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[radioheadrule83]

So I finally get the DS ROM of Episode III this morning. I open up the "Special Missions" featuring the space combat.

...the hell? Why didn't they just make THIS the game?

Granted, I'm only posting my impressions of the first five minutes. Trust me, those nasty pixelated images Ubisoft sent out a few weeks ago don't do the graphics justice. It's very Colony Wars-esque, with lighting effects and very slick sprite-based explosions.

D-pad control's a bit on the stiff side with a lot of tap-tap-tapping in a direction to pinpoint your crosshair. But then, I'm spoiled with analog sticks in flight combat games nowadays.

I'll post some movies later today.

-- Craig

And here they are:

http://media.ds.ign.com/media/711/711531/vids_1.html

He's actually right. It's not as god damned awful as I first thought. Obviously there's no PSP quality 3d here -- and no matter what, I can't forgive that low poly Millennium Falcon they showed in screens.... and the ship exhaust trails? Still fucking horrible.

BUT, check out the nice hand drawn explosions (they look better in some videos than in others), and the nebulous colouring in space. The lighting on the ships is ok too. It's not as bad as I first thought, and it moves at a fair clip.

Space battle multiplayer with or without bots has upped my interest from "Holy ****! Ubi soft you BASTARDS!" to "If you control alright, maybe I'll be suckered in after all!"

 

[vatstep]

Why are people obsessed with this game? This is now the third thread supposing that "it's not as bad as it first looked!" Even with the new stuff, it's still basically a port of a game you can already play on the DS.

 

[jgkspsx]

The space combat isn't in the GBA version.

And geez does the space combat look like fun. If it doesn't control as poorly as the videos indicate, it looks maybe worth buying. I agree with Matt: why'd they make the stiff, lousy GBA beat-em-up the main portion of the game? A straight space-combat title would have been far better for all concerned.

 

[Idioteque]

Still looks like shit

 

[mrroboto]

absolutely terrible.

 

[Jonnyboy117]

The space combat isn't in the GBA version.

And geez does the space combat look like fun. If it doesn't control as poorly as the videos indicate, it looks maybe worth buying. I agree with Matt: why'd they make the stiff, lousy GBA beat-em-up the main portion of the game? A straight space-combat title would have been far better for all concerned.

Craig Harris wrote those impressions, not Matt. Craig runs the DS channel at IGN. He's been doing their handheld coverage since the GBC was released.

As for your questions, the space combat portions control fairly well considering they only have digital control. Specs like turning radius and acceleration depend on which ship you choose (there are a couple dozen, some locked). The GBA beat-em-up portion of the game is actually not bad at all as far as that type of game goes. The main problem with it is that it's a straight copy of the GBA game being simultaneously released, and that the co-op mode in the GBA version seems to have been removed, though I'm not yet sure on the latter point.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

I have Star Wars DS sitting right here ;_;

 

[radioheadrule83]

I still think it's abysmal that it's a GBA port with bells on, but it's not as bad as I thought, because the bells are halfway decent. Especially if the multiplayer is any good.

I won't be buying it on May 5th, but it's one to watch ebay for when disgusted individuals try to get rid...

 

[Amir0x]

My standards just don't go this low.