I’ll admit it: Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition is the game that convinced me to buy an Xbox, raving Star Wars fanboy that I am. Now, this LucasArts instant classic joins the roster of Platinum Hits games, and it’s easy to see why. A thrilling tale of revenge, heroics, and betrayal set against the background ofThe Phantom Menace,Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition also features new bonus missions, unlockable starships, and multiplayer enhancements for this Xbox-exclusive version. Naturally, the game also shines with glittering sound and graphics that show off the power of the Xbox.
Your Focus Determines Your Reality The best word to describe the look and feel of Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition is “sharp”: sharp sound effects, like laser fire, explosions, and speeding starships, culled from the Star Wars films; a sharp soundtrack, featuring 35 of John Williams’s compositions from the movies; and sharp Xbox-caliber graphics, with gleaming lighting effects and a smooth frame rate that never stutters. The game worlds look picture perfect and could easily have been pulled from the movies themselves. The space missions are full of glowing planets and menacing enemy starships, and the planet missions give a sense of depth and detail that may surprise you, considering that Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition was one of the first Xbox titles out of the gate. The dramatic cut scenes feature excellent voice acting (especially Nym, the hulking Feeorin space pirate voiced by eighties Saturday Night Live alum Charlie Rocket), giving a cinematic flair while advancing the story and helping you prepare for the next dogfight.
The game makes excellent use of the Xbox controller. The left thumbstick serves as the piloting control, while the right controls rolling (something you’ll want to master to evade enemy fire). The right and left triggers control throttle and brakes, respectively. Use a burst of speed followed by a fast brake to turn in mid-air (or mid-space), and blast a pursuing ship to smithereens. The remaining buttons control weapons, while you can use the D-pad to send orders to your wingmates. (My favorite command, “Destroy My Target,” is at the top).
Adventure, Excitement … A Jedi Craves Not These Things A Jedi may not crave adventure or excitement, but I certainly do, and so do the decidedly non-Jedi heroes ofStar Wars Starfighter Special Edition. And, what’s more exciting than a new toy? This game has them by the freighter-load. Simply unlock the bonus ships by earning medals throughout the story. Try your hand at the advanced N-1 (a high performance version of the standard Naboo fighter), Darth Vader’s TIE fighter, or even the sleek Sith Infiltrator piloted by the evil horned one himself, Darth Maul.
Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition also offers five additional bonus missions. These extra missions are a blast to play and usually offer massive onslaughts of enemy fighters and novel mission objectives (like good old-fashioned racing).
Wipe Them Out … All of Them Perhaps the most impressive extras in Star Wars Starfighter Special Editionare the new and expanded multiplayer modes that allow two players to take on the story missions together in co-op mode or fight head-to-head in split-screen action. Co-op play gives the second player the chance to pilot the Toydarian Reti’s ship (usually alongside N-1 pilot Rhys Dallows) and the heavy bomber flown by Nym’s right-hand Bith, Jinkins. The improved one-on-one games include:
A straight-up Dogfight mode that gives you the opportunity to pit any of the game’s playable ships against one another.
Capture the Flag (with new, expanded arenas), wherein each player must steal the flag from the opponent’s shield generator and return it to his own.
Tag, which forces the player who is “it” to flee his opponent as long as possible (scoring points for every 10 seconds his ship remains in the sky).
Hunter, in which one player becomes the hunter and the other his prey (to win, the prey must be destroyed five times or fewer in two minutes).
Detonator Drop, a game type similar to Capture the Flag, except that there’s only one “flag”—a thermal detonator—and each side must compete for it.
All in all, this title offers an engaging story, top-notch graphics, and loads of additional content. If you missed it the first time around, now’s the perfect time to join the battle against the Trade Federation in Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition.
