GBA: Star Wars - Flight of the Falcon

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Is this already released in the states? Any first impressions/reviews on that one?

 

Does it suck as much as the other three Star Wars titles?

 

I mean at least the screenshots looked better this time

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

I mean at least the screenshots looked better this time

 

Just so you know what I'm talking about' date=' these are GBA screenshots:

[img']http://pocketmedia.ign.com/pocket/image/flightofthefalcon_082803_001.jpg[/img]

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Ze_ro]

I liked it the first time... when it was called StarFox!!

 

Just kidding, it looks pretty damn good actually. I haven't tried it (or even heard of it for that matter), but I hope the gameplay is up to snuff.

 

--Zero

[Flojomojo]

Wow, I had missed those screenshots on IGN, even though it's supposedly on my "watch" list that sends me spam when it's updated.

 

It looks like a handheld version of Rebel Assault. Or a slightly better version of the Mode 7 effect stages in the SNES games. Or a really really blocky ugly version of Rogue Squadron.

 

Worst case scenario: it looks like the SNES games and plays like the Sega Star Wars Trilogy arcade game.

 

In any case, it looks like it's on rails, with moderately good 3D effects considering the hardware. It can't be any worse than the previous GBA Star Wars efforts. Can it???

[King Atari]

Worst case scenario: it looks like the SNES games and plays like the Sega Star Wars Trilogy arcade game.

 

What's wrong with the trilogy arcade game? I love that thing, nearly beat it the other night at the movie theater.

 

It looks like the game has the Death Star trench scene. In other words, I'm getting it.

[liveinabin]

God damn, if the GBA can do pretty on-the-rails shooters, why don't we have a GBA Panzer Dragoon? I'm going out into the street now to complain loudly to whoever will listen...oy...old woman....

[cryptik76]

God damn' date=' if the GBA can do pretty on-the-rails shooters, why don't we have a GBA Panzer Dragoon? I'm going out into the street now to complain loudly to whoever will listen...oy...old woman....[/quote']

 

I think because most of the pretty on-the-rails shooters we've seen on the GBA so far have been crap. I'm looking in Iridion 3D and Star X's direction here (at least the behind-the-ship view games).

[liveinabin]

I'd like to believe Flight of the Falcon will be good, but I can't. That kind of game is just beyond the scope of the GBA so sacrificies will be made on the gameplay, I'm sure.

Anyway, even if it does turn out good, I don't fancy playing that asteroid bit on anything but an SP.

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

I can't believe that it is on-the-rail. No way to get so much data on a GBA Modul. I think it's rather the good old SNES Mode 7 trickery, so I'd assume it'll rahter play like these scenes of the SNES series. Especially the trench scene reminds me a lot of the old SNES one.

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[Flojomojo]

Worst case scenario: it looks like the SNES games and plays like the Sega Star Wars Trilogy arcade game.

 

What's wrong with the trilogy arcade game? I love that thing' date=' nearly beat it the other night at the movie theater.[/quote']As iliveinabin might say, it's rubbish. Sure, it looks nice, but the gameplay is no better than Rebel Assault from almost ten years ago. How much did it cost you to get to the end? And don't you feel cheated that it's more of a money-sucker than a skill contest? Maybe you're a better player than me, but when I play, my shield level goes down like a ticking clock, regardless of how well I'm doing. I dislike games like that in the arcade, and as much as I like Star Wars, I wouldn't want to bring something like that home.

[King Atari]

Back when it still worked well, I could get very far on only two or three quarters. Keep in mind I didn't beat it with that amount, but I did make it pretty far, maybe the last stage before dying. Sadly, the joystick is shot now (needs oiled or something, I'd bet), so it did cost me a few more, but still not very many, don't remember how much exactly. Anyways, I was determined to beat it, but I died on the second Death Star.

 

I don't know, maybe the game is an acquired taste.

 

I can't believe that it is on-the-rail. No way to get so much data on a GBA Modul. I think it's rather the good old SNES Mode 7 trickery, so I'd assume it'll rahter play like these scenes of the SNES series. Especially the trench scene reminds me a lot of the old SNES one.

 

Ugh, I was disappointed with the trench sequence in Super Star Wars. Keep in mind this wasn't that long ago, a little after Rogue Leader was released, so it's unfair to compare them, but I still didn't find it very fun, especially the tower shooting part, it was almost the same as the Jawa shooting stage from earlier in the game!

 

BTW, I hear Super Empire Strikes Back used a mock 3D perspetive to do the Hoth-Walker scene. Is this just mode 7 again, or was something else incorporated? Either way, I'd love some screenshots (they'll be the deciding factor for whether I pick it up at Gamestop or not).

[JB]

I can't believe that it is on-the-rail. No way to get so much data on a GBA Modul. I think it's rather the good old SNES Mode 7 trickery' date=' so I'd assume it'll rahter play like these scenes of the SNES series. Especially the trench scene reminds me a lot of the old SNES one.

[/quote']

 

Ugh, I was disappointed with the trench sequence in Super Star Wars. Keep in mind this wasn't that long ago, a little after Rogue Leader was released, so it's unfair to compare them, but I still didn't find it very fun, especially the tower shooting part, it was almost the same as the Jawa shooting stage from earlier in the game!

 

BTW, I hear Super Empire Strikes Back used a mock 3D perspetive to do the Hoth-Walker scene. Is this just mode 7 again, or was something else incorporated? Either way, I'd love some screenshots (they'll be the deciding factor for whether I pick it up at Gamestop or not).

Yes, it was mode 7(at least for the ground you drive on).

 

Assume all 3D effects on the SNES use graphics mode 7 unless told otherwise.

 

Given it's slow CPU, doing it in software isn't really feasable(see Wolfenstien 3D), and mode 7 is the SNES' only hardware 3D capability.

 

...

 

Man, I haven't played the Super Star Wars games in ages...

 

Here's a bad screenshot...

http://home.iprimus.com.au/keithbrown/pipe...pes/sppeder.gif

 

 

 

Of course, the SNES' mode 7 wouldn't be worth jack in the actual trench sequence, as it only provides for 3D manipulation of a single plane, and at the cost of all other background layers in the mode 7 area(like so many other systems before it, the SNES can have diffrent graphics modes on diffrent scanlines).

The trench was actually just an animated background layer on the SNES. I assume the same is true of the GBA game.

[King Atari]

Hmm, maybe I will pick it up, it's only $5, and I love 2D systems that try to pull off 3D.

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Here's a couple of new screenshots finally showing non-space scenes:

And here's one with a laser barrier (death star trench?)

 

Edit: Ok, so the images aren't linkable...

 

Try this: http://gba.n64europe.com/index.php?id=2058

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[rasty]

This really looks like THE 3d game for GBA!

If it's as smooth as V-Rally, I know I'll love it!

(that game is amazing btw)

 

Thanks for the heads-up Manuel!

 

Regards,

Rasty.-

[Godzilla]

Yea if its not on-rails, Ill be all over this game. The new GBA stuntman game also has pretty amazing 3d, too. I bet in time we will look back on these games, laughing, 'remember when the GBA couldn't do voodoo 1 quality 3d! hahahaa!'

[King Atari]

Yea if its not on-rails, Ill be all over this game.

 

Ditto.

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

It can't be any worse than the previous GBA Star Wars efforts.  Can it???

 

Seems like they made it. The first review I read in a German mag rated it 43%

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[+kisrael]

What I finds really amusing is that on the Dagobah training "Luke: the Frogger Years" level of Rebel Strike, his double jump is straight outta the SNES games... made much worse by so much of that level having a straight side view. I found that really amusing.

 

I guess maybe Luke does double jump in RotJ, so there's a slight excuse for it, but overall there's no excuse for the running around scenes in that game.

 

That said, those GBA screenshots look pretty amazing, I hope they have movies that'll show if the gameplay keeps up. I suspect a GBA has enough power to do what a 1991-era 386 could do; namely, clever scaling and rotation of pre-existing sprites like the original Wing Commander. Put that with some decent arcadey physics w/ digitized Star Wars fighters, and that could be one hell of a game.

[shep]

I love how the game looks, I just hope (as everyone has said) the gameplay rocks....I love StarWars and I am sick of the crap titles.

[Flojomojo]

Bad news, Star Wars fans. I picked this up today without reading any reviews, and it sucks. That's two turds I've played from Pocket Studios, who also screwed up the Midway Arcade compilation for GBA. Could someone please give my childhood favorites to a company that is capable of not ruining them?

 

The screenshots looked great, even the color manual looks great. The levels are all from the old SW movies and are good ideas. The music is decently done. The sound effects are OK. The graphics engine is workmanlike scaling 2D, which would be fine if the framerate were above 15FPS.

 

Level One: shoot the TIE fighters until the green bar at the bottom of the screen goes away. Lose all your shields and start the level over again.

 

Level Two: fly your landspeeder through the streets of Mos Eisley so you can sell it before the green bar at the bottom of the screen runs out. Don't hit the walls or you start all over again. That's all I finished before turning off my GB Player in disgust. Maybe I'll be more tolerant of this on the small screen while waiting for a train someday.

 

No battery save, just passwords. I managed to unlock the whole game by accident by guessing a password, but can't duplicate the code and get it again. There are no vowels in the passwords, so they're all meaningless, hard-to-remember gibberish.

 

There's a "bonus" arcade game that's a simple side-scroller in which you shoot TIE fighters. The whole package feels rushed out the door for a quick buck. Yet another wasted opportunity for the Star Wars franchise on the GBA.

 

This thing is an embarrassment for $30 and isn't worth your time or money.

[Jasoco]

Man. That's sad. I actually had hopes for it. It looked good.

 

Oh well. We just got them in today.