Star Wars: Starfighter Special Edition is based on the PS2 game of the (almost) same name. Boasting obvious graphical advances over the PS2 (well…let’s face it, that’s not too hard is it?) and more features, SWSSE will be a release title for the Big Black Box. Set in and around Episode I territory (not exactly off to a good start then) Starfighter creates a whole new storyline to go along with the movie, occasionally touching on the film’s major points like the end battle droid vs annoying CGI aqua vulgarities.

You must think I hate Star wars from reading this so far, but you cannot be further from the truth, I grew up with it, I had nearly all the toys, saw Empire and Jedi at the cinema when I was tiny and am pretty fanatical about the whole universe. It’s just that a remake of an average game based on the bastard offspring of the Star Wars mythos that was a rehash of a great game (Rogue Squadron) just seems a bit lame. A bit of a cop out. Well, I may be proven wrong when it is released. With games like Star Wars Galaxies on the PC coming out and Rogue Leader pushing the boundaries of Star Wars videogaming, you must understand where I’m coming from.

Anyway, on to what it’s all about then. Starring Rhys Dallows and Vana Sage, you will take on the task to save Naboo from the dastardly trade federation. Missions will vary from planet based strafing and dogfights, to space shooter territory providing a welcome break from linearity.

SWSSE certainly looks better than the PS2 version, not only with higher resolutions but an increased and solid framerate. One improvement of the PS2’s version is that it now has five multiplayer games as opposed to two. Tag, Hunter/Hunted, CTF, Dogfight and Steal the bacon will provide a little more depth to the game. Along with this comes more ships to unlock and bonus missions, will this be enough to lift it from painfully average to an accomplished gaming experience? Only time will tell.