Comparing Every Rogue Squadron Game

In this video, we're taking a look at the critically acclaimed Rogue Squadron series of Star Wars flight combat games, including: Rogue Squadron (1998), Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II (2001) and Rebel Strike: Rogue Squadron III (2003)
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the_flandrew

[@m1sterF0x]

Hello! Original developer of Rogue Squadron N64 here! I loved this video but I wanted to address two inaccuracies re: the original Rogue Squadron. 1.) the original game was very much a JOINT collaboration between Factor5 and LucasArts. I was on the LucasArts side along with a group of talented artists, level designers and writers, including the late Mark Haigh-Hutchinson, who was influential in developing the starfighter handling/camera. 2.) the decision to make 'non-movie' levels was more about flexibility and variety-- it was a creative, rather than a "business" decision. If we'd done movie levels, we would have been limited a lot more in terms of what we could show and do. Lucasfilm had a lot of scrutiny about anything that occurred in the same timeline as the films. We wanted a breadth of missions and experiences beyond what the film timelines could explore, so we took inspiration from the series of Rogue Squadron novels by Michael Stackpole and others. In all of its Star Wars games, LucasArts always strived to make its use of the license innovative and original, and not just repeat movie scenes. We wanted fans to truly feel they were part of the storyline somehow-- just off-screen! Thanks for this great video. It was really fun to watch and see how much the Rogue Squadron gameplay advanced through the years.

[@jarodsole2547]

I always loved the fact that the missions were varied and followed its own story. You guys did such a fantastic job with the original rogue squadron and it is one of my favourite games of all time that I still replay all these years later. The sequels (especially 3) veered a bit away from what made the original so special. Hopefully Nintendo are able to remaster/rerelease them someday so they aren’t forgotten.

[@m1sterF0x]

@@jarodsole2547 thank you! I would love to see a remaster :D

[@christianmarrs2422]

Thank you for making such an amazing game! It was part of my childhood & remember my dad and I going in to buy this when it came out in 1998. Wonderful game!

[@1wasavi]

rouge squadron was my childhood thankyou.

[@zondarx7racer]

Awesome ! Where are you on the developers picture ?😆 (when you put BLAMEUS cheat code)

[@salmakesthings]

The fact that the whole 2nd game was in the 3rd in multiplayer on that little disc was so impressive.

[@lmno567]

That was probably the best part of that game. Shame I couldn't partake in it due to circumstances.

[@myluresstuckinatree2111]

Was the actual peak wasn’t it? Playing through the whole second game with your wingman was pretty sic

[@senorsnipey1595]

It is very impressive!.

[@howilearned2stopworrying508]

you forgot that Rogue Leader used the system clock for a couple missions. The Tatooine training has 3 or 4 different lighting sets (night, dawn, day, dusk) depending on what time of day you are playing. The shuttle heist mission has a day version in the Y-wing and a night version in the speeder.

[@notgonnahappen7899]

You could set your system date to trigger Christmas decorations too.

[@-CrimsoN-]

That's wild!! I haven't had a chance to play the Rogue Squadron games even though I have them (I have a large backlog). That is truly awesome!!

[@mc693]

Man, Rogue Leader just felt so cutting edge when it came out.

[@Zerath0]

In the shuttle heist mission, you could also steal a tie fighter.

[@TheGamesterLP]

I’ve never noticed that! I thought that was random.

[@eructationlyrique]

The best thing about Rebel Strike was the inclusion of Rogue Leader Co-op mode

[@egg64]

does it have the entire game?

[@beatpeitsi6853]

@@egg64 It does, but it is only co-op, so you'd need special skills to play it through on your own. It might be, though, that some things do not trigger in the co-op game, as they do in the actual single player game, like some hidden craft being available to change mid level.

[@bellgrand]

Yeah. The parts of the Rebel Strike campaign where you fight on foot were awful. But the Rogue Leader co-op was great.

[@thomassausage4200]

Yeah. But hell it was sooo hard. As a kid and also as an adult. Especially the mission at the second death star, when your friend or yourself lost your mind, fly against the walls and get angry xD. This Co-op mode tests your mental strengh.

[@GentlemanBentley]

The Hoth mission on Rogue Squadron 3 was playable on the Mario Kart Double Dash Bonus disc! It was the perfect level to show off what the game had to offer!

[@jburgos961]

Alright. That's where I remember that from lol.

[@V3ntilator]

Hoth is actually Finse in Norway. lol

[@verguco6051]

oh men i always wanted to know what happens after lukes leaves hoth. 20 years waiting and still i dont know. really, i bought mario kart at launch and always wanted to play the rest of the game

[@thisiswhatilike54]

Huh! I never knew. Now I know what I’m going to search for next

[@Eco10100]

Rogue Squadron 1 & 2 are classics, it would be cool to get a rerelease of the trilogy.

[@aamirrazak3467]

Definitely! If we can get remasters of the Jedi knight games hopefully we can get remasters of rogue squadron and og battlefront 2 as well

[@edwardrichtofen611]

@@aamirrazak3467 I doubt it pretty, pretty hard. Disney doesnt promote stuff from the OG Canon

[@aamirrazak3467]

yeah i sadly doubt it as well, they only want to promote stuff under the disney banner. however, i have some small hope seeing as how we got remasters of the jedi knight games, kotor and republic commando@@edwardrichtofen611

[@xtremer_daredevil5950]

@@edwardrichtofen611 I mean, they gave the previous dev who worked on the wii port of force unleashed on the switch, surely the Jedi Knights game can get a remaster port

[@edwardrichtofen611]

@@xtremer_daredevil5950 well a port is not a remaster, in my eyes.

[@Helmutlozzi]

I love how the pilots souls still shriek even as their bodies and crafts have been completely disintegrated in a ball of fire.

[@aamirrazak3467]

It was so cool that they were able to put you in the shoes of a rogue squadron pilot and made three excellent games, wish I’d played them. I wish the KOTOR and battlefront trilogies had been completed also.

[@micshork]

Amazing work. Thank you for covering these. I hope you consider taking about Battle for Naboo and the two Starfighter games.

[@dylives7667]

After seeing how KOTOR 2 ended up being such a disaster, I would've rather there not being a series for it. Granted, development for KOTOR 2 came at a time of turmoil for both Lucasarts and Bioware. It resulting on turning out the way it. And, subsequently, it not turning out to be a trilogy. Or it can if you consider The Old Republic, in the way Atari's Ghostbusters was considered the 3rd Ghostbusters movie.

[@aamirrazak3467]

@@dylives7667 while KOTOR 2s development was definitely rushed and timelines were short and the game was released unfinished, I played w the restored content mod and I think it does a great job finishing the game and wrapping up the story and fleshing out the details. I think the game itself is very good, with excellent writing, lore, characters, atmosphere, small gameplay enhancements and especially story. I only wish we could’ve gotten obsidians KOTOR 3

[@stephenjarvis534]

Star Wars games have a bad habit of not finishing trilogies. KOTOR, Force Unleashed, and both sets of Battlefront games come to mind.

[@kingstarscream320]

@@dylives7667KOTOR2 was rushed but it’s still fantastic.

[@DerVloggy]

I love the whole trilogy. And its a shame that the remasters for the Wii never came out. Hoping so much that this trilogy return sometimes as a remaster collection.

[@al112v4]

Was it? Oh yeah, forgot, technically all 3 games are still owned by Nintendo.

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

@@al112v4 Are you sure about that? Nintendo didn't develop the game. Near as I can tell, LucasArts published the games themselves except in some EU regions. And at least the first game and Battle for Naboo were released on PC.

[@FreshLyte]

@@JonSmith-hk1bq It was developed by Factor 5 they shut down in 2009. With Disney in charge now too don't think it will happen. Nintendo+Disney is a baaad combo for this situation lol.

[@Nick-ue7iw]

They are not owned by nintendo. The rights to rouge squadron are shared between lucasarts and factor 5. With factor 5 being gone II and III are abandonware whereas 1 is for sale on GoG, as is battle for naboo. @@al112v4

[@crazyfire9470]

@FreshLyte Why do you say that?

[@JoelsCollection]

Rebel Strike was my favorite. I really liked the mix of the different levels, from space to ground to the on foot missions. It was unique for its time

[@NcWcN1]

I'd have preferred more Wedge-centric levels and them going past RotJ, tying in somewhat with the _Rogue Leader_ comic and leading up to the Stackpole comics. Then again, them putting Tycho Celchu in is always nice.

[@MachFiveFalcon]

Some of the levels from Rogue Leader that made a return like "Razor Rendezvous" (the Star Destroyer one) were really fun in co-op as well!

[@M1XART]

I agree. It was and is fresh, not repetive as the other ones. Besides, it actually has in game real high quality clips from these movies, seamlessly blended into gameplay. This was before remastered DVD-versions were released, so NGC owners got the head -start for remastered movie sequences on best parts of the movies. I do understand that some people like flying missions only, but i'm one of those who actually liked Star Wars Shadows Of The Empire on N64. Good old nes/snes Star Wars -ganes also offered great deal of variety on gameplay. Game like a Rebel Strike never gets boring and is definitely worth adding to everyones gaming collection.

[@doc_sav]

Yeah, I don't get why 3 has such a bad rap. Yeah, the ground levels aren't always spectacular, but they are all pretty easy and at times quite fun. And despite being on the same hardware, they did manage to add way more fighters onscreen at once. And playing the co-op missions was a blast.

[@mehface]

I remember seeing that forest level in the 3rd one and being blown away. To be fair, it still looks pretty good.

[@fearlessjoebanzai]

It's even better in first person view, really gave me what I wanted since first watching the movie!

[@Hogan231]

Can you make a video of Star Wars Battlefront games.

[@aamirrazak3467]

Yes that would be awesome! I loved 2005 Star Wars battlefront 2! A series on the KOTOR games would rock too

[@JoelsCollection]

This is a good idea!

[@randomidoit9605]

@@aamirrazak3467My experience with 2005 was pretty mid to bad to be honest, the campaign lacks variety in play styles and multiplayer is full of rocket spammers to the point where it ruins most games I play because I’ll just get blown up when ever I try to fight someone.

[@kamenanew9867]

​@@randomidoit9605balance ain't a thing even in the new battlefront games sadly. Somehow I still get more enjoyment from the originals tho. Newer ones are just...they feel off and I don't have fun.

[@randomidoit9605]

@@kamenanew9867 Because I don’t die to explosions every 5 seconds, I would consider Battlefront 2 (2017) to be better balanced than Battlefront 2 (2005), What I played of the original Battlefront was pretty good, but I didn’t do the campaign and only fought against AI. I haven’t play the Reboot Battlefront 1, but 2017 pretty much takes it’s place. The reason you like the originals more is because you grew up with them, just like I grew up with 2017.

[@bigkmoviesandgames]

Rogue leader will always be the best. Another Rogue Squadron game that's really good is battle for Naboo which is something of a spiritual successor.

[@dylives7667]

Look, I know Rebel Strike's TPS missions were janky. But, come on!

[@ict113090]

Rogue Leader was cool because its missions perfectly built the setting between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It even ties in with he events of Shadows of the Empire a little bit. Which I found cool.

[@bigkmoviesandgames]

@@dylives7667 and I very much enjoy Rebel strike but it's not as well-paced or put together as Rogue leader.

[@bigkmoviesandgames]

@@ict113090 I agree. when I first played it as a kid it felt like I was playing in a brand new Star Wars movie.

[@augustday9483]

Battle for Naboo was awesome! These games were such a big part of my childhood.

[@bluediamonddirector]

I love this trilogy. RS1 was the first game I got when I got my N64 (along with Starfox 64) back for Christmas 1998. RL was the reason I begged my dad to get a GameCube over a PS2. RS3 was the first game I remember pre-ordering. The Battle of Mon Calimari was my introduction to the post-ROTJ Era from the EU. I still go back and play these games from time to time. So much fun.

[@XHUERO3]

Both great games

[@VideoStalker00]

The entire trilogy was magical. Great memories playing these games!

[@ZonnexNecton]

Once I’ve learned how to play the Trench Run in First Person View Rogue Squadron 2, I ended up having an awesome movie-like experience moment.

[@MatchstickMan]

9:26 First time I've ever spit out my drink from laughing.

[@TheWaffleFactory]

Would love an hd remakes of these! The first one was always my favorite, but I think I just liked the unique set of levels they had. The second one is definitely the best.

[@Twerkinman]

I didn’t even know there was a trilogy! I grew up playing the original rogue squadron on PC. My dad bought a flight stick for this game. He preferred the stick and I preferred the mouse to fly. We would try to get the highest medal possible on each level and out score each other. We did eventually get the max medal for each level to get all the secrets. And also you can’t forget the cheat code that allowed you to use an AT-ST as a ground vehicle. So fun little tidbit that it was possible before the later entries came out.

[@XavierXSims]

Well, all I can say to all that is, you do now!

[@NSAspyvans]

Watching Factor 5 slowly decline and then go bankrupt was the most tragic thing. After Sony forced Factor 5 to put sixaxis controls on Lair and it made the game fail they had been in danger but then they started to make a Superman game and the publisher Brash Entertainment which was founded by Hollywood movie execs completely collapsed since they had no idea how to publish games or properly manage the money. Factor 5 had no money and had to close down. All the talent that made Rogue Squadron was gone for good. Such a talented studio. Rogue Squadron 2 is one of the highest rated games ever. It was insane when you looked at the graphics in 2001 as a launch game for the Gamecube.

[@Harrymasonx04]

I'm glad to see someone still talking about these games. I loved this series and every now and then get an itch to go back and play it.

[@sloth4urluv]

I wish there were more games in the series. A modern Rouge Squadron game would be amazing. Closest thing ive played has been starwars squadrons. Piloting an A-wing VR feels amazing, although the game doesn't capture the same magic as the rogue squadron games. Id argue that Rouge Squadron 3 was the best purely because of the split player Rogue Squadron 2 multiplayer. Nothing better than playing with a buddy sitting on the same couch. Hilarity ensues when you reach the battle of Endor and the glitch kicks in where Lando won't shut up about buying time as if he's on Wallstreet buying shares of time or something. He legit gets stuck in a loop saying "we gotta buy more more time!" Like 2~7 times in a row at random. Cracking jokes with a buddy has brought me to tears laughing on more than one occasion. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWaXpaaIat2pj5I

[@jediguy634]

Glad Battle for Naboo got a mention as its basically a RS1 spin off that was just as good.

[@AxelOwnz]

I played all 3 when they came out and I loved them. Rogue Leader was my favorite. I still think the graphics look great over 20 years later.

[@no.one.2]

I just want to give some love to Shadows of the Empire. That game was difficult for me, and the last 2 indoor levels scared the crap out of me. And then the final level swings around and blows your balls off with that orchestra. It was magnificent.

[@thisiswhatilike54]

I would’ve loved it more were it not for those awful tank controls. But alas, what can ya do with the one control stick?

[@no.one.2]

@@thisiswhatilike54 I loved that game. You know how your brain adjusts to function when you are missing an arm or an eye? when something is not there? That's how controlling this feels. Your bain adapts to the shitty controls, like still managing to walk when you have a disability like bow leggedness. It's like twisting your arm around so it reaches backwards to compensate for the shitty reversed control scheme.

[@Aleph3575]

I loved that game too. It...really needed some help but it was a fun game once you figured out how to play it and figured out how to deal with the shitty controls. And who could forget the devastating combination of shitty controls and a map where the player character could just randomly slide off ledges like the game had ice physics even though said planet was a desert planet.

[@kaihedgie1747]

There were a few significant details ya skipped over In Battle of Mon Calamari, you're actually playing as Wedge instead of Luke and for most of Rogue Leader, you're playing as Wedge. Fun fact about Rogue Leader, they actually got Dennis Lawson, Wedge's original actor from the movies to reprise his role. I think this is one of if not the first time a movie actor was brought back to reprise their original role in material that wasn't the movies. They'd do this again with Billy Dee Williams playing as Lando in Jedi Outcast. For reasons, they couldn't get Lawson to come back as Wedge in Rebel Strike, but they went the bizarre route of replacing all of his recorded dialogue in the Rogue Leader multiplayer with the new actor they got Rebel Strike's story although covers the movies, introduces a new character interwoven in both campaigns: Sarkli. He starts out as a Rebel pilot, but he gets fed up when all of his feats and rescues are attributed to Luke, so he defects to the Empire. He becomes one of their Imperial Storm Commandos. You're meant to play Luke's campaign first since his descent to darkness starts there, then start Wedge's campaign where he's one of the Storm Commandos. The penultimate mission, the Battle of Endor, is where you confront him at last in the shield bunker, effectively serving as the proper final boss of the game

[@JonSmith-hk1bq]

Original actors did some voice work previously. Dennis Lawson himself did at least one book I recall seeing on store shelves. Billy Dee Williams somewhat randomly returned as Lando for the Dark Empire audio. Mark Hamill was in the original PBS radio version way back when they were still filming the original trilogy. I believe Anthony Daniels did as well.

[@TheSchaef47]

Anthony Daniels plays C-3PO so many times in Star Wars and related media it's not even funny, including The LEGO Movie, and the Monopoly Star Wars video game for Windows.

[@finkamain1621]

Lawson is also Ewan McGregor's uncle

[@3DTwinkies]

Literally the first mission was a middle finger to Sarkli lol. He dun saves both luke and the commander dude, and the dudes like "thank god for skywalker we owe u our lives".

[@kaihedgie1747]

@@3DTwinkies That's just so messed up. Like, I get that was literally fresh off of the Death Star attack but damn, he ain't the only Rebel pilot there. He still saved you.

[@starflame34]

Really enjoyed the 2 player addition in the third game. My brother and I would play the "Rampage" mode a lot! We even both took out Slave I and spammed so many Seismic Charges that I think we actually caused the game to crash. XD

[@tkmmkt6569]

I'm positive I remember the N64 version having a Death Star trench run mission. I think it was one you had to unlock. Very very fun though.

[@karloexe]

Silver medals or gold medals on all mission unlocked Death Star level, and I think it unlocked the Millenium Falcon or the Tie Interceptor Edit: Gold medals on all mission including first two bonus unlocked Battle of Hoth and if you got Gold on that one it unlocked all ships on all levels excluding the one with snowspeeder

[@MachFiveFalcon]

What a great breakdown! So many longplays of these out there, but this is a really concise analysis of them all. I played the GameCube ones, but you convinced me to complete the original. Btw, does anyone remember playing Rogue Squadron 64 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in the late 90s/2000s? I'm pretty sure I do.

[@btly-wing6531]

One fun fact about the mission to destroy the super star destroyer in RS3 is that the scene of your ship crashing into the bridge will actually change to show whatever ship you're actually using, leading to some unexpectedly funny ending scenes when I started replaying the mission

[@olldo23]

I loved all three of these games as a kid! Spent so much time on each of them. Enjoyed your great commentary as always.

[@MrPoke]

Rogue Squadron 2 and 3 still look amazing today. Wish the Wii port was released and wish a PC port was made, as emulating these games is almost impossible

[@Simonskilamb]

The Wii was backwards compatible for Gamecube games though no? I bought and played Rebel Strike on my Wii that way!

[@SoulDeSol]

@@Simonskilamb The old Wiis were, but they stopped having that capability at some point in the Wii's life cycle. It's kinda like how the old PS3's were backwards compatible with PS1 and PS2.

[@TheThrill007]

The First Rouge Squadron was an absolute classic. I had the PC port and it was simply perfect. My dad and I would get so excited to play it. Unfortunately, I was a ps2 kid so it took yeeeaaars before i was finally able to enjoy Rogue Leader. Im just sitting here patiently waiting for the wii port to either get leaked or for someone like Night Dive Studios to get them running on modern consoles

[@apieceofbread1]

I remember randomly finding Rogue Squadron 3 at GameStop as a kid and playing the absolute shit out of the Hoth level over and over again. I just thought it was so sick getting to run around on foot as Luke

[@jacobmonks3722]

I grew up with Rebel Strike and always wanted to play Rogue Leader, not realizing until like a month ago that Rogue Leader was basically already included in the co-op mode of Rebel Strike.

[@jiggycalzone8585]

I remember a persistent glitch in the endor stages with Lando's dialogue. he'd just shout "We gotta buy more time! -We gotta buy more time! -We gotta buy more time!" over and over again

[@tenkenroo]

Ya lol. Also that annoying medical frigate lady.

[@marcmcpolo]

Probably one of my proudest gaming achievements will always be finishing Rogue Squadron with gold medals in all missions after putting in hundreds of hours when I was only 10 years old. I loved these games and still play them occasionally with an emulator.

[@justinschultheisz4673]

I absolutely love Rogue Squadron 3. I grew up playing that game. It literally felt like I was in the films, and to this day, it still does. The dev team nailed the OT film vibe

[@jmsena]

To recreate the battle of Endor on Rogue Leader is something I’ll never forget nor fail to appreciate forever.

[@KyleDavis328]

Rogue Squadron 2 also had at least one other bonus mission I remember playing, it had the Death Star escape from A New Hope, you play as Luke in the gunner's seat of the Millennium Falcon shooting down TIE Fighters, recreating basically that whole sequence shot for shot.

[@BugsyFoga]

Such a shame that factor 5 isnt a thing anymore.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Their fault for being too ambitious with that forgettable dragon game of theirs.

[@commyzthatdont]

@@michaelandreipalon359it was actually the Superman game they were working on.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

@@commyzthatdont ...What Superman game?

[@JuaniVazquezMusic]

Rogue Leader is still an amazing game today. I remember when it came out and the graphics and battles were absolutely mind blowing. My fav game from nintendo and I agree it has to be played for more people

[@CodingNightmares245]

Don't forget the tie interceptor hidden behind the falcon! The first game was the best haha. Tons of cheat codes like goodguytie, wookiepelt, iamdolly, i can't believe I still remember those...

[@KiddDaPhoenix]

I always liked the first game the best since it had its own story going on. Getting invested in Luke's rivalry with Moff Seerdon was very gripping to me as a kid compared to just another retread of the film scenes in Rogue Leader.

[@oler777]

I actually did grow up playing this game. I loved it so much but I still haven’t beat rogue squadron Abu it’s impossible especially with my broken 64 controller.

[@ThunderStruck115]

Rogue Squadron 3 also had 1v1 head to head multiplayer. I remember back in the day, my brother and I would load up the Bespin map which had these little trenches and we would take chase each other in the trenches.

[@LakesideAmusementPro]

Rogue Leader’s visuals are still stunning 22 years later.

[@ezustsilver]

The first is my favourite STAR WARS game of all time :)

[@TheCrankyTechnician]

Being a hardcore and daily N64 player in the 90s, I'll never ever forget the Gamecube reveal and some of its titles like Rogue Squadron II. I was blown away and my jaw dropped the moment I had laid eyes on it, we had never seen something like this

[@ltraltier6009]

The first rogue squadron was severely underrated Also you’re wrong about hoth being the inspiration. It was the cheat code where you got to fly an x wing or tie fighter during the skyhook battle that inspired rogue squadron and lucasarts gave factor 5 the source code to work with it.

[@VecTron5]

Rebel Strike: RS3 fits right in with the gamecube starfox games insomuch as they made me shout "Why am I on foot in this spaceship combat game?!" as a youngling.

[@Magoo277]

You forgot to mention all the 1v1 Content. There was speeder bike racing, at st fighting and dogfighting as well. Plus a ton of password hidden battles that weren't mentioned either. You could type chicken in rogue leader and play as a walker in that before it was done in rebel strike. Crazy game when I was a kid. So next-gen. Still remember the feeling I got from playing it. Overall a great look at all three titles. 5 star video.

[@gunforce5559]

The first rogue squadron was a nightmare. In the levels that took place at night. You couldn’t see the tie fighters. Your shields and health were practically non. I could not beat it without the cheat codes. Some times you lose or die for no reason at all

[@connersmith4004]

When I was a young kid, my father had me test out a game cube and rouge squadron he had gotten for a family who couldn’t afford to get their kids any gifts for Christmas. I was disappointed that Christmas when I found out that wasn’t a clever guise and I didn’t end up getting a game cube but now I’m really appreciative he was able to hopefully make some kids childhood that much greater.

[@EntaraXia]

Huge fan of Rogue Squadron on PC , I was so mad at Rogue II for being nintendo exclusive only when it came out ! I finally played it on emulator 10 years after it's release . What a blast ! Thanks for your coverage . It makes me want to try rogue III now.

[@yalolol]

i remember as a kid, i got stuck on rogue squadron's corellia mission cause i couldnt figure out how to harpoon the 1st AT-AT. i probably was stuck for a couple of weeks before i figured it out, and when i did, the game locked up after celebrating and i cried lol

[@EskChan19]

I think these are the poster child sof "Old School Gaming", before player retention and microtransactions. Games made by obvious fans of the franchise, made with love, filled with bonus- and hidden stuff just because they could. I think I played the first one on PC but the one I remember most was the third one on gamecube. And I loved it.

[@jmsena]

Right the bonus power ups, hidden vehicles and unlockable levels felt sooo damn special. Really miss that feel.

[@killerflamingo9566]

Same here honestly these games made me want to be a pilot and I’m pursuing that now

[@heirtotheempire2278]

Oh boy I loved these games, rogue squadron was the first video game I ever played and is what got me interested in the expanded universe!

[@vrien5686]

Now this is some prime content.

[@CHATNOCEDA]

Can you do videos comparing other Lego games

[@CymruJedi]

I'm so surprised that Nintendo haven't done a remaster/rerelease of the Rogue Squadron games. Aspire have been kind of silent since the whole KOTOR remake situation, I doubt we will see anything else from them now :/

[@dannygloversshotgun211]

I adore the on foot levels in Rebel Strike because models and gameplay really make you feel like you’re playing with action figures

[@fearlessjoebanzai]

Lol, it actually controls like you're playing with the toys as well 😅

[@tenkenroo]

God the camera was really bad cause sometimes you couldn’t tell what was shooting at you

[@fearlessjoebanzai]

@@tenkenroo, it was the Empire! It's always the Empire shooting you in that game!

[@HiddenEnt]

Jesus, that 1998 cover art took me right back to elementary school. In a class we had this game and a game called "Gex" I think and the desert level in Rogue Squadron was one of my favorite levels because I loved seeing the speeders from the movies moving around. Thank you for this throwback

[@DVal-bl7hm]

Lol at the screaming from the first game. When I was little, I would sometimes just crash my aircraft over and over just to hear Luke's amazing screaming.

[@robbvanderstoel7725]

Thank you! This is precisely the information I wanted. It always irritates me that “business decisions” are probably the worst decisions for actually increasing business (i.e. no movie references in the first game and not releasing the finished Wii trilogy). Looks like I’ll be searching for the second game.

[@AMGU2B]

An amazing trilogy of phenomenal games. Playing Rogue Leader co-op with my younger brother is a great memory.

[@gatsbysgarage8389]

There’s a specific vibe that expanded universe stuff set post-OT before the sequels came out that I can never quite explain but very much love

[@maxjustice1542]

I never knew there was suppose to be Wii Version for Rouge Squadron. It's so sad because like you said. These games were pretty good for Star Wars.

[@Phoboskomboa]

I got Rogue Squadron 2 at launch and one of my all-time favorite gaming experiences was going on forums and sharing information about where the hidden upgrades were. I'm talking hours after the game released, so we were all playing completely blind. We were also racing to get gold medals on the missions. As far as I know, I'm the first person to get a gold on the first Endor mission. I was at least the first person to post on the official forums. I'm sure someone who wasn't taking 10 minutes off from playing to post on the forums probably beat me, but still. A wonderful experience. I loved that game.

[@johnjust2314]

This is the first game I’ve ever played, six years old. My parents bought me the 1998 rogue squadron game, such nostalgia when I can finally get it up and running again

[@SquallLeonhartkun]

fun fact, the jedi starfighter Wedge takes control of was actually Obi-wan's starfighter, the fact it wasn't scrapped, since Obi-wan was caught by droids they thought little of the ship since it'd just rot away with the test of time.

[@AdamantineAxe]

The AT-ST was as unlockable in the N64 Rogue Squadron. They might have reused its code which would explain the controls using only one analog stick. -and I think it did the knees-together thing with every slight change in direction too

[@siricus]

i never owned an N64 but I spent dozens (hundreds?) of hours playing Rogue Squadron II and III as a kid. the fact that the entirety of RS2 was available to play in co-op in RS3 (with all of 3’s slight gameplay upgrades, iirc!) was the cherry on top. Rogue Squadron II is still probably my all-time favorite Star Wars video game. III was def clunky with the on-foot missions… but reflecting back on it through your video, dang they packed a lot of ideas into III. thanks for making this!

[@Zan_Jayna]

I bought the gamecube for $99 on day one with a matching orange controller, Mario and Rogue Leader. I loved how the time of day would change to be accurate to the system clock so that the sun would set and rise at the right time each day. Terrific system. The gamecube lasted the longest in Morgan Webb's stress tests too.

[@Kreozot2D]

I remember how when I was a kid I played a lot of Rogue Squadron on father's laptop pc, I still remember how I hated the snow speeder for how painfully slow and clunky it felt. And I didn't know English, so I randomly pressed buttons to find out the controls. That's how I found about ion cannon that was required to stop the train somewhere on Y-wing, I think. I remember accidentally finding out that there is a first person view from rather good cockpit, which gave the game a whole new feel. Oh, and a wing transformation for X-wing for high speed, that was cool. And I remember how many times I died while trying to down those AT-ATs. That was so hard, especially with how bad the camera was. But the details on X-wing and A-wing were great, and I tried to make paper models of those crafts. Also, I still remember the main menu music, because of hearing it a lot.

[@tylermccoy5121]

I love all three games. I wish in Rogue Squadron 3 there was some Obi-Wan vs Vader and Luke vs Vader levels.

[@Star_Wars_Errant]

Leia getting shot by stormtroopers, but her "head is in the clouds" is just as inspirational as it is funny.

[@Simonskilamb]

Its funny I loved Rogue Squadron and X-Wing but absolutely hated Squadrons. I think the problem was they tried to create a hybrid between the 2 and it ended up just being a mess. Granted Im sure it will have been me being awful at the game too, which was humbling after feeling like I was good at Rogue Squadron / X-Wing back in the day!

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Yeah, even if I excuse the gameplay, the story pales in comparison compared to TIE Fighter+X-Wing Alliance and even the Ace Combat Holy Trilogy and Project Wingman. Still more better than Battlefront 2 2017 though.

[@WiiCubeFilms]

My favorite thing to do was go to that Endor mission in Rebel Strike that you find out you're the A-wing pilot that crashes into the bridge of the super star destroyer, put on unlimited ammo cheat code, pick the Jedi starfighter, then just hit everything with seismic charges. Then when the cutscene plays at the end it defaults back to the A-wing while I think your Jedi starfighter is just in the background which means you're not the one that crashes into the bridge at the end lol

[@scottthewaterwarrior]

Don't forget the final bonus mission in Rogue Squadron II: Enderance. You have to shoot down 100 waves of TIE fighters which takes 3+ hours! Then do it again on Ace Mode for the final Ace Medal!

[@ChkthDeats]

I never got to play these games and I had no idea you got to play as Arvel Crynyd and recreate the kamikaze dive! That guy has a medal of honor named after him in the New Republic for that!

[@DeanGl]

I played the OG Rogue Squadron on PC almost 20 years ago. Those NPC planes did not wobble like that. What you're seeing is probably due to the game being run on modern hardware. Back then it was fine and it was my gateway to Star Wars and I absolutely loved it.

[@paulmurgatroyd6372]

I've never seen X-Wing moving so slowly. I didn't even know that was possible.

[@koolcu1l]

Rebel strike was my first gamecube game growing up. Never touched single player but have fond memories of playing the multiplayer with my dad.

[@dodosinplight]

I have fond memories of Rogue Squadron 2 as my first Gamecube game, it was my introduction to the Star Wars universe as well. I was absolutely impressed at the amount of quality and work put into it and I hope we get a 4th game or a remaster of some sort one day

[@hugocastilla3102]

Rogue Leader along side Lego SW 1 & 2 where my proper introduction to the saga. I loved the bonus mission where you shoot Tie's in the Falcon's cockpit. And gameplay and graphics wise, the game still holds up very well

[@VecTron5]

the tow cable bits in Rogue Squadron became so much easier once I bought a 3rd party n64 controller with an actual analog stick, that didn't feel like it was made out of stale marshmallow.

[@DWiens421]

Probably a dumb question, but I just want to be sure before making my purchase. Is there any differences between the releases of Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strike and Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strike with the Limited Preview Disc? I have Googled this a fair bit but haven't found a definitive answer, which is also what led me to this game. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@JP-Rarejaeger]

The third entry was always my favorite for including coop, and a multiplayer mode to play against friends!

[@ict113090]

It’s not just your opinion that these should be played by more people. I’ve sang the praise of these games for over 20 years.

[@maxeisenhardt8800]

I got the first Rogue Squadron in Christmas 1998. I originally asked for a different game, but apparently Santa didn't find it and he got me that one instead. I'll be always grateful for that. I already liked the SW trilogy, but it was that game the one that made the final push for me to become a fan. As for my favorite, I think it's Rogue Leader. It reigned supreme as the definitive OT starfighter experience, and they even got Denis Lawson to voice Wedge Antilles. Nonetheless, I love all four games (Battle for Naboo included).

[@c182SkylaneRG]

So this is the first time I've learned that II and III even existed. I played the original Rogue Squadron on PC, and had no idea there were sequels. I always DID think it played like a video game, despite being on PC. This explains which console it was originally on, at least. :)

[@AceParty]

Man, I played these games soooo much from Rogue Squadron 3D on my PC, battle for Naboo etc to Rebel strike. It was sooo much fun. Rebel Strike was really fun in coop. I still have my copies of each of these games. I played them so much that I could do the Death Star run with wings closed at full speed. The at walk phase character were underwhelming tho. I remember being so hype for the release of Rogue leader and rebel strike in high school, I was so wow by the Death Star demo at Toy’r’us that I convinced my parents to buy me the gamecube. I replayed Rogue Squadron 3D and battle for naboo on the steam deck and it was really fun actually. But even with my 4090 I didn’t manage to have a great emulation of Rogue leader and rebel strike unfortunately, these game are so hard to emulate. Fun fact: Rebel strike is the only game where you can drive the AT PT from the EU and only in the MP on the endor level. If only Nightdive studio could remaster them and release that famous cancelled trilogy edition… It was also planned to have one game on Xbox focused on Xbox Live for multiplayer but it was never done in the end. Anyway these games are not far from the top from KOTOR so it’s criminal that we can’t play them on modern hardware.

[@Lord_Reavous]

This was my jam growing up. Only thing that bugged me beyond what was discussed about Rebel Strike is that I swear the weapons fire traveled at a different speed than Rogue Leader. But yeah Rogue Leader was the best--I would replay the Battle of Endor over and over. Somehow I never found that kind of energy from any other game with the cinematic feel.

[@NcWcN1]

Regarding the tow cable mechanics, I found them far more difficult on Shadows of the Empire. Additionally, N64 Mos Eisley looked more like "Mos Quito" instead. 6:16 that battle against the _Motivator_ was the death of me when first playing the game... I distinctly recall clearing it on my last life and with the B-Wing being one or less direct hits from being disintegrated.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

That game is basically a prototype for the Snowspeeder stuff that came before. Heh. Always take out the ion cannons, and maybe even crash to the bridge.

[@NcWcN1]

@@michaelandreipalon359 the only thing that sucked for a launch-adjacent title is that it had 294950 control schemes

[@Billzor991]

I loved all three, but three was so ambitious and wide ranging that I feel like we don't really get games with that kind of love anymore.

[@MisterMcSquishy]

I remember getting my GameCube for Christmas back in 2003 and getting both Rogue Squadron and the Zelda Collector’s Edition with it. Realized soon after that the GameCube didn’t come with a memory card, which bummed me out. So until we could make a trip to our local GameStop, I ended up having to replay the first few missions dozens of times because I couldn’t save 😅

[@jacobmonks3722]

That described my family's experience almost exactly. Though I remember having Metroid Prime first. I don't remember when we got Rebel Strike, but I'm almost positive it came later.

[@JakeWerkmeister]

The bobbing NPC's on strings in the first game wasn't present on the N64 version. This is either an emulator glitch, or an issue with the PC version that I'm not aware of. Judging by the resolution, I'm assuming it's an emulator issue. Great games overall. The first was a genuine ball buster though.

[@TomTomTom87]

8:31 lets not forget that the OG Rogue Squadron on N64 also hand unlockable land missions with AT-ST's !

[@hudsonball4702]

10:18 LOL I never thought of it that way! Now it makes sense!