Visually, Starfighter doesn't astound, but it doesn't exactly disappoint either. The ground terrain and celestial backdrops are very impressive. However, the actual starships and enemy weaponry don't appear to be any more detailed than those in your average PC game. Up close, the textures are blurry and bland, and polygon count has clearly been reduced to allow for more ships on screen at once. This isn't a huge issue, however, as most of the time ships are merely specs in the distance.

From a gameplay perspective, Starfighter is a solid effort. I found the game enjoyable, but after the first four or five missions I basically lost interest. While the control is fairly solid and the atmosphere is rich, the play mechanics are extremely repetitive. Essentially, play consists of targeting an enemy speck in the distance, holding a direction on the analog stick and blasting away. When that target is gone, you simply target another one. There are more complex mission objectives, but in the missions that I've played, these mostly involve the same mechanics except for the fact that you need to stay in one area to protect another vessel.

There are 14 missions in all (and bonus missions that can be earned through good performance). The story that links these missions together ties into the events that occur in Episode One and is told using both pre-rendered and real-time cinemas. I found the plot to be relatively thin (at least in the parts of the game that I've experienced), and if it weren't for the music and a few recognizable ships, I would have been hard pressed to identify this as a Star Wars game.

I was never all that into Tie Fighter or X-Wing, so it's difficult for me to predict what fans of those games will think of this simplified PS2 version. While I personally didn't find Starfighter all that engrossing, the gameplay is in fact rather smooth and it does control nicely. There are framerate drops on the ground-based missions, but overall this game is solidly put together. If you're looking for a weekend rental, Starfighter should do nicely. On the other hand, unless this kind of space combat is really your thing, I doubt most folks will find it worth $50. If you're a Star Wars fan, the chances of this appealing to you are probably significantly better, though you still may want to give it a rental before you part with the cash to own it.

[Back to Review Contents... ]
[To Breakdown of Star Wars Starfighter's Game Elements....]
[To Summary of Star Wars Starfighter's Story/Play Mechanics....]