Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

Overview

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron or Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D is an arcade-style flight action game co-developed by Factor 5 and LucasArts. The first of the Rogue Squadron trilogy, it was published by LucasArts and released for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 64 in December 1998. The game's story was influenced by the Star Wars: X-wing, Rogue Squadron comics and is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, taking place primarily between events in the films Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. The player controls Luke Skywalker, commander of the elite X-wing pilots known as Rogue Squadron. As the game progresses, Skywalker and Rogue Squadron fight the Galactic Empire in 16 missions across various planets.

Gameplay is presented from the third-person perspective, although players can switch to first person if they prefer. The game's objectives are divided into four categories: search and destroy, reconnaissance, rescue, and protect. The player can control up to five standard craft, with an additional two unlockable bonus craft on PC version, and three on 64 version. Each offers a unique armament arrangement, as well as varying degrees of speed and maneuverability. Bonus power-ups that improve these craft's weapons or durability are hidden in different levels throughout the game. After each level, the player's performance is checked against three medal benchmarks. Acquiring these medals promotes the player's rank and helps unlock hidden content.

Rogue Squadron's focus on flight combat was directly inspired by a level in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire that allowed the player to pilot a snowspeeder. Working together during development, Factor 5 designed the game engine, the music, and worked closely with Nintendo, while LucasArts produced the game's story and gameplay and ensured it was faithful to Star Wars canon. Before the game's release, Factor 5 appealed to Nintendo to commercially release the Nintendo 64's newly developed memory Expansion Pak. Consequently, Rogue Squadron was one of the first games to take advantage of the Expansion Pak, which allows gameplay at a higher display resolution.

Official trailer

Gameplay video. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

Nintendo 64 Longplay: Star Wars Rogue Squadron, N64 Archive. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Shooter

Developer

Factor 5, LucasArts

Publisher

Nintendo, LucasArts

Series

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

Platforms

Nintendo 64, Windows

Age rating

ESRB T

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

ESRB

T

USK

12

Release dates

Editions

Check out the store

Space and patches

Update patchNo patch

DLC

No DLC. Nintendo 64 games had no downloadable content.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single player only, with no online features. The cartridge runs on any Nintendo 64.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	Nintendo 64	85	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
Nintendo Power	9.1	10
IGN	8.8	10
GameSpot	7.9	10
GamePro	5	5
AllGame	4	5
Next Generation	4	5

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developers	Factor 5, LucasArts
Publisher	LucasArts
Directors	Mark Haigh-Hutchinson, Brett Tosti
Producer	Julian Eggebrecht
Designer	Kevin Schmitt
Programmers	Thomas Engel, Holger Schmidt, Amit Shalev
Artist	Craig Rundels
Composer	Chris Huelsbeck

Notes for collectors

• An arcade-style flight game rather than a space sim, and one of the first games to use the Expansion Pak for a higher resolution.
• Reviewers praised the flying but disliked the heavy distance fog and the lack of any multiplayer mode.
• Sold more than one million copies by August 1999, beating expectations.
• Factor 5 followed it with two GameCube sequels, Rogue Leader and Rebel Strike.

Credits

Publisher

Nintendo, LucasArts

Developer

Factor 5, LucasArts

Director

Mark Haigh-Hutchinson, Brett Tosti

Released

1998-11-17

Age rating

ESRB T

Region

US

Time to beat

about 9.5 hours