Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire

Star Wars: Rebel Assault II:
The Hidden Empire
DevelopersLucasArts
Factor 5 (PS)
PublisherLucasArts
Director
DesignerVince Lee
ProgrammerVince Lee
ArtistsRichard Green
Aaron Muszalski
ComposerPeter McConnell
SeriesStar Wars
EngineINSANE
PlatformsDOS, Windows, PlayStation, Mac OS
ReleaseNovember 24, 1995 (DOS)
November 26, 1996 (PS)
GenreRail shooter
ModeSingle-player

Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire is a 1995 rail shooter video game developed by LucasArts. It is the sequel to Star Wars: Rebel Assault, set in the Star Wars expanded universe. The player character, Rookie One, pilots ships such as a YT-1300 Corellian Transport, a B-wing, and a Y-wing, and encounters new enemy ships, including TIE Interceptors. They uncover, and eventually disable production of, a new TIE variant known as the TIE Phantom, which has the ability to cloak.

It contains mostly original filming with actors and stunts, while the scenery and the space scenes were 3D rendered. According to LucasArts' magazine, The Adventurer, the game was the first media to incorporate live-action actors and footage in the Star Wars universe since Return of the Jedi. The player proceeds down predetermined paths, but has the ability to control aiming, shooting, and dodging. The game makes use of Lucasarts' proprietary INSANE game engine. The game received mixed reception upon release. While critics generally praised the visuals, many cited frustrations with the game's control scheme. It has since been featured in worst-of lists by IGN and Kotaku.