A short time ago, at a store near you, LucasArts delivered to the PlayStation 2 it's first space shooter. While not quite "your father's star wars", Star Wars Starfighter provides an intense but fun romp in a galaxy far far away.

The story of Starfighter tells the tale of three pilots who are forced to unite by circumstances against the Trade Federation, all during the events of Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace. Now, the game doesn't follow the story line of the movie, but you do participate in some of the battles. Each pilot has their own reasons for fighting the Federation, and two of them have genuine reason to not like each other at all. These conflicts are worked out a little to quickly in my opinion, but the plot is enjoyable, even going so far as to explain a few of the nagging quips with the movie itself.

Starfighter puts you at the controls of 3 ships; each piloted by a different character. The gameplay is similar to Rogue Squadron in that certain missions must be done with certain ships. Only in this game you don't get the choice of which fighter you want to use. Your options for the fighters are pretty standard, with the quick yet weak N-1 Starfighter of Rhys Dallows, the middle of the road, not as fast but more powerful Guardian Mantis of Vana Sage, and a heavy bomber; the Havoc flown by space pirate/scoundrel yet basically good guy Nym.

Standard flight controls are handled with the two analogue sticks. Rolling is controlled with the right hand stick, and pitch as well as yaw (or rudder) is controlled with the left stick. This makes for a unique flying style, as at times it feels more like you are driving your fighter rather than flying it. In fact it is possible to powerslide in these fighters, a move once reserved for driving games. The dual stick control scheme works well, mostly. It does suffer, though, when you are trying to do multiple things at once, like firing missiles and rolling at the same time. There are two fire buttons for the lasers, one on the shoulder and one on the face of the pad, so that problem seems to have been noticed and given some thought.

Special mention should be made of the zoom feature introduced in this game, a feature which I personally feel is revolutionary, to the point that I can't play another spaceflight sim without looking for the zoom button. It's one of those simple things that you can't believe somebody else didn't think of first. Perhaps its because I like to use sniper rifles in games that I love this scope, but whatever the reason, I hope more companies make use of this brilliant idea, if for no other reason than to save my sanity in the future when playing games like this one.

Another notable highlight of mention is in regards to Starfighter's sound effects. This is the first Lucasarts console title to feature full dialogue throughout the entire mission. From Rhys trading barbs with mercenary pilots to Vana and Nym giving commands to other pilots in the mission to secondary characters yelling for help or providing you with your next mission goal, Starfighter tells it's story not just through cutscenes, but through in-mission voice overs. You almost feel as if you are living the battle. As for the sound effects and musical score, I won't give the standard Star Wars equals awesome music and sound effects. You know by now just how cool the John Williams movie soundtracks really are. (If you don't, then its time to come out of the bomb shelter and get caught up with the rest of the world. Go to your local video store and rent Star Wars). The sound effects are taken right from the movie wherever possible or necessary (like the N-1 Starfigher's engines), and even the new sounds fit right into the Star Wars universe.

Graphically the game is excellent. As this is the first space shooter for the PlayStation2, I don't have any same system comparisons for you, but when stacked up against the impressive looking Starlancer for Dreamcast, there is nothing at all in the game that looks disappointing. If you didn't adopt the Dreamcast, and the last space shooter you played was on the PlayStation this game will totally blow you away. Some will tell you that this game looks only marginally better than Rogue Squadron for the N64. Don't listen to them. They are either fanatics who can't stand Sony or they just haven't seen the game running. The differences between Rogue Squadron and Starfighter are best seen when comparing the lava levels in each game. In Rogue Squadron, you couldn't see a thing past the nose of your fighter, while in Starfighter you can see far beyond. There is still a small amount of popup, but nothing like the inexplicable pop-up as seen in Rogue Squadron. Though graphically appealing, LucasArts does fall into the trap of rehashing levels. The only distinction is that the missions are depicted in day/night enviroments, varying the type of weapons deposited on the ground - not very original.

The most significant aspect that prevents Starfighter from a higher rating is the exceptional replay value it offers; fourteen levels simply aren't enough to keep you coming back. To elaborate, playing the game on the easiest setting, I completed Starfighter in a day, increasing the difficulty to intermediate - a week. One can form your their own conclusions about Starfighter's long term appeal. Fortunately, the special missions and multiplayer extends the game's longevity. Starfighter uses a system of medals you are awarded for completing various objectives which can earn you additional bonuses. In addition, you'll discover that most of the missions are challenging enough to incite you to play them again and again. It's unfortunate that when you compare the quantity seen in titles such as Starlancer and Colony Wars that offer wll over 30-40 missions, 14 levels just gives you the impression that the action has just begun.

Although lacking an abunance of replay value, Starfighter is the best game LucasArts has developed in a long, long time and they should be praised for their efforts. The sniper scope is too good not to be given special attention, as Starfighter will be remembered as the game that first introduced the scope to space sim gamers. In addition, the sound effects and vocals, as well as the graphics are second to none. The fact that they made the game more enjoyable by explaining a few elements left out of the film is a bonus.

The force is strong with this one.

Screens courtesy of LuacasArts.com

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