Skip to main content

PlayStation Basement #36 - Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire

This review was originally published on the Console Purist Facebook group on May 4th, 2019.

It’s Saturday, and that means it’s time for PlayStation Basement! PlayStation Basement is a weekly review of an odd or obscure game for the original PlayStation. Games are rated Good, Bad, or Neutral. Now, let’s go!


Today is May 4th, which lends itself to two puns: the 5/4 time signature of “Take Five” by the Dave Brubeck Quartet and “May the Fourth be with you”. The former is a great jazz song; the latter is Star Wars. There aren’t any jazz-related games I can think of, so today I have a Star Wars game for you.

Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire was released in 1996 for the PlayStation in America, an updated version of the 1995 PC version. It also came out in Japan (1996) and Europe (1997). The game was published by LucasArts and developed by Factor 5 as a sequel to 1993’s Star Wars: Rebel Assault. Both games are FMV-based light gun shooters. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.


The cover art serves its purpose. It’s basically the same in all regions. We have the Millennium Falcon, a Y-Wing, and some Imperial ships in a space dogfight. I like that it’s a clean cover, and metallic colors look nice on the black background.



Rebel Assault II uses a combination of FMVs, pre-rendered sprites, and 3D models to make this early PlayStation Star Wars world. The FMVs look pretty nice and actually use some props from the films. The acting isn’t the best, but I found it amusing. The 3D models look good too, especially for the time. From what I understand, these models replaced some sprites that were in the PC release. I’m not surprised that they would want to replace the sprites; some of the pre-rendered stuff looks cheesy, especially when juxtaposed with an actor using green-screen. The effects of blasters and explosions also look cheap. Overall, Rebel Assault II looks good graphically, but the missteps arise during the actual game levels. It’s certainly a mixed bag.


LucasArts has usually done wonders with sound, and Rebel Assault II is no exception. The sounds and musick of the film are all here. The voice acting is crisp and clear too. Too bad it’s not just a radio drama.


The gameplay of Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire is where the game seriously falters. As I’ve mentioned, this is a rail shooter. There are two different level types: spaceship levels and ground levels. In a spaceship, you move the ship and crosshair with the d-pad, dodge lasers, and shoot back at incoming TIE fighters. On foot, the game controls like a slower Time Crisis with similar hiding features. The foot missions did not seem to recognize my light gun; the game knew I was shooting, registering a flash, but no shots appeared. The levels were fairly easy, so aiming with the d-pad was not the worst.


My biggest criticism is the vehicle controls. I had trouble maneuvering out of harm’s way and trouble aiming correctly. The ships lurch awkwardly and suddenly. The worst level I tried had to be one in which the main character is flying through a tunnel in the Millennium Falcon. The pre-rendered backgrounds feel alien in a sense; your vehicle is clearly not in the same realm as them, so it is hard to dodge oncoming debris. Combined with the awkward path that has been set for you, it really makes this unfun. I can’t say the rest was particularly interesting either. When it comes down to it, hokey graphics and ancient designs are no match for good gameplay, and you don’t need to be Force-sensitive to realize that.

Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire receives a Bad.

Follow EfreetEater on Facebook

Labels:
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Convention Dimension: 3 Rivers Comicon

DISCLAIMER: I received a press pass to attend this event. The opinions here are still mine. Also, please consider reading this brief article about my various illnesses and such over the last several months. This article is very late, but things have been difficult. Originally, I had also planned to publish these pfotos to Instagram, again, in a more timely manner. Here we are though! At the beginning of June, I attended 3 Rivers Comicon at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. I was surprised to see this event at the convention center, as I couldn't recall seeing it advertised in years past (I later heard that it was held at the Century III and Waterfront Malls in previous years). American comic book stuff is really not a huge thing on my radar, so it's not a surprise that I missed out on the earlier events. My friend Tyler wanted to check out this convention, so I decided to check it out as well. Anyway, 3 Rivers Comicon is held by local chain New Di...
Post a Comment
Read more

PlayStation Basement #92 - Runabout 2

This review was originally published on the  Console Purist  Facebook group on May 30th, 2020. Another week, another PlayStation Basement! PlayStation Basement is a weekly review of games for the original PlayStation that are somewhat obscure, unusual, or unknown. Games are rated Good, Bad, or Neutral to emphasize the review itself. Now, let’s go! Today we return to the world of  Runabout  (or  Felony 11-79 ) with  Runabout 2 . This game was released on November 18th, 1999 in Japan and May 19th, 2000 in North America making the 20th anniversary just eleven days ago. It was also published in Europe in February of 2003 and was re-released as a budget title in Japan in November of 2000. Like the first game, this title stars an expert agent who operates via vehicle to steal or retrieve treasures. This game, his motives seem more just compared with thefts he committed for a greedy individual in the first title. This game also has its share of supernatural conspi...
Post a Comment
Read more

PlayStation Basement #95 - Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition

This review was originally published on the  Console Purist  Facebook group on June 20th, 2020. Another week, another PlayStation Basement! PlayStation Basement is a weekly review of games for the original PlayStation that are somewhat obscure, unusual, or unknown. Games are rated Good, Bad, or Neutral to emphasize the review itself. Now, let’s go! So summer’s here and the time is right for fighting in the street, and what better way to start this season than with a fighting game? Today’s game is SNK’s attempt at a 3D fighter: Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition . Originally released to the arcade on January 28th, 1999, the game followed on Japanese and North American PlayStation consoles on June 24th and November 30th, respectively. In what seems to be SNK’s attempt at mimicking their rival Capcom’s Street Fighter EX , Wild Ambition re-tells the first Fatal Fury game with some of the mainstay characters from later games such as Mai Shiranui and Mr. Karate except this time they’re all...
Post a Comment
Read more