Star Wars: Starfighter

by LucasArts Entertainment

Product Features

• Engage in challenging missions to save the planet
• Deep space dogfights, attack runs, escort missions, and much more
• Save innocent citizens from invading Trade Federation forces
• Vast environments like the open plains of Naboo and corridors of the Droid Control Ship
• 20 Star Wars starships and three pilots (all playable over the course of the game)

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004W4S4
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 20, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,966 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Star Wars Starfighter is finally here, and, as expected, it serves up Wookiee-sized portions of action and adventure. Flying from either a first- or third-person perspective, players must fight their way through 14 sprawling missions that weave together the lives of three seemingly unrelated pilots. Set during the same time period as Star Wars: Episode I, the events in Starfighter parallel those of the movie, letting players participate in the conflict against the Trade Federation from a slightly skewed perspective.

Although the main missions can be completed in an afternoon, it can take weeks to earn the bronze, silver, and gold medals that unlock the game's bonuses. These include extra missions, a few two-player modes, and the ability to choose any ship for each mission (including Darth Maul's incredibly powerful Infiltrator).

Most of the missions are intense, involving efforts like racing through an enemy-infested canyon or defending a base against a ceaseless procession of droid air and ground forces. The game engine can throw an overwhelming number of 3-D objects on the screen at once--such as a mission where more than 50 hostile fighters swarm nearly a dozen large capital ships. The beauty of these large battles is mesmerizing, with lasers crisscrossing, massive explosions thundering all around, and constant radio chatter alerting players to new threats.

The controls for the various fighters and bombers are extremely basic, and combat is straightforward, but there is always so much going on at once that the game mechanics almost need to be simple. The only real drawbacks to the game are a few bugs that occasionally crop up and prevent us from completing missions, and the fact that planetary missions have a low "ceiling" that prevents us from climbing very high. Even with these faults, the game exceeded our expectations, and no arcade, action, or Star Wars fan with a PlayStation2 will want to miss it. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• No Jar Jar
• Stunning graphics
• Exciting, massive missions

Cons:

• Some mission-stopping bugs
• Simplistic combat will disappoint simulation fans looking for something along the lines of X-Wing Alliance

Product Description

Star Wars Starfighter takes full advantage of the graphic capabilities of PlayStation 2 by presenting more than 20 realistic and accurately rendered 3D starships amidst a variety of 14 environments set in air and space. The game sets players on an epic journey that begins on the lush paradise planet of Naboo and continues through the climactic assault on the Droid Control Ship inspired by the motion picture Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Players are introduced to the three main fighter pilots through a series of intense flight exercises from each character's point of view. Regardless of whom they choose, however, gamers will be able to test their battle skills against more than 50 vehicles, including Trade Federation drop ships, battle tanks, droid starfighters and never before seen craft such as the deadly Protector, Scarab, and Dagger

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beutifull Space Combat, March 22, 2001

By 

Jason Hartman "BrokenWire" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars: Starfighter (Video Game)

First let me say that I love Star Wars. That's anything about Star Wars; I have seen all six movies (I'm sure some of you have too) and have played all the games that have come out with the name Star Wars on it. With that aside let me just say that this was probably the best Star Wars game to come out since Tie fighter, the only exception being Jedi Power Battles, which was fun, but not in the same way. Star Wars Starfighter is a space combat game that uses a flight sim control style that falls just short of the realism provided by Tie fighter, but what was lost in the realism was gained in the terrific graphics. I was completely blown away by the canyon runs and full-scale space battles. The movies themselves did not contain such spectacularly large and complex space fight scenes. I became dizzy at some points and just had to pause the game to try and get my bearings again. Truly a marvelous piece of programming.

My only complaints about this game come from features that existed in other games provided by Lucas arts that were missing from this one. The most notable is the non-existent map. Perhaps I couldn't find it but in either case there was no map and without one the complicated space battles turned into allot of spinning over and over again looking for the place I'm supposed to go. The next problem is the limited control over the armament and selection of ships. In most other space combat games by Lucas Arts you are able to select what ship you wish to fly and what armament you want on your ship. Additionally during combat switching between shields, weapons, engines and the like all added that much more fun to the game. This one on the other hand functioned like an arcade game and did not provide such complications, which could be good for some players.

For those of you that loved tie fighter and x-wing then you will appreciate the advancements that have been made with Starfighter. Increasing the difficulty level until your ship turns into stardust on the first training mission makes up for its rather short playtime. So go out rent it, buy it, borrow it from a friend, but by all means play it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Game, But Some Flaws, March 6, 2001

By 

Christopher OBrien "siege" (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Wars: Starfighter (Video Game)

The graphics are pretty grand (in places), and I must say that I really adore the flight control on the main three ships (a combination of older Star Wars flying controls and the simpler Star Fox flying method). The on-board info (targeting system, shield indicator, etc) takes a bit to get used to, but gets intuitive real fast.

The fallbacks are not in actual gameplay, but in the fact that I've managed to lock up the game three times (on two different copies). Twice on the initual bomber stage, and once in the one with the sattelites and the planetary cannon. I also absolutely ABHOR the game boundaries. Flying into an invisible wall will shake and bounce your fighter all over the place (like you've run into a rock ledge, rather than you've hit the boundary of the level). Other than the lockups and the poor implementation of boundaries though, it's a great game (something to play on the PS2 besides SSX, and Oni... FINALLY).

If you're buying it strictly with a graphical orgy in mind, you're going to be disappointed in a lot of places, but if you're buying it for a high-paced flying game and pulling some amazing feats of dogfighting, you're in luck!!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jedi Starfighter is better, September 3, 2002

By 

Sith Warlord "Sith Warlord" (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Star Wars: Starfighter (Video Game)

This game is well made. It has good graphics and gameplay. There are even a FEW missions which can be played 2 player. However, the new Jedi Starfighter game is twice as fun, and you can play all the missions 2 player on it. If you own neither one I suggest skipping this one and going right for Jedi Starfighter.