August 2002 Volume 83 Number 8 "serving the protectors"
Edited By John Ballantyne

Star Wars: Rogue Leader

Format: GameCube

Rogue Leader is being hailed as the ultimate in Star Wars gaming – a truly breathtaking game which has taken interactive entertainment to a new level.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to lead the elite Rogue Squadon, here’s your chance to jump into the cockpit of an X-wing and find out.

Relive your favourite Star Wars battles as you join Luke Skywalker and the galaxy’s most daring pilots as they return to face off against the Empire.

Rogue Leader features include:

• Stunning, movie-like visuals, with incredible graphics and unprecedented realism.
• Aerial conflict using a variety of legendary Star Wars craft, such as the legendary X-wing, A-wing and B-wing.
• Eleven primary campaign missions, including the perilous Death Star trench run from Episode IV, a daring space attack on a Star Destroyer, the battle on the ice planet Hoth, and some snowspeeder action in which you take on the massive Imperial AT-TA Walkers.
• Rescue, raids, and a multitude of other air-to-ground and air-to-air combat situations.
• Real-time environmental effects – watch the twin suns of Tatooine rise and set, or race your vehicle to complete a mission before darkness falls.

The combination of visuals, audio and superb control system make this game an utterly absorbing experience for anyone who enjoys a space combat action game.

Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror
Format: PC

This online counter-terrorist simulation resembles the popular game, Counter Strike, when it comes to game mechanics and gameplay.

You join one of two rival teams.

On one side are the good guys attempting to stop terrorists from massacring hostages and escaping; and on the other side are the bad guys trying – literally – to get away with murder.

Playing it in multiplayer mode, you have different types of troops, a choice of 27 weapons, and detailed maps of the terrain.

The playing field encompasses a multitude of environments, ranging from rural to urban to industrial.

As your team accomplishes its mission objectives, you are awarded “cash” with which you can purchase weapons and equipment upgrades.

Tactical Ops also gives you the option of single-player mode in which you can hone your skills.

The game might at first glance appear to be fairly straightforward, but there are plenty of thrills and spills in store when you have over a dozen characters at large, armed with heavy weapons.

Knockout Kings 2002
Format: Xbox

This new Xbox version of Knockout Kings delivers an ultra-realistic bruising slugfest.

Features include:

• A choice of boxing greats Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Roberto Duran, and others.
• An all-new game engine allowing for quick, responsive controls.
• Multiplayer tournaments for up to eight players.
• A selection from 10 real-world boxing venues.
• A new hip-hop soundtrack.

The graphics are stunningly realistic and the boxers themselves accurately depicted.

Collision detection sees boxers twist, contort and fall backwards according to how their bodies absorb punches. Cuts, bruises and facial damage leave their marks too.

Boxing experts have collected data on every boxer’s tendencies and cleverly incorporated them into each boxer in the game.

Thus you will see Muhammed Ali’s virtual counterpart fight (and taunt his opponents) as he did in his heyday.

There are three gameplay modes: Exhibition, Tournament and Career. Exhibition and Tournament are multi-player modes. Career is a single-player mode.

In Career mode your task is to make a champion out of your own created boxer.

You start out at a very humble level, but as you complete fights you improve your boxer’s attributes.

But you have to be careful. Lose three fights in your career and you’re put out to pasture.

Nascar 2002 Season
Format: PC

Nascar racing is hugely popular in the United States and has quite a following in Australia.

In this game, you get behind the wheel of a 750-horsepower stock car and battle for the championship on simulations of real-life tracks.

If you’re an expert, you can get under the hood to fine-tune your car.

If you’re a novice, you can just jump straight in and race with up to 42 cars in Arcade Mode.

Your competitors include drivers from the 2002 season, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, and – somewhat controversially – Dale Earnhardt Jr, the son of Earnhardt who was tragically killed at high speed.

Feel the car vibrate, hear the engines roar, and sweat it out racing fender to fender at 180 miles per hour!

Seeing all 43 cars on the track at one time is quite a staggering sight.

Nerves of steel are required as you deftly weave in and out among your rivals at high speed and even engage in some fun biffing and barging.

Nascar 2002 Season boasts some of the best visuals, sound, control and options for this sort of game, but the circuit approach takes a bit of getting used to.

To ensure that your car carries out your commands with a high degree of responsiveness, you need a quality steering wheel, rather than just relying on keyboards and joysticks.

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