Star Wars Starfighter (PS2)

Description

3037. FedNet is now in control of the federation, and at an attempt to gain trust of the population following decades of corruption and warfare, the FedNet Space Corps were sent to the outermost planets to crush the small-time warlords still running the show there. After being ‘convinced’ to join them in a tour of duty, he is assigned to an elite flight group with the only purpose of testing the most cutting edge technology. A remake of the original game of the same title released a few years before for the Acorn Archimedes platform, Starfighter 3000 features more detailed graphics (now all surfaces are texture-mapped and a fogging filter reduces clipping). Featuring 15 levels in 4 worlds, the player controls the Predator Mark-IV, a fighter ship capable of space and atmospheric flight. However, other than the handy boost button, the player has no control over the throttle, and must keep moving at all times. Two points of view are available: behind (better for acrobatics and general flying) and cockpit (accurate aiming and NOE flight). By picking up crystals the player is able to upgrade his craft and obtain more ammo, and by combining colours, get more powerful weapons, some also obtainable from parachute drops sent by FedNet. One of the defining features of the game is using the laser (basic weapon) to terraform the map. As the game map is composed by tiles, some with higher or lower vertexes, can be leveled by simply firing repeatedly at the same area. This allows players to strategically avoid heavy defense turrets by simply collapsing a hill, or destroy an heavier turret by simply burrowing the ground beneath it. The player starts the game with three lives, and earns one every 250k points. Losing all lives means a game over, but as there isn’t a profile for each pilot (like in Tie Fighter), the game can be resumed freely from the last savegame. Manufacturer’s description: StarFighter 3000 is the next generation of space combat simulations that puts you in control of the most lethal flying machine the 31st century has ever seen. Enter a complete virtual environment and take to the skies, flying high over buildings, lakes, bridges and mountain ranges. Drop from the mothership and fly the STARFIGHTER 3000 into air-to-air and air-to-ground combat that’s so frenzied that you’ll be thankful you’ve got highly trained wingmen for support. With enemy fighters, heat seeking missiles and space cruisers to deal with, not to mention enemy SAM sites and radar installations, StarFighter 3000 really is state of the art. # Over 50 varied missions spread across 4 levels # Unique camera viewing system allows the player to lock onto virtually any object from any angle, while still flying and fighting # Air-to-air and air-to-ground missions that present the ultimate challenge # Blistering 3D graphics with contoured land, graduated skyline and undulating seascapes # Take control of friendly air forces and control up to 10 wingmen at a time # Non-linear mission structure means that the order of target destruction may have an affect on mission success. You need to think as well as fight! # A choice of 8 different in-game soundtracks ranging from ambient to full on space battle! # Bonus levels, time limits, chain reactions, extra weapons and experimental fighter craft all feature heavily in the game