Without a doubt, one of the most eye-catching titles in Nintendo's ECTS truck is Star Wars: Rebel Strike. Only one level is playable -- the famous Battle of Hoth level. However, with its combination of classic X-wing flying action and the new and highly ambitious ground-based sections, it provides a tantalising glimpse of what to expect from Factor 5's latest offering. The level only takes approximately four minutes to complete, but during that brief period of time you'll arguably experience one of the most intense and eventful pieces of gaming ever conceived.

After a brief, high-quality video clip taken directly from the movie, you're thrown mercilessly into the action. Your crashed Speeder lies behind you, a gigantic AT-AT traverses the ground in front of you, probe droids are to the right, while numerous walkers can be spotted in the distance shooting for your allies' speeders that roam the air space. What's more, half a dozen stormtroopers blaze towards you with their blasters. Lasers and explosions are literally everywhere - and their reflections in the snow make for an incredible color and lighting display. Suffice it to say, the initial impression is truly breath-taking and overwhelming.

Your first mission is to take down two AT-ATs. Since you're on foot, you have to run underneath the AT-AT, after which a C-stick icon appears on-screen. Flicking the C-stick brings up a grappling hook, that can be connected to the underbelly of this mechanical beast. Lure yourself up, swing your lightsaber around a bit to create an opening, and then throw an explosive inside. As a result, the AT-AT will come tumbling down, squashing poor Luke if you don't run away quickly. As a grand finale, a big, beautiful cloud of snow puffs up as the walker hits the ground. In this way, neutralising AT-ATs not only looks fantastic; it's a very satisfying experience as well.

Next up is the Taun Taun-riding section. The goal is to ride across the entire battle field in order to reach the Echo Base. Fortunately, the Taun Taun is very agile and fast moving, so the trip is fairly unproblematic. It gives you ample opportunity to appreciate the graphical splendour of the level. In spite of the insane amount of stuff going on, the game moves without a hitch at all times. The attention to detail is equally amazing - right down to the way the stormtroopers' cloaks sway back and forth when they're running. The textures appear sharper than ever, and the immense use of bump-mapping on the snow creates an incredible 3D effect. The explosions are huge and light up the surrounding area beautifully. In particular, when the Echo Base blows up, metal pieces and debris will be scattered all over the place, which is exactly what happens once you've finished riding the Taun Taun. At this point, you're back on foot and getting the chance to operate a turret gun. Soon numerous Imperial Shuttles emerge, dropping off big containers filled with AT-STs and stormtroopers. Taking them out will end the ground-based part of the level.

The controls for this section are easy enough to get to grips with. X makes Luke jump, while you can shoot with your blaster using A. It's a pretty weak weapon, only useful for taking down probe droids and stormtroopers. The game uses an automatic lock-on feature, so that you automatically aim for the nearest enemy. It works well, but sometimes being able to lock-on to a different enemy would be preferable. Y activates the target computer, which makes it easier to spot enemies, because they are highlighted in yellow, while R is used for crouching. The C-stick activates special items. Handing out commands to your allies with the D-pad is impossible during the entire ground section of the demo. Finally, the Z button allows you to perform an evasive roll. While not extremely useful, it looks cool. Actually, all the moves look natural and are carried out fluidly, except for the jumping animation. It feels very unrealistic when Luke leaps 6 feet up in the air over a stormtrooper and lands behind him. Sure, he has Jedi skills, but it just doesn't fit into the rest of his movement repertoire.

Overall, this on-foot mission is an extremely welcome feature, and it should offer a more varied and diverse gameplay. There are a few niggles that need to be fixed, though. Most significant is the fact that the mission in general feels a bit too linear and scripted. For example, a certain AT-ST would blow up at the exact same point in the level every time it's played. Furthermore, you don't have much freedom to stray away from your assigned travel route. Multiple routes to completion don't appear to exist - something that could hamper the replayability of the game. Fortunately, the medal awards system has returned, though, and getting a gold medal seems to be as challenging as in the last game, requiring a quick completion time, a highly impressive accuracy rating, and, of course, lots of enemies killed.

The final section of the level takes place in the clouds above Hoth. In the distance, you see black dots getting bigger and bigger, and before you know it the screen is more or less completely occupied by TIE Fighters, Interceptors, and Bombers. It's an incredible sight, reminiscent of Rogue Leader’s Battle of Endor level, which featured the same level of intensity. Unlike that level, you won't die as often from colliding with other enemies. That was an unfair and frustrating aspect of the last game, but somehow Factor 5 has managed to fix the problem this time around. Your allies seem much more competent too. It's not uncommon to witness them actually destroying a few Tie-Fighters now and then. The improved AI is easily noticeable.

All in all, I am very impressed with what Factor 5 has done with the series. Apart from the graphical update, the inclusion of ground-based missions is a bold move and the execution is nigh-on flawless. Add to that the fact you get a special two-player co-op version of Rogue Squadron 2 plus a free bonus disc when pre-ordering (so far only announced in Europe), and I can safely say that Rebel Strike is definitely one of the highlights of Nintendo's line-up this year.