Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: 1994
• Genre: Simulation
• Style: Space Combat Sim
• Similar Games: Wing Commander (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Star Wars: X-Wing (IBM PC Compatible), Wing Commander (IBM PC Compatible), Starwinder: The Ultimate Space Race (PlayStation), Wing Commander (Sega CD), Star Wars: TIE Fighter (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

It's the far distant future (around the 67th century) and you've just been assigned to a small backwater supply district called Jacob's Star. You're an excellent pilot with a good battle record in the Renegade Legion but your reputation as a loner with suspect leadership skills has gotten you reassigned to this remote system. And your new Squadron Leader, "Mother", condones no breaches in authority or procedures. You must survive his evaluation in order to rejoin another front-line squadron.

Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star is the story of an epic space battle pitting the Terran Overlord Government (TOG), originally made up of KessRith and Ssora factions, against The Commonwealth (an alliance between Humans and Baufrin), of which the Renegade Legion is a part. Times have changed and the KessRith are now Commonwealth allies (there are 21 Grand Dukedoms, eight of which have been captured by the TOG) as well. The TOG wants absolute dominion over all races and the Commonwealth, outnumbered, undermanned and helped only by the decentralization of the TOG forces (8 million legions, 50,000 men each) and the vast distance separating the systems, must fight back with a much smaller force, aided by various allies.

With a huge array of ships, weapons, technologies, worlds and alien races to interact with, Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star is a mission based space flight simulation of epic proportions replete with wingmen, maneuvering, combat, exploration and more.

Review: Overall

When you play Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star, one of the first things you'll notice is the level of detail that went into the development of the styles and appearance of the various fighting machines you'll get to fly during this space combat simulation. Both TOG (Terran Overlord Government) and CAF (Commonwealth Armed Forces) pilots use basically six types of interceptors. The main difference between the two is that TOG fighters are built to accomplish several jobs well whereas CAF machines are designed for specific purposes and are thus limited when used to carryout functions outside those parameters. TOG fighters are generally faster but CAF interceptors carry better armor and armaments. In a nice twist, the Renegade Legion, part of the Commonwealth, can also use captured TOG craft, limited only by the ability to get parts to keep them flying. Throughout the missions of the game, you'll encounter many other types of space faring vessels such as destroyers, frigates, cruisers, battleships, carriers, escorts, gunboats and corvettes. There is no shortage in the variety of weaponry employed in the battles as lasers, electron and neutron particle cannons, mass driver cannons, several types of missiles (for example, Radiation Intensity Seeking Missile, Scanner Silhouette Seeking Missile, Transponder Guided Missile) and shields make up the primary arsenal for your battling heroes.

For the most part, the flight engine in Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star is adequate. It may not be as fast as some of the other major flight combat simulations on the market but it manages nicely to portray the feeling of being in a space environment. Dogfighting can be a bit frustrating as your turns are not executed with sharp and crisp precision and speed of maneuverability is less than perfect. But, these are minor complaints when viewed in the overall context of how the game plays. Well planned mission objectives support over a dozen types of missions such as reconnaissance flights, escorts, rescues, intercepts, defense, pickets and sweeps. All missions, regardless of complexity, involve use of computer calculated Navigational Points. There are many options available which make playing the game possible for either the novice or experienced wannabe space pilot. You choose one of several pilots to use as your alter ego and can select the number of wingmen, the ship you want to use and the difficulty level in the practice mode (called Holo-Space) where you are attacked by seemingly endless swarms of TOG interceptors. This goes a long way toward getting you familiar with the "how to" fly controls and functions of your interceptor of choice. Once comfortable and confident you can handle it, you can embrace the mission-oriented campaign mode.

The designers included a feature I'd love to see in more games of this type: the ability to insert your own musical CD of choice while flying your missions. Imagine the possibilities. Black Sabbath, Metallica, B-52's. The game's techno/rap musical score is lively but can get repetitive. While not the best of the genre, Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star is a solid entry.

Review: Enjoyment

You can get involved in the storyline and actually care about your mission to save Jacob's Star. Learning curve may be on the tough side for newbies but once mastered, it controls well, if not slower than most. A good package.

Review: Graphics

Very detailed, well done game universe. The care used in developing and rendering the various fighters shows. All in all, a visual delight.

Review: Sound

Sound effects, voice and music are not bad but the option to use your own musical CD's as background sends this rating higher.

Review: Replay Value

You can always fly that last mission better than you just did. Good amount of options regarding ships, pilots and difficulty level gives this one a high rating.

Review: Documentation

Well produced and comprehensive manual gives detailed information on fighters, people, story background, regional universe and instructions.

Production Credits