Star Wars : Rogue Squadron Star Wars : Rogue Squadron ( Star Wars : Rogue Squadron 3D for PC ) is a video game that was first released for the Nintendo 64 video game console and the PC on December 7 , 1998 . It was one of the first Nintendo 64 games to support the console ' s , which allowed higher - quality graphics to be displayed while playing . The story is set between and , beginning six months after the Battle of Yavin ( with the exception of the final and secret levels ) , and shows the missions set during the formation of Rogue Squadron , led by Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles . In 1999 , " Star Wars : Rogue Squadron " won the Origins Award for Best Action Computer Game of 1998 . Synopsis . Setting . " Star Wars : Rogue Squadron " is set during the war between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance . Six months after the Battle of Yavin , the fliers of Rogue Squadron are engaged in a desperate battle for the survival of the Rebellion . As the Empire gathers strength for an all - out assault on the Rebel forces , Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles form Rogue Squadron , a group comprising twelve of the most skilled X - wing pilots from the Rebel Alliance . Six years after the Battle of Endor , the Rebel Alliance has established the New Republic , which now controls three quarters of the galaxy . After the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader , the Galactic Empire collapsed , but was reborn under a mysterious new leader . Rogue Squadron , now under the command of Wedge Antilles , continues to fight the Empire to protect the newly formed Republic . Plot summary . Six months after the Battle of Yavin , Rogue Squadron briefly encounters the Empire at the Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine . The team is then assigned to escort supplies on Barkhesh . Soon after , Rogue Squadron helps search for the " Nonnah " and extract its crew on Chorax . Later , the Rebels learn that Imperial officer Crix Madine wishes to defect to the Rebel Alliance . In response , the Empire launches an attack on Corellia , where Madine is hiding , to prevent his departure . Rogue Squadron , with the help of Han Solo and Chewbacca in the " Millennium Falcon " , fought off the Empire and escorted Madine safely off the planet . Soon after , Rogue Squadron is joined by Gold Squadron , a group of Y - wings now led by Crix Madine ; they are dispatched to the moon of Gerrard V to aid its quest for independence from the Empire . While disabling Imperial yachts over Gerrard V , the Rebel force encountered the 128th TIE Interceptor Squadron . Imperial pilot Kasan Moor ' s TIE fighter was disabled by Gold Squadron during the battle . When Rogue Squadron informed Moor that she has been taken prisoner , she offered to defect and provide the Rebel Alliance with intelligence on Imperial targets . With the help of Kasan Moor ' s intelligence , the Alliance launched three consecutive attacks on Imperial bases throughout the galaxy . After an assault on the Imperial Enclave , a facility on Kile II supporting the Empire ' s Naval operations , Wedge Antilles was ambushed by a group of TIE fighters and was taken captive . The Rebel Alliance tracked Antilles to an Imperial prison complex on the planet of Kessel . Rogue Squadron organized a rescue on Kessel , liberating Wedge Antilles before he could be transferred to an Imperial prison . With Wedge Antilles free and Rogue Squadron again at full strength , the Rebel Alliance turned its attention to a new Imperial threat — Moff Kohl Seerdon . Seerdon was consolidating Imperial power in preparation for an attack aimed at capturing Thyferra , a planet producing the healing substance bacta . Rogue Squadron was ordered to disrupt his operation with hit - and - run missions against key targets on Taloraan and Fest . In retaliation , Seerdon blockaded a city on the planet of Chandrila . Rogue Squadron and the Alliance struck back by initiating a Kasan Moor – engineered raid on an Imperial base located inside a volcano on Sullust . While on Sullust , however , General Carlist Rieekan informed Rogue Squadron that Moff Seerdon used their raid as a diversion and began his attack on Thyferra . With Seerdon in control of the planet ' s bacta and their own supply threatened , Rogue Squadron quickly reached Thyferra , killed Seerdon , and freed the planet from Seerdon ' s control . Six years after the Battle of Endor , Rogue Squadron , now under the command of Wedge Antilles , continued to fight the wounded Empire . On the planet of Dac , new Imperial weapons called World Devastator s were destroying the planet . Rogue Squadron assisted in disabling all three Devastators and destroying the Imperial presence . Main characters . Luke Skywalker . Luke Skywalker is Rogue Leader and a fledgling Jedi Knight . He formed Rogue Squadron and led it up until the Battle of Hoth . Wedge Antilles . Wedge Antilles is a Corellian who was orphaned and later joined the Rebellion . He survived the first Death Star and flew with Rogue Squadron . He became Rogue Leader after the Battle of Hoth . Crix Madine . Crix Madine is an Imperial defector who led commando forces on missions for the Rebellion alongside Rogue Squadron . Levels . Chapter I . Ambush at Mos Eisley . This mission serves as a training area for players to jump into the action and practice aiming and targeting skills . Rendezvous on Barkhesh . This mission introduces major enemies such as the AT - ST . It also introduces a moving target to protect . The Search for the " Nonnah " . This mission introduces large protection missions which revolve around defending a certain target . Defection at Corellia . Here , the player is subjected to their first major challenge : the AT - AT . Liberation of Gerrard V . Another level of destroying the enemy ships brings this introductory chapter to a close . Briefing : This mission pits you against a skilled Imperial ace , Kasan Moor . You ' ll be flying over Gerrard V , a planet whose surface is covered by deserts and oceans . Its topography is dominated by steep raised areas , called towers , and low - lying depressions , known as saddles . Populated by Rebel supporters , Gerrard V once revolted against the Empire , but this insurrection was crushed by orbital bombings from Imperial Star Destroyers . Chapter II . The Jade Moon . This mission ups the ante for more experienced players to exercise their newly developed skills by involving larger targets , speed , protection , and evasion . Imperial Construction Yards . Here , players must traverse stealth and a difficult sneak attack to succeed in this mission . Assault on Kile II . The pilot is introduced to the Y - wing , giving more diversity for the player to enjoy . Rescue on Kessel . The first of two levels taking place on Kessel , this mission tests the player ' s ability to use the secondary weapon : the ion cannon . This mission takes you to the reddish , potato - shaped planet of Kessel , where the Empire has a notorious prison facility . Kessel ' s surface is covered with salt flats and pockmarked by deep craters and mines . The thin atmosphere of this inhospitable planet is barely breathable , so special factories have been built to generate oxygen , nitrogen , and carbon dioxide . Prisons of Kessel . The second of two levels taking place on Kessel , this mission tests the player ' s ability for protection missions and dogfighting . Chapter III . Battle above Taloraan . A mix in the terrain , that is , the lack of it . Here , more freedoms are given for flight , which can be challenging as much as it is an advantage . Dogfighting is key in this mission . Escape from Fest . A notoriously difficult level where players must take on AT - AT , TIE fighters , and TIE bombers , all the while protecting a trio of extremely fragile rogue AT - PTs . Blockade on Chandrila . Chandrila involves protecting another train and a city from Imperial forces . Raid on Sullust . Difficult dogfights , a large amount of defensive measures , and difficult terrain make Sullust a difficult mission . The Y - wing is an easy target , but players must navigate through Imperial forces to bomb their targets . Moff Seerdon ' s Revenge . This mission involves protecting bacta tanks and dogfighting Imperials on a much higher level of difficulty . Thyferra also offers players a chance to fight against Moff Seedon , a boss . Chapter IV . The Battle of Calamari . The final true " mission " involves tricky dogfighting in V - wing craft and an all - out battle with massive World Devastators . Secret levels . Beggar ' s Canyon . The first bonus level is almost a type of mini - game , involving a race rather than variations of dogfighting . Earn bronze medals on all previous levels . The Death Star Trench Run . The second bonus level puts players in control of the Rogues ' first victory : the Battle of Yavin . Earn silver medals on all previous levels . The Battle of Hoth . The third bonus level puts players in control of the Rogues ' costly mission : the Battle of Hoth . Earn gold medals on all previous levels . Chicken . The secret bonus level of the Nintendo 64 version puts players in control of an Imperial AT - ST , in a rather odd mini - game of " Destroy Everything in Sight . " This includes destroying an Imperial base consisting of a radar array , guarded by Probe droids , Turbolasers , and Stormtroopers , destroying a Jawa encampment , destroying a small town , and destroying a Rebel base guarded by tanks and laser turrets . Type CHICKEN for the passcode . Gameplay . Unlike the " " computer game series that emphasizes , " Rogue Squadron " is a fast - paced , arcade - style action game . Each of the game ' s sixteen levels introduces mission objectives that must be completed to progress to the next level . These objectives are divided into four categories : search and destroy , reconnaissance , rescue and protect . Enemy aircraft are primarily composed of TIE fighters and probe droids . Ground defenses are more varied and include three different walkers , laser and missile turrets , stormtroopers and speeder bikes . The player can control five craft without the use of cheat codes : X - wing , A - wing , Y - wing , Snowspeeder and V - wing . Each vehicle offers a unique armament arrangement , as well as varying degrees of speed and maneuverability . The game initially restricts the player to a particular craft for each level ; however , after the player has completed a level , he or she can replay it with any available craft . Levels set on non - atmospheric moons expose the player ' s craft to space , but as on other levels , the craft is vertically confined . Nine bonus power - ups are hidden in different levels throughout the game . These bonuses improve a craft ' s weapons or durability and are applied to each eligible craft for the remainder of the game . The player ' s performance is measured throughout the game , and performance statistics are checked after each level against three medal benchmarks . Each benchmark contains five categories : completion time , number of enemies destroyed , shot accuracy , number of friendly craft and structures saved and number of bonuses collected . If a player ' s performance exceeds one of the level ' s three benchmarks in all five categories , a medal — bronze , silver or gold — is awarded upon completion . Acquiring these medals promotes the player ' s rank and helps unlock hidden content . Unlockable content . Several unlockable vehicles appear in " Star Wars : Rogue Squadron " . By inputting certain text - based , the player could unlock the " Millennium Falcon " , a TIE / IN interceptor , an AT - ST ( available only in a secret bonus mission on the Nintendo , but on PC can be used on all levels except Taloraan ) , a 1969 ( replacing the V - wing airspeeder , although it still was handled and used as a V - Wing ) , a T - 16 skyhopper ( available only in an unlockable bonus mission ) , and an N - 1 starfighter . When " " was released , Naboo Starfighters were unveiled to the public for the first time . Factor 5 , anticipating the movie ' s release in 1999 , programmed in the unlockable extra and released the code in conjunction with the movie . During the five months between the game ' s release and that of Episode I , fans of the game discovered many of the secret vehicles , but the Naboo Starfighter remained unknown due to its unusual method of unlocking . The former two vehicles became playable when a clever or witty password was entered and R2 - D2 ' s beeps affirmed it , but the Naboo Starfighter required two consecutive codes made up of seemingly random alphanumerics , and R2 - D2 ' s sounds did not play after the first code . In PC version the Naboo Starfighter is available only through installing the Rogue Squadron Update 1 . 2 . Many cheat codes differ from those in Nintendo version . Some of them were discovered by joint efforts of fans of the game using the RogueSpy mod available at the Secrets of Star Wars : Rogue Squadron , which also hosts a handful of original PC utilities for the game . Development . After the success of " " on the Nintendo 64 in 1996 , LucasArts began planning a follow - up . At the time , Factor 5 was developing a game engine to create large terrain maps . LucasArts , pleased with earlier collaborations with the company , decided to use Factor 5 ' s engine for its new game . The game ' s focus would be space combat ; this direction was inspired by a level of " Shadows of the Empire " in which the player flies a Snowspeeder during the Battle of Hoth . " Rogue Squadron " and Factor 5 production manager Brett Tosti stated , " That whole scene was actually the genesis for Rogue Squadron because everybody said , ' why don ' t you do a whole game like that ? ' So we did . " Factor 5 initially pitched a concept to allow gamers to play through missions similar to the fans ' favorite action sequences from the " Star Wars " films . This proposal was rejected , however . At that time , Lucasfilm Ltd . was not comfortable with video games drawing directly from the films . Factor 5 originally wanted to put Wedge Antilles as the primary player , but Howard Roffman of Lucasfilm felt players would feel more comfortable with a more important " Star Wars " character . Factor 5 agreed to make Luke Skywalker the protagonist . During the early stages of development , designers came across " " , a series of comics set during the years of the original film trilogy . With these comics as a guide , Factor 5 began developing a game with a similar setting and including characters from the films flying original missions . In May 1998 , a demo of the game was displayed at , but the game was so incomplete at the time that Tosti considered it a . It rendered a basic and an immobile AT - AT model , while TIE fighters lacking flew and fired in a predetermined path . When " playing " the demo for audiences , Tosti followed a very specific flight path of his own to give the illusion that he was actually battling with the TIEs . Despite the demo ' s barebones presentation , response from gamers was largely positive . Factor 5 appealed to Nintendo to use the Nintendo 64 ' s newly developed memory . Nintendo was reluctant , expecting the technology to be reserved solely for hardware peripherals . However , after used the Expansion Pak to achieve a higher display resolution for " " , Factor 5 was given the green light . The Expansion Pak is used to increase " Rogue Squadron " Nintendo resolution from 320 × 240 to 640 × 480 . LucasFilm was hesitant to grant access to the " Star Wars " library of sound effects for the game ' s sound designer , Rudolph Stember . As a compromise , the company provided Stember with sounds at the relatively low rate of 22 kHz , half the standard rate . Stember objected , claiming that the clips sounded worse than effects he had lifted from tapes for a previous " Star Wars " project . The game includes from several notable persons , including screen actors Olivia Hussey and Raphael Sbarge as well as voice actors Bob Bergen , Neil Ross and Terence McGovern . Instead of using Nintendo ' s default sound drivers , Factor 5 developed its own tool called MOsys FX Surround . The Factor 5 drivers use Nintendo 64 processors , but tax them less ; advanced compression techniques were also employed . As a result , the game includes over 80 minutes of high - quality stereo sound . In November 1998 , a month before the game ' s scheduled release , LucasArts signed a worldwide agreement with Nintendo concerning three new " Star Wars " video games . It granted Nintendo the rights to market the games and hold exclusive , worldwide distribution rights for five years following each release . " Rogue Squadron " was the first game released under this agreement . Continuity . During most of the game , players will hear the distance of " one - seven - decimal - two - eight " ( during Blockade on Chandrila , Kasan Moor says , " Enemy fighters at one - seven - decimal - two - eight ! " ) . During the battle of Hoth , General Veers asks , " Distance to power generator ? , " and the AT - AT pilot answers " one - seven - decimal - two - eight . " This is a subtle reference to " The Empire Strikes Back " . During the Battle of Mon Calamari , Wedge leads Rogue Squadron in V - Wings to the surface of Mon Calamari , and destroys three World Devastators by knocking our their shields and destroying the " legs " of the ship . However , in " Dark Empire " , Wedge serves with Lando Calrissian on board a Star Destroyer , while Tycho Celchu commanded Rogue Squadron . Also , V - wings are depicted descending onto Mon Calamari from orbit despite their being incapable of space flight . Also , the World Devastators lack detail ; one is supposed to be large enough to destroy a Star Destroyer with its " jaw , " but in the game , the " jaw " is only big enough to swallow what could be a Corellian Corvette . Wedge also calls his R5 unit " Mynock , " but during the Bacta War in 7 ABY , Mynock ' s factory code name was discovered and renamed " Gate . " In their review of " " , " GameSpot " mistakenly claimed that Mark Hamill voiced Luke Skywalker in " Rogue Squadron " . Reception . Many reviews compared " Star Wars : Rogue Squadron " to one of its inspirations , the Battle of Hoth flight combat level in " " , considered one of that game ' s best elements . " " remarked that " Rogue Squadron " " enhanced the flight model with true pitch , roll , and bank mechanics . " praised its inclusion of " upgrades , more enemies , better sound , and stunning second - generation graphics . " The Nintendo 64 version received mostly positive reviews , and received an aggregate score of 85 % from both and . " GamePro " named it one of the best games released in 1998 . In a 2008 retrospective , IGN ' s Levi Buchanan stated that the game revived the " Star Wars " license on consoles through well - paced gameplay , a story tied into the " Star Wars " canon and visuals that made it " one of the generation ' s top stunners . " The game ' s technical aspects were singled out for acclaim . Its visuals were called " respectable " in the standard resolution , but highly praised in high - resolution mode ( achieved via the Nintendo 64 ' s ) . GameSpot remarked that in a higher resolution , " [ the ] textures of the landscapes , the ships , the lighting effects — everything looks so much better , " while IGN ' s said , " After playing the game in the optional high resolution mode ( 640 × 480 ) once , it ' s impossible to go back to the still respectable standard resolution . " Citing details such as decals , Rebel markings , R2 units , cockpit views and exhaust flames , Schneider described the game ' s 3D ship models as " gorgeous . " IGN ' s said that the game was the best - looking Nintendo 64 game to date . Reviewers also praised the game ' s sound design . Powered by the new Factor 5 audio drivers , " Rogue Squadron " features about 40 minutes of speech and 40 minutes of music . GameSpot ' s Ryan Mac Donald believed that the game ' s inclusion of extended voice work helped create a " movie - like " atmosphere . IGN noted that in addition to being technically impressive , the game ' s surround sound was an important gameplay element . The audio signals helped players determine enemy positions and direction of travel . IGN awarded the game three sound awards , including Sound Effects , Best Voice and Best Overall Sound of 1998 on the Nintendo 64 . Some reviewers complained about aspects of the game ' s visuals ; critics disliked the heavy reliance on . Another common criticism of the game was the lack of multiplayer modes . " GamePro " review called the omission a " serious , unforgivable sin " ; Schneider believed that while adding these modes would have extended " Rogue Squadron " replay value , the game was still enjoyable for its medal reward system and large number of secrets and unlockables . Although nearly identical , the game ' s PC version garnered lower review scores than its Nintendo 64 counterpart , with an aggregated Game Rankings score of 80 % . This version enjoyed many of the same praises for its gameplay , but handling and graphics were cited as problematic . Directly comparing the two versions , Brad Cook wrote that PC version ' s handling is more difficult than the Nintendo version . He believed the PC ' s " choppy " feel made it difficult to target enemies . In contrast to its opinion of the Nintendo version , IGN ' s PC review was not enthusiastic about the game ' s visuals . IGN staff remarked that " Rogue Squadron " " graphics and special effects aren ' t spectacular " and that they had " seen better graphics " on the PC . Sales . When " Rogue Squadron " was released in early December 1998 , the title ' s Nintendo 64 incarnation was the second - highest - selling video game for the first half of the month ( behind Nintendo ' s " The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time " ) and the . Delayed until after Christmas in the United Kingdom , the game was released mid - January and debuted as the second - best - selling game of the month , ahead of " Ocarina of Time " . In August 1999 , Nintendo added the title to its best - selling collection . " Rogue Squadron " retail success was not anticipated by the game ' s producer Julian Eggebrecht , who said that the game sold " about 100 times better than anybody expected . " The game was so popular that media sources were not sent spare copies and had to rush to find the game to review it .