Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
PlayStation
Nostalgia Factor:
This game was a big deal for me when I was a kid. I was a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy, but then The Phantom Menace came out and was a big letdown for me. I had been so excited for it, too. In retrospect, I like the movie now, but back then it was a massive disappointment. I still decided to check out the game, though.
I remember renting it from Blockbuster and firing it up. I was surprised at how closely it followed the events of the movie. And I remember being impressed by the graphics and the interactivity of the game's environment. Just being able to walk through this world and interact with its characters was a big deal for me. Remember - I had been a Genesis kid growing up, so my exposure to Star Wars games had been fairly limited. The whole Star Wars-ness of it all completely enveloped me.
I played the game nonstop for a whole weekend. I don't think I even came close to beating it. But then I went ahead and bought a used copy of the game a few months later. I still have my copy of it, as a matter of fact. And from that point on: it was game over. I obsessed over this game. I stayed up and played it all night long. I remember getting stuck on various occasions, and spending hours finding a way to power through it. I didn't have the internet back then to turn to for help. If I wanted to make it through the game, it had to be of my own accord.
This game was my life for a few weeks, maybe even a few months. It comes with a Duel of the Fates music video that shows clips from the movie and some behind the scenes action while the music plays. I played that video about a hundred times. The funny thing is, I ended up liking the game more than the movie. I played this and I played this. It took me a while, but I finally ended up beating it. I probably came back and beat it a few more times after that. I often remember things based on the sporting events that were taking place at the time. I remember fighting through some of the early Theed stages and flipping back and forth between a football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Green Bay Packers. I looked on Wikipedia and this game took place on September 10th of the year 2000. This game came out a year and half earlier. So the fact that I was still playing it after all that time says a lot. I really loved this game.
That said, once I stopped playing the game, I REALLY stopped playing the game. Let's say my last playthrough was 2001. That means 24 years have passed since I last played through this. And that's why I'm here. I have decided to come back and see if the game is as good as I remember it to be. Let's find out!
Story:
Like I said before, this game follows the plot of the film very closely. It's a popular film. I'm not going to recap it all here. What I do want to say is that the game actually gives you a more expansive version of events than what is seen in the movie. Oftentimes, movie based games are ridiculous, and what happens in them doesn't make sense given the context of the movie. Look at the Super Star Wars games for example. That game has you driving around on a speeder shooting Jawas. When did that happen in A New Hope? But everything makes sense here. You play through the events of the film. You make choices. You talk to NPCs. There are even little unofficial side quests that add depth to things. Like when you are in Theed and you encounter a boy who has been separated from his mother. If you clear out the enemy droids, you can send him to her and you get a health reward. If you don't clear out the droids and you send him out, he will probably die - and then you get nothing. Or you can just completely ignore him. This game is filled with all kinds of small scenarios like that.
There are also a lot of RPG elements involved - like talking to people and making trades. Tatooine is very fleshed out with all the NPCs you can talk to and all the places you can explore. Everything happens so quickly in the movie, but in the game, you can see it unfold more slowly, and in greater detail. It really gives a lot of depth to the world of the movie.
Gameplay:
The game starts out as a behind-the-back action game. It's a fully 3D environment. You walk around with your lightsaber, fighting battle droids, picking up items, and navigating your way through the first stage. The first several stages are action oriented. But then you get to Otoh Gunga - Jar Jar's hometown that is located at the bottom of Naboo's ocean. The game takes a turn away from the action and instead becomes more focused on talking to people and using RPG elements to make it through the stage.
The rest of the game blends the two genres. Theed, for example, has you going back and forth between combat and talking to people. Mos Espa takes the focus away from combat and back to the RPG elements again. I remember being really blown away by this area as a kid. You can explore the whole massive city, talking to people and picking up clues what to do next. There are a ton of objectives, like finding Anakin and Jar Jar when they go missing, and finding items to barter with for your needed ship parts. Action sequences are mixed in, like when you are attacked by muggers, which happens frequently. You also encounter hostile aliens that you have to fight for the needed items. One thing I remember as a kid is fighting this big, caged creature, and how difficult it was. I struggled here as an adult, too.
This game can be very difficult. You are going to die a lot playing through this. Luckily, you have the ability to save anywhere you want. I used and abused those save states every time I would clear a difficult area. I don't feel guilty about it either, because it is an included part of the game. You have to start at the beginning of a stage if you die and you haven't saved. And these stages are LONG.
The game shifts more towards action at the end. Lightsaber battles, some shooting levels that almost reminded me of the game "Loaded." One level that I surprisingly enjoyed is one that was mainly created for the game, when you have to control Captain Panaka and guide Amidala to safety on Corsucant. This level is a perfect blend of action and RPG elements. It really brings the world of Star Wars to life in a way that is rarely seen in games outside of the Knights of the Old Republic series.
One thing I did not like was the lightsaber combat. It often seems like there is no strategy involved aside from button mashing and jumping around. There is no blocking or parrying. Sometimes battles devolve into pressing the attack button over and over again while soaking up damage in return. It just seems really sloppy. There is no lock-on mechanism either. I think the game really would have benefited from this. I like how you can deflect shots back at enemies, though. That is pretty cool.
One last gripe is the lack of any kind of level map whatsoever. It is very easy to get lost in some of these massive levels, particularly on Tatooine. It is tough enough trying to figure out what you are supposed to do next. The lack of a map makes it even more difficult, especially when you know where it is you need to go, but you can't remember how to get there.
Graphics:
This is one of those games that looks good to people who grew up playing it, and at the same time looks terrible to younger gamers. Personally, I think the game looks really good. Sure it can be a little messy and jagged looking at times, but it really does a great job at capturing the look and feel of The Phantom Menace. I could almost make the argument it creates a better world than the movie it is based on, but I won't go that far.
The environment is what really sells everything. The space ship interiors are very faithful to what we've seen in the movies. The Tatooine stages are massive and bustling and filled with detail. I love the Coruscant, Otoh Gunga, and Naboo stages. You get to see so much more than you do in the movie, and I just really love that. Sure it may not technically be the most beautiful game ever, but it doesn't need to be. In my eyes, the game looks great.
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Sound:
It's hard to mess up the sound on a Star Wars game. The music and sound effects are already in place - taken right from the movies. Blasters, lightsabers, everything sounds as good as ever. The only thing done differently here is the voice acting. A few actors from the movie return, but for the most part these are new actors. The results can be a little divisive. For the most part, the voices are fine. Qui-Gon has an interesting accent that pops up from time to time that is not in the movies. I like when he says he is looking for a T14 hyperdrive generator. It got to the point where I started reciting the line (accent and all) every time he would say it. There is awkward line delivery to be found in droves, especially in the stages that have RPG elements. A favorite quote of mine:
"Better stand back, mister, 'cause I'm about to slash...all my prices!"
I wish I had written some of these down. Whether intentional or not, the voice acting in this game is comic gold.
Overall:
I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this game. I had a super fun time playing through it. It's engaging, it's challenging, and it does just enough to keep you coming back for more. While I did have to look to the internet for help from time to time, I mostly tried to figure things out myself. It is so satisfying to navigate through an especially challenging or frustrating part when you figure it on your own, without looking for help. And that's how I feel about the whole game: it is satisfying.
It could have done a lot of things better, like a lock-on system, an in-game map, better combat mechanics, etc. It is also interesting how there are literally no sections in the game where you pilot a vehicle of any kind. No podracing, no space combat, nothing. It all takes place on foot. But even without these things, I still had a really great time with the game. From the second I picked it back up again, I could not stop playing it until I had beaten it.
If you are like me and you have fond memories of this game, do not hesitate to pick it back up again. It should pleasantly surprise you. If you are a younger gamer and you want to see a movie tie-in done right, look no further. The game does have a learning curve and some annoying warts, but once you get into the swing of things you should find that it is a very rewarding experience. I'm 100% willing to admit that nostalgia may be doing a lot of talking here. But I don't care. I think this is one heck of an underrated game.
THE GRADE:
A-
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