Video Game Review: Shadows of the Empire

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Nintendo 64

Everyone has a game that they like that everyone else seems to rag on. I have read so many reviews about Shadows of the Empire where people are mercilessly harsh to this game. The graphics suck, the controls are crap, they hate the level design, etc. Oh but the snowspeeder level is cool.

I disagree with all of this. Well, except for the snowspeeder part. That's pretty awesome. It's true that by today's standards the game hasn't aged well. But back in the early days of the Nintendo 64, this game was the shit. Or at least I thought it was. When this game came out, there were not a whole lot of games for the N64. I had just gotten the system and was blown away by Mario 64, Turok, and the other handful of games I had played.

I love Star Wars, so this was a game that I had eagerly anticipated. I didn't actually buy the game - I rented it and beat it in one weekend. But still, I liked it a lot. Of course, it could just have been the new technology. As dated as the game looks now, this was cutting edge in the late 90s. Plus I was just simply a sucker for anything Star Wars. There weren't many (or were there even any at all?) Star Wars games for the Genesis. None for the Saturn. And at this point, all there was for the Playstation was Rebel Assault 2. All the quality Star Wars games were for the SNES or the PC, neither of which I owned. So I was hungry for a Star Wars game.

I don't know a whole lot about the story. There are little scenes to explain what is going on, but basically the plot is crap. I've read the book, but as far as I can see, the two are only very very loosely related. The plot of the game focuses on the Han Solo like smuggler Dash Rendar as he helps out the Alliance. That's all I can tell you. His travels take him from Hoth to Ord Mantell to Prince Xizor's palace on Coruscant. Basically, you shoot things and blow stuff up.

                                     


The opening part of the game takes place on Hoth. The first stage is the snowspeeder stage where you must shoot down Imperial probe droids and AT-ATs. And of course you can use your tow cable to trip up the big Imperial Walkers like in the movie. First impressions mean a lot in games, and this stage definitely made a big one. Hell, even the people that hate this game still like this stage. The music is roaring, vintage Star Wars. The sound effects are pulled right from the movie. Everything looks good, controls good. Good start, right?

The next stage shifts to Echo Base on Hoth. You've got to get to your ship and make an exit, although it is all the way on the other end of the base. The level begins with Dash observing the Millenium Falcon making its escape. This is where people start to have problems with the game. The graphics are incredibly messy and blurry. It is like everything has been coated with a layer of Vaseline. Distant enemies can hit you with sniper like efficiency. You can shoot them with no problem due to the game's auto aim. You can hit them from so far away you can't even see what the fuck they are until you get close to where they were and examine the bodies.

You can control Dash from either a behind the back perspective or from a first person perspective. I don't know who chooses the behind the back viewpoint, because it is fucking terrible. Dash is large and obstructs your view of a lot of the action that is going on. You can't aim with any amount of accuracy, and the controls are very clunky. You almost have to play the game in first person mode. Which is fine by me. I had no problems with the game from this perspective. Everything is easy to control. Simple to pick up and learn quickly. Maybe all the people that hate this game didn't realize you can switch perspectives? Because if I was forced to play the whole game from the behind the back viewpoint I would have hated it. But from the first person view - it's cool.

                                   


The majority of the game takes place on foot. You wander around shooting enemies. Picking up weapon power ups and collectibles. There is a boss at the end of each stage. All pretty standard stuff. Hoth base, as mentioned, is the first area of the game. At the end of it, you face off against an AT-AT on foot. While I had trouble with this as a youngster, it was a breeze now. You just run up behind him and blast away, staying behind him so he can't turn around and shoot you.

You get to your ship soon enough and blast away into space. The space levels I found fun too. All you do is man the guns of your ship and blast away Tie Fighters until you kill enough, clear the asteroid belt, and get away. In the asteroid belt, blasting away at red asteroids gives you bonus points. I read that people didn't like these space levels, and I get it. You don't really move the ship. You just swivel the cursor and fire away at Tie Fighters. It's simple, but hey I liked it.

As mentioned, most of the levels are on foot. One of the levels takes you on a wild train ride where you must jump from car to car blasting away at enemies. Another one takes you to a large canyon where you face off with Boba Fett at the end of the stage. Along the way you acquire a jet pack, which adds some dimension to the game. Instead of just being a corridor shooter, the levels are big and expansive. And the jet pack really allows you to explore everything. There is a freighter level, a sewer level, and then there is also the Xizor's palace level, which is the last on foot stage in the game.

People disliked the on foot levels, but I liked them a lot. Again, maybe I was starved for Star Wars games as a kid. I was also starved for quality first person shooters. Maybe if I had been a little detached from all that I would have hated the game when I was younger. But whatever it is those feelings still carry over to today. I can see the game's flaws, but I do still enjoy it.

The very last level of the game is a space battle. I enjoyed this level too. Instead of being stuck on a track like the previous Tie blasting stages, you have free reign to go wherever you want in this one. Your main goal is to take down Xizor's skyhook, which is accomplished by flying into one of 4 entrances to this big ass thing, and then blasting away at the core in the center of it. Fly through enough times and you blow it up and end the game. Dash fakes his death in the explosion, which I guess explains why he doesn't appear in the Return of the Jedi.

                                     


There is a special reward you get for completing the game and collecting all of those bonus thingies along the way. It escapes me what exactly the reward is. Maybe an extra level? I seem to  recall a space stage where you do battle with a Star Destroyer. I didn't encounter this level on my most recent play through. But I am absolutely NOT playing through the game again and getting all the collectibles to unlock it. When I was a kid I did this. But I am not that dedicated now. Screw dat.

So while I have been discussing everything I like about the game, I guess it's time to talk about what sucks about this. People hate it for a reason right? As mentioned, the graphics have that Vaseline smeared look to them. A lot of the walls and surfaces of things are very plain and undetailed. There is some background draw. But despite all this - the game was amazing to look at in 1996 or 97 or whenever the hell this came out.

People dislike the controls, which I guess I get. Obviously the story isn't amazing. I can see why people are disappointed with the space levels. But to each his own. I like all of it.

One thing I can agree with the critics about is the god awful swoop piloting stage. This stage takes you through Mos Eisley as you ride aboard a swoop (think of the speeder things in the forest of Endor in RoTJ and you get the basic idea) and attempt to knock a bunch of swoop riding gangsters off of their bikes. The thing controls wretchedly. The environments are mucho recycled, and it is just frustrating as hell. I was lucky enough to complete this on one attempt when I played the game the other night, but I recall having struggles with this stage in the past. The controls are just so wretched, and it is so hard to smash people into the walls. The jumps are atrocious and you are constantly smacking into walls and coming to a complete stop everywhere you go. Whoever designed this stage needs to jump off a bridge. Seriously.

I guess that's all I have to say about the game. It's a game that I really like. Screw everyone else's opinion. Maybe if I had played it for the first time in the present day I would have been like omg this sucks. Or maybe if I hadn't been so hard pressed for Star Wars and N64 games back in the 90's I would have thought it was shit.

But I liked it then, and I like it now. I have fun every time I pop this game in. Sure there are flaws, and maybe some of this game's flaws are more glaring than others. But it has a very special place in my heart and I will love it (well, like it) forever.

Overall:

B