Metacritic Games

Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GameCube)

X-wings, B-wings, speeder bikes, AT-STs, tauntauns. You'll have to master them all to save Luke, Wedge, Han, Chewie and Leia from Darth Vader and his Imperial forces in this return to the classic Star Wars trilogy. All new multiplayer modes include the entire Rogue Leader game in co-op, endurance, capture-the-base and dogfights. Cinematic realism takes you to new heights as you climb out of your cockpit to battle the Empire on foot in this sequel to the best selling Rogue Squadron series. [LucasArts]

LucasArts
Flight Action, Shooter
Players: 2
T (Teen)
Developer: Factor 5
Released October 21, 2003

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

75 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 G4 TV
There's a ton of content in "Rebel Strike," and the multiplayer gives it replayability far beyond that of the previous "Rogue Squadron" games.
98 Game Chronicles
Choked full of quality gameplay, authentic Star Wars goodness, and loads of bonus content, this is the best Rogue Squadron game since the last one.
94 Gamezilla!
The improvements to the graphics, the larger mission scope, and solid implementation of new vehicles all help to create a complete experience.
94 Nintendo Power
The flying missions are fantastic, but the on-foot portions need some work. The camera doesn't work very well and you don't have any control over it. [Dec 2003, p.140]
91 GameCube Europe
Sure this game lacks a bit when it comes to the foot levels but the other single player levels and multiplayer modes will make you overlook the issue.
91 Play Magazine
The other big talking point of this game is the inclusion of ground missions, and again, I turn a slightly blind eye to the sloppy control and sometimes frustrating camera because these missions look good and are fun, if only because you are running around blasting Stormtroopers like you pretended to as a kid. [Nov 2003, p.68]
90 Next Level Gaming
Don't get me wrong, I love this game, but every now and then I get annoyed because someone is lighting my butt up and I can’t seem to find out where the hell it is coming from. I just wish that Factor 5 threw in a camera angle button so you can see what is going on.
88 Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
This is the game they should have made last time. Gorgeous, sizey and ambitious. The new modes just need a little more tweaking. [GamesMaster]
87 GameBiz
One of the best Star Wars games out there and also, in the process, proves to be one of the best GameCube games out there.
85 GameZone
As much as Star Wars fans love diversity, the ground battles don't live up to expectations. Developers have been trying to make a third-person Star Wars shooter for years. It didn't work perfectly in standalone games like "Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast." And it works with even less efficiency here.
83 IGN
Between a superb two-player cooperative mode -- an absolute must play, in my opinion -- a fun versus mode, and a for-the-most-part engaging single-player experience, there's a lot to do and a lot of satisfaction to be found. And I don't think Star Wars fans should ignore Rebel Strike because of a few poor on-foot missions.
82 RealGamer
The games only real faults lie in the ground missions, while they could have easily been solved with a little time from the developer and will probably annoy casual gamers they shouldn’t be enough to spoil the game for real Star Wars fans who should get plenty of enjoyment out of the games missions and bonus features.
81 Nintendophiles
If there’s anything to complain about regarding the on-foot missions, it’s their embarrassing simplicity...but it’s pretty much unanimous that the flight missions and multiplayer are top notch.
80 GamePro
If it weren’t for the sloppy handling, Rogue III could have flown a perfect flight.
80 Armchair Empire
In terms of Star Wars games it’s probably the most complete Star Wars package the gaming world has ever seen.
78 Gamer's Pulse
A great game if all you're looking for is some TIE-blasting and AT-tripping fun. Having said that, innovation is not this game's strong suit. The new content, mainly the on-foot missions, only serve to detract from the rest.
78 GameSpot
Returning fans may find themselves wishing that the developer had instead stuck to the things it clearly knows best, but on the whole, Rebel Strike is a very good game that's worthy of the Rogue Squadron name.
75 Deeko
While the vehicle missions are simply an incredible experience, the on-foot platform missions leave quite a lot to be desired.
75 GameSpy
While the overall game experience ranges from frustrating to epic, there's something special about the title as a whole.
75 NintendoWorldReport
The best parts in Rebel Strike are nothing less than excellent, but the worst parts are so shamefully bad that they taint the entire experience. You can’t help but play through a level like "Trials of a Jedi", set on the planet Dagobah, without wondering what the hell the developers were thinking when they decided to keep it in the game.
72 Electronic Gaming Monthly
The good news: The on-foot segments are mercifully short. They only spoil about a third of the game. The other two-thirds - the deep-space dogfighting, speederbike racing, and other vehicle missions - are as thrilling and stunning as ever.
70 GamerFeed
The graphics are quite the mixed bag, very pretty during most levels but yucky on others, something Factor 5 didn't fix because Rogue Leader suffered from this as well.
70 netjak
With the lack of really fun and interesting missions (I never want to have to say, “That’s it! If I have to protect one more transport, I’m joining the Empire!”), and the flat-out boring commando missions, this game falls far short of the high standards Factor 5 has set for themselves.
70 Total Video Games
It tries too hard to be so many different things and ultimately falls flat on its face, very disappointing after the success of the previous title in the series.
70 GMR Magazine
Topping off the game is the ability to go through all of RS's excellent missions in a splitscreen co-op mode with a friend. [Dec 2003, p.68]
67 GameNow
Have you ever played the classic arcade game Robotron 2084? Imagine a crappier version of it in 3D with horrible controls. That's what the on-foot missions of Rebel Strike are like.
67 Gaming Age
There are too many little things wrong with the strongest part of the game, the flight combat, to completely excuse the weakest parts, the third person missions on foot.
67 Game Revolution
Rebel Strike takes a rough shot to its power core with the terrible on-foot segments and short single-player campaign. The delivery and dogfighting is still top-notch, but they really should have just stuck with what worked instead of trying to add in unnecessary gameplay styles.
66 GameReviewer
If SWRS3:RS were a person, I would have diagnosed it with a bi-polar disorder of some kind. Moments of sheer unbridled happiness come as quickly as they go, replaced with a gut-wrenching sadness that leaves the player feeling empty and bewildered inside.
65 Game Informer
The butchery that Factor 5 has inflicted upon this game has led to a disastrous release that will likely be remembered as one of the biggest disappointments in all of gaming. [Nov 2003, p.155]
60 Yahoo! Games
Rebel Strike's control issues and lack of a manual camera option bring added frustration to an already difficult game.
60 games(TM)
Anyone who has played any of the previous Rogue Squadron titles will know what to expect from most of this title, but while its predecessors have been unadventurously solid, Rebel Strike is quite the opposite. A valiant effort with some wonderful moments but it promises more than it can deliver. [Dec 2003, p.96]
50 Gamestyle
Such issues with level design, camera foibles and other miscellanies were surely highlighted during testing. It is unfortunate that these were either downgraded or deliberately overlooked, but the damage to the series is momentous.
50 NTSC-uk
The inclusion of the entirety of the previous title, Rogue Leader, in co-operative multiplayer form is unquestionably a generous addition but, whilst great fun, it simply serves to highlight the fact that the slightly easier and less-focused missions of Rebel Strike are a step down from the earlier titles.
50 Edge Magazine
There's a prevalent fashion at the moment for games to contain a multitude of games styles, a presumption that suggests consumers have become bored of single genre games. But Rogue Squadron III exposes the lie. It's a game that tries too hard to do many things, but only manages to do a few of them well. [Dec 2003, p.92]
40 EuroGamer
Gone is the marriage of lush, detailed and hugely compelling space combat missions to key moments in the film trilogy, replaced by poorly put together ground-based approximations of the old style, and a series of gimmick-driven vehicle missions that barely even summon up an initial "wow" factor.