Classic Replay

GAMECUBE TRENCH RUN In 2002 LucasArts approached Factor 5 in order to attempt a modern re-imaging of the arcade classic, Star Wars, from Atari. Developed on the GameCube, this was officially the sequel to Rogue Squadron, which was originally released for the N64 and PC. I loved the original Rogue Squadron; this was probably the first Star Wars game outside of the arcade to put me in the movie. Let's face it, the original Rogue Squadron on the N64 is a massively overlooked blaster; it pulled all sorts of clever stops out of the N64's hardware. The light and shadow effects alone helped it to stand out from the crowd. It is no accident that it is one of the best looking games on the N64. Factor 5 were a talented bunch, and the game not only looked incredible but was highly detailed and interactive. Rogue Squadron II was developed in just under a year and considered by many to be the launch title to really show off the true potential...

Ever since StarWars flashed before my eyes, I've been hooked. I was just a kid back then, but the impression it left will stay with me until a right good ole' age. There's something else I probably shouldn't admit to, I had such a soft spot for the movie, I imagined playing the lead role and would pretend to shoot down Tie Fighters and ultimately the Death Star from the safety of my armchair. It had to happen, my only surprise is that it took so long. The now decidedly ropey Atari released Star Wars in 1983, it was a nice attempt at doing something new with a classic film. The graphics and sound were amazing for the time and had colourful vector graphics. It also featured the really cool heroic music of the movie, accompanied by smooth reactive-tight controls and a movie-authentic blasting noise. The speech is where it impressed the- be-Jesus outta me and at the time I thought the stuff of dreams. Star Wars was definitely my favourite game as a kid, I'd nev...