars name is synonymous with fond memories of being young and imagining being in the Star Wars universe. We have longed to become part of the action. We have had endless dreams of what it would be like to take on the entire Empire ourselves. It all began with the early Star Wars games which first appeared in the 16-bit era. Those particular games had you taking on the role of either Luke Skywalker or Han Solo. You basically went through the side-scrolling games blasting everything in site. Then came the 32-bit and 64-bit Star Wars games which mostly consisted of side-story flight sims. Much to our dismay the games poorly lacked in many areas. For what has seemed an eternity the Star Wars franchise seemed damned. Release upon release was handled poorly all around, whether it was graphics, gameplay or audio. Lucas Arts artistic integrity was of much concern. Were they ever going to be able recover and deliver a product that truly deserved the Star Wars name? With much jubilation I am proud to announce that Lucas Arts has all but hit the mark with its first Playstation 2 offering Star Wars Starfighter. Those childhood dreams have finally been realized in this fine flight action/adventure combining intense air and space combat in rich 3D environments.

From the initial announcement that Starfighter would be appear on PS2 there was the usual excitement of the prospects of a new Star Wars game on a next generation console. Month by month we were treated to screens and more screens. The visuals were simply impressive. The lighting effects looked spectacular and the environments looked rich. Then came the in-game video footage. It also looked equally impressive and quite smooth. But the burning question was how would it play. It is safe to assume that the decision to push back the release of Starfighter from December 2000 to February 2001 gave the development team some extra time to fully tweak the entire product. The fruit of their labor has boded well. The game looks gorgeous and plays equally as well.

The visuals are eye candy. The environments have been designed with utmost detail. The canyon levels really give you that sensation of flying by the seat of your pants. Everything blazes by at a constant 60 frames per second refresh rate. There were only minor instances of stutter here and there due to the multiple explosions. However, what makes this game scream next generation is its ability to have huge numbers of fighters on the screen at once all going at it with lasers ablazing everywhere with no slowdown. You wanted to feel that intensity that was found in the ending of each Star Wars movie? This is where you can get some heavy doses. The final battle takes a page from Episode I as your fleet must attack a Trade Federation command post. All sorts of action going on around you as you take on waves of enemies and try to infiltrate the station. Very nicely done indeed. The explosions are also nice to look at. You work hard to destroy targets so it is pleasing to be awarded with a nice explosion. The ship designs are also equally impressive. There are 3 ships you will command as you take role of each of the three main characters. Naturally there are a few hidden gems once you complete the game. Let's just say something to do with Darth Maul is out there for you to earn. Top off all of this visual splendor with an equally impressive soundtrack. Nothing can out do John Williams original soundtrack that symbolizes Star Wars. It is present along with a wide variety of sound effects taken from the Lucas archives. The voice acting is pretty standard, but who cares? This is not about listening to what people say, it is all about the action.

Yes, I have heard it all before but what about gameplay? Lucas Arts has done a brilliant job utilizing the best features of the Dual Shock 2. I have read a few complaints about the control but I am not sure what all the whining is about. As with any flight game there is going to be a learning curve. I felt this learning curve was quite small and within half an hour of playing I was ready to take on the more challenging levels. Both analog joysticks are used to allow the player precise control of their ship. All of the weapon buttons are easily accessible. The digital pad is used for changing strategies within a level. For example, if your primary target requires a lot of fire power to disable, you can direct your squadron to focus all of their attention on your target. Alternatively if you are being attacked you can call for assistance. It is this versatility which makes the gameplay a little deeper than usual. The levels themselves consist of a variety of search and destroy missions to providing coverage for bases or escaping air ships. Each of the three ships you will command have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. They control a little differently which will result in some additional flight time. My only complaint with control comes into play when you change from first person view to third person view. The later feels as if the camera hasn't pulled back far enough. It is quite awkward to control in this view and I was really hoping to have a smoother interface. Therefore, first person is the preferred view for the duration of the game.

Starfighter has a lot to offer in terms of value. There are 14-plus missions for you to play through. Each level has 3 difficulty levels and specific goals and bonus goals to achieve. As in past Star Wars flight games you must earn 3 medals to truly clear each level. You will be awarded with bonus missions and hidden ships that you can choose to play the entire game with. Perhaps the biggest complaint with the game is the lack of a true dedicated multiplayer mode. There are a couple of hidden 2-player games that can be earned with cheat codes but it appears these were thrown in at the last minute. Perhaps this is something Lucas Arts will include in a follow up. Nevertheless there is a lot here to keep you busy for quite some time.

In sum, Starfighter is the Star Wars game we have been waiting years for. Finally a game worthy of the franchise name that boasts pretty visuals, tight control and edge of your seat action. A solid game to add to your Playstation 2 library.

Shawn's Comments
I came into this game expecting a lot. Some of my expectations were fullfilled while others were not, and then again I was also left baffled as to some of the faults I found in the game. Yes the graphics are incredible for the most part and the framerate is high about 70% of the time but at other times it gets bogged down. The sound is everything I expected and then some. There is no doubt the PS2 can sure pump out some fantastic quality tunes and effects. However I was baffled as to why LucasArts did not include a radar which is a standard instrument for any space combat game. Instead it is replaced with a tedious automatic targeting system which works fairly well but cannot make up for the lack of a radar in my opinion. I always liked being able to see where in relation to my aircraft where the enemies were around me but in Starfighter this is no longer possible. Some of the level's designs are arguably a bit flawed. Some are fun while others (ie: the final mission) resort to cheating on the part of the AI in order to create a challenge for the player. Yes I've noticed how the Merc Leader flies straight through that bulkhead!

Aside from it's flaws, Starfighter's classic Star Wars gameplay, innovative "sniper" scope and atmosphere still come out on top to provide a great, fast paced shootem' up for the PS2.