Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Many reviews compared "Star Wars: Rogue Squadron" to one of its inspirations, the Battle of Hoth flight combat level in "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire", considered one of that game's best elements. "GamePro" remarked that "Rogue Squadron" "enhanced the flight model with true pitch, roll, and bank mechanics". IGN 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 percent from both GameRankings and Metacritic. "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".
Shadow Squadron
The four reviewers of "Electronic Gaming Monthly" gave "Shadow Squadron" a unanimous score of 5 out of 10, assessing it as no more than a thinly veiled upgrade of "Star Wars Arcade" with primitive graphics and dull gameplay. They argued that the free-roaming movement and multiplayer mode, while fun additions, do not make a fundamental difference to the gameplay. "GamePro" also regarded the game as a "Star Wars Arcade" upgrade, but give it a more mixed review. They criticized the music but praised the graphics and controls as a considerable improvement over "Star Wars Arcade". "Next Generation" commented that the game has poor presentation, citing sound effects similar to those found on 8-bit consoles and an overly monochrome color scheme, but good gameplay and controls, particularly the ability to fly in any direction. They gave it three out of five stars.