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[Unlike many of you who couldn't wait and just HAD to write those stupid "predictions" review, this one is for the final product.]

When the Gamecube was launched, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader was an instant hit with a number of gamers. It was one of the finest games available at the time of launch, and it proved that unlike many previous blunders in the series, Star Wars games CAN be good. For nearly two years we have waited for the sequel, and at long last it has arrived! Read on for my review of Star Wars Rogue Squadron III - Rebel Strike.

THE GOOD:
-I'll say the most important good thing about this game first - YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A STAR WARS FAN TO ENJOY THIS GAME!
-This game has more pilotable vehicles than the past two Rogue Squadron games COMBINED! If you want variety, you've got it.
-In addition to air vehicles, you'll also get to pilot Imperial walkers and swoop/speeder bikes, and even landspeeders!
-The graphics are stunning.
-There's a cooperative two-player mode featuring the missions from the previous game, as well as competitve two-player modes! And in these competitive modes, you can adjust a number of variables to customize your duels! For example, you can turn power-ups on or off, wingmen on or off, etc. And if you don't want your enemy to see what you're telling your wingmen to do, you can hook a Game Boy Advance up to the Gamecube, and use it to give them orders! That is, provided you have the GBA/GCN link cable.
-The game breaks the chain of "all missions are in craft", and has several "on-foot" portions of missions! This only adds to the variety.
-The game has two separate campaigns - one follows Luke Skywalker, the other follows Wedge Antilles.
-With a little work, you can unlock the ORIGINAL Star Wars video game!
-Star Wars games have been known for their "hit or miss" reputation, but I assure you, this one's a "hit"!
-It's not the expanded universe, it's the classic trilogy universe Star Wars fans know and love. That means no Jar Jar!
-A new type of Imperial craft makes its debut in this game - the TIE Hunter!

THE BAD:
-The missions, the Speeder Bike ones in particular, are HIGHLY UNFORGIVING. In many missions, if you make a single mistake, you lose. They should have left these Bike missions out of the game.
-Your objectives are often unclear. It's tough to tell exactly what you're supposed to be doing sometimes.
-There are a number of storyline/chronology errors. For example, many of these missions take place BEFORE Return Of The Jedi, but TIE Interceptors and A-Wings and B-Wings appear in these EARLIER missions! These ships didn't exist until the Battle Of Endor in the films. Likewise, in the Death Star Escape mission, Stormtroopers refer to Han and Luke as "Rebel scum", even though they hadn't joined the Rebel Alliance yet. It also seems highly unlikely that a Jedi Starfighter would remain on the surface of Geonosis for twenty years, let alone still work fine, and that its hyperdrive ring would survive in the asteroid field for the same amount of time (the reason I give this time is because I think they are implying that it is the one that Obi-Wan Kenobi landed on Geonosis in Episode II).
-YOU CAN'T ADJUST THE CAMERA IN THE "ON-FOOT" MISSIONS. This is the Achilles Heal of these parts of the game. If you remember right, a bad camera was the biggest flaw in Super Mario Sunshine as well.
-The control in the on-foot missions is very strange at first. Accordingly, I strongly suggest doing the Tatooine Training before playing the actual game. Personally, I would have liked it better if the game stuck to the "all air vehicles" formula of the last two.
-If you're using a cockpit view in a vehicle, you have to use the C-Stick to look around, whereas the "behind vehicle" view gives you a much wider viewing radius.
-You can't play the old Rogue Leader missions in single player, nor can you play the new missions in two player.

OVERALL:
Rebel Strike is a fantastic game that lives up to the hype that has been created around it for so long now. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GAME TO ALL GAMECUBE OWNERS, STAR WARS FAN OR NOT! Sure, this game isn't perfect by any means, but this game is a very strong candidate for "best Gamecube game to date". Don't pass this buy if you own a Gamecube - you'll just be hurting yourself!

A truly great game they brings the world of Star Wars in one great combination of game stlyes. Ranging from fighting in huge galactic space battles from the seat of an X-Wing, from piloting an fully armed AT-ST against a hord of ground troops, or flying a speeder bike through the forest of Endor, to fighting stormtroopers wielding a lightsaber or a trusty balster on foot, this game brings it all to you in a well balanced fashion. The game bascialy follows two different story lines, one following Luke's great adventures, consisting of missions that follow the great moments of the movies, like fighting at the Battle of Hoth or participating in the battle of Endor. The onther story line follows Wedge and the rest of Rogue squadron in other missions that moves through an interesting storyline. There are also the many bonus missions that are by far totally awsome and fun to play, Like going up against the Super Star Destoryer Executor, or the rescue of Leia on the Death Star are a great addision. The Graphics are off the scale and the coolness of driving an AT-ST and using it to mow down a buch of stormtroopers is too much to pase up, its not too hard to pick up on the stearing and loads of fun to shoot. The third person shooter mode in this game is well done concidering its coming from a game from a line of flight sims and offers a different kind of apsect of the game. The missions in the game are very long and can have an average of three areas to one mission so watch how many lives you got left. The game also offers somting new to the Rogue Squadron line in having not just a second player mode but also playing all of the Rogue Squadron II missions in coopritive mode. This is really a great game that brings everything to the table, a must buy even if don't like Star Wars because this game is very well done and has a little something for everybody.

When the Gamecube was launched, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader was an instant hit with a number of gamers. It was one of the finest games available at the time of launch, and it proved that unlike many previous blunders in the series, Star Wars games CAN be good. For nearly two years we have waited for the sequel, and at long last it has arrived! Read on for my review of Star Wars Rogue Squadron III - Rebel Strike.

THE GOOD:
-I'll say the most important good thing about this game first - YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A STAR WARS FAN TO ENJOY THIS GAME!
-This game has more pilotable vehicles than the past two Rogue Squadron games COMBINED! If you want variety, you've got it.
-In addition to air vehicles, you'll also get to pilot Imperial walkers and swoop/speeder bikes, and even landspeeders!
-The graphics are stunning.
-There's a cooperative two-player mode featuring the missions from the previous game, as well as competitve two-player modes! And in these competitive modes, you can adjust a number of variables to customize your duels! For example, you can turn power-ups on or off, wingmen on or off, etc. And if you don't want your enemy to see what you're telling your wingmen to do, you can hook a Game Boy Advance up to the Gamecube, and use it to give them orders! That is, provided you have the GBA/GCN link cable.
-The game breaks the chain of "all missions are in craft", and has several "on-foot" portions of missions! This only adds to the variety.

-The game has two separate campaigns - one follows Luke Skywalker, the other follows Wedge Antilles.
-With a little work, you can unlock the ORIGINAL Star Wars video game!
-Star Wars games have been known for their "hit or miss" reputation, but I assure you, this one's a "hit"!
-It's not the expanded universe, it's the classic trilogy universe Star Wars fans know and love. That means no Jar Jar!
-A new type of Imperial craft makes its debut in this game - the TIE Hunter!

THE BAD:
-The missions, the Speeder Bike ones in particular, are HIGHLY UNFORGIVING. In many missions, if you make a single mistake, you lose. They should have left these Bike missions out of the game.
-Your objectives are often unclear. It's tough to tell exactly what you're supposed to be doing sometimes.
-There are a number of storyline/chronology errors. For example, many of these missions take place BEFORE Return Of The Jedi, but TIE Interceptors and A-Wings and B-Wings appear in these EARLIER missions! These ships didn't exist until the Battle Of Endor in the films. Likewise, in the Death Star Escape mission, Stormtroopers refer to Han and Luke as "Rebel scum", even though they hadn't joined the Rebel Alliance yet. It also seems highly unlikely that a Jedi Starfighter would remain on the surface of Geonosis for twenty years, let alone still work fine, and that its hyperdrive ring would survive in the asteroid field for the same amount of time (the reason I give this time is because I think they are implying that it is the one that Obi-Wan Kenobi landed on Geonosis in Episode II).
-YOU CAN'T ADJUST THE CAMERA IN THE "ON-FOOT" MISSIONS. This is the Achilles Heal of these parts of the game. If you remember right, a bad camera was the biggest flaw in Super Mario Sunshine as well.
-The control in the on-foot missions is very strange at first. Accordingly, I strongly suggest doing the Tatooine Training before playing the actual game. Personally, I would have liked it better if the game stuck to the "all air vehicles" formula of the last two.
-If you're using a cockpit view in a vehicle, you have to use the C-Stick to look around, whereas the "behind vehicle" view gives you a much wider viewing radius.
-You can't play the old Rogue Leader missions in single player, nor can you play the new missions in two player.
-The game features elements of the prequel trilogy (nothing major fortunately), and this is sure to turn off potential players.
-In the Multiplayer Deathmatch mode, there is always a targeting reticule around your foe. This makes it too damn easy to find whoever you're battling against!
-Multiplayer mode is two players only. You can't do four players.

OVERALL:
Rebel Strike is a fantastic game that lives up to the hype that has been created around it for so long now. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GAME TO ALL GAMECUBE OWNERS, STAR WARS FAN OR NOT! Sure, this game isn't perfect by any means, but this game is a very strong candidate for "best Gamecube game to date". Don't pass this buy if you own a Gamecube - you'll just be hurting yourself!