Star Wars Starfighter is finally here, and, as expected, it serves up Wookiee-sized portions of action and adventure. Flying from either a first- or third-person perspective, players must fight their way through 14 sprawling missions that weave together the lives of three seemingly unrelated pilots. Set during the same time period as Star Wars: Episode I, the events in Starfighter parallel those of the movie, letting players participate in the conflict against the Trade Federation from a slightly skewed perspective.

Although the main missions can be completed in an afternoon, it can take weeks to earn the bronze, silver, and gold medals that unlock the games bonuses. These include extra missions, a few two-player modes, and the ability to choose any ship for each mission (including Darth Mauls incredibly powerful Infiltrator).

Most of the missions are intense, involving efforts like racing through an enemy-infested canyon or defending a base against a ceaseless procession of droid air and ground forces. The game engine can throw an overwhelming number of 3-D objects on the sc at once–such as a mission where more than 50 hostile fighters swarm nearly a dozen large capital ships. The beauty of these large battles is mesmerizing, with lasers crisscrossing, massive explosions thundering all around, and constant radio chatter alerting players to new threats.

The controls for the various fighters and bombers are extremely basic, and combat is straightforward, but there is always so much going on at once that the game mechanics almost need to be simple. The only real drawbacks to the game are a few bugs that occasionally crop up and prevent us from completing missions, and the fact that planetary missions have a low “ceiling” that prevents us from climbing very high. Even with these faults, the game exceeded our expectations, and no

5 Responses to “Star Wars: Starfighter”

1. ZeRiMaRd says:

   October 10, 2007 at 12:00 am

   This is a rare example of a great star wars videogame. The story is rich in deatil and the worlds are great. The levels are developed and in great length. There is so many ways to play this game, it is a true gem for the playstation 2. The characters are believable especially for a star wars game. I was lucky to get this game when it was available and it is also the main reason why I got the PS2.
2. Matthew Reichel says:

   February 16, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Video Game was entertaining.
   
   Video Game arrived in a very timely fashion.
   
   Video Game arrived in excellent condition.