Rogue Leader

After having snapped up the Cube. On launch day. I was most surprised to be swept up by Rogue leader. Although I anticipated a fairly good update to Rogue Sqaudron on the N64, I didn't reckon the game would give me what I craved when I was but a teenager living through the 70's when Star Wars come out. Anything I could ever want to do then, I can do now. It's like being given a ticket to explore your childhood fantasies.

The first mission being taking on the Deathstar. Complete with stunning visuals, Darth Vader giving you a buzz, and Han swooping in to save you for the last drop. It's been a long time in the coming. Not since the Star Wars coin op - has there been something this spectacular and close the experience I WANTED so much then. The original Rogue Squadron gave me a timid crack at such items as imperial probes and AT-AT's - but it never really gave me a go at the DeathStar! Since the graphics are spectacular, and tie fighters really are quite difficult to spot in formation against a starry background, I never truly understood the meaning of chaos. The Jedi games on the PS2, hint at anarchy, but give you the soft option of a targetting computer that truly locks onto a target and gives you a HUD display. Not so in RL. RL gives you the tie fighter, and the vacuum of space. Thats it. Admittedly, you have the orange neon dazzle of the flip in/flip out targetting computer. But that only stands as a mechanism by which to confirm the elusiveness of these Ties. A gimmick, if you will, but a functional one, without spoon feeding you the enemies.

Everything is polished, yet nothing is compromised in this game. You have ground troops fleeing or attacking on the planet Hoth, you have a multitude of advancing AT-AT's, yet you only have to take down three to complete the mission. Everything is detailed, and you get a feeling of familiarity - this is a place you've fought before. A place you've glimpsed in the film, and now you are in a Snowspeeder, flying between these walking nightmares legs. Relying on you swift of hand and the strength of your tow cable to take them down. The battle commands are delivered to you, wearily, yet clearly during combat. You have to take note, yet not deviate from your current task. Your wingmen provide adequate air-mates. You command then as you will, and sometimes they prove themselves.

The missions may get harder and more complex - without a save mid-mission - my only gripe. However, the chaotic combat and beautiful modelling and scenery will just suck you in and force you to become a pilot for the rebellion. Something you thought you give up a long, long time ago.

The force is strong with this one.

Cubed

I spent approximately one month rationalising over the Gamecube. I come to the decision that I would not buy one at launch. There weren't enough games on the little blighter to convince me it would be a worthwhile buy. I saw the price drop on the Xbox and the subsequent drop of the Cube to RRP of £129 and this got me tingling. Rogue Leader looked tempting, I'd been playing Rogue Sqaudron on my N64 a week or so earlier and the Stars Wars Episode II hype machine had just started to kick in... so I was being pumped by my childhood fascination with flying X-wings and Snowspeeders. I still couldn't justify the purchase now. I said to myself I'd wait till Pikmin was out. Foolishly I was talked into exploring Paper Mario on the N64 just a week ago and this foray into cutesy 'tendo role playing caught both me and my nipper on the hop. We loved it. Now I was being pumped by Nintendo's previous console and games to explore what the cube had to offer. Obviously Luigis Mansion could carry on the cute plumbing theme - and I now had the justification that my nipper would love it. Fatal. I can barely hold myself back when I'm on a roll, but get my nipper involved and we're like two schoolkids, except I've got a credit card! Anyway, the long and the short of it is that I knew I was going to buy a Cube sooner or later, and since I now had two games I fancied at launch and I'd taken the day off work on launch day - my fate was sealed. So I am now the proud owner of a batchelor pad Black Cube and I'm currently slinging my tow cable around an AT-AT's legs, and sucking ghostly visions into a vacuum cleaner. I am enjoying myself.