As Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance struggle to defeat Darth Vader and the Empire, a new threat arises. Dark Prince Xizor aspires to take Darth Vader's place at the Emperor's side. As Dash Rendar, it's up to you to protect Luke and help the Alliance. May the Force be with you!
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Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a blast from the past that shows both its age and its ambition. You get to fight in classic Star Wars settings like Hoth and pilot vehicles like the Snowspeeder and the Outrider! The on-foot sections can be clunky by today's standards, and the graphics are definitely dated. However, if you were around for the N64 era and want a nostalgia trip with a side of classic Star Wars action, this one's a fun time capsule.
Probably the most famous thing to come from George Lucas' Shadows of the Empire multimedia project to create a movie level Star Wars story without making an actual movie. The game launched a few months after the launch of the Nintendo 64 and was one of the first fully 3D shooter titles. But putting nostalgia aside, time has not been too kind to this game.
Star Wars Shadows of the Empire is fairly tricky to pin down to a single genre. While the main gameplay portions are the third person shooter segments, there is a variety of different gameplay styles present in different missions, including 2 arcade shooter style missions taking place from the Outrider's turrets, the infamous Swoop bike race, and of course the starfighter segments which would partially inspire the Rogue Squadron series. While many agree that the Battle of Hoth opening mission was revolutionary at its time and remains a high point in the game, most of what follows is held back by a combination of awkward controls, questionable level design, and janky physics which sometimes seems like its actively trying to get the player killed. For the sake of this review I played the PC version, though these points apply to both versions of the game.
The game has an awkward control scheme. While some of this can be attributed to being such an early game and being designed around the Nintendo 64 controller, the PC version has these as well as some of its own strange quirks including one of the most unintuitive default control layouts I have ever seen in a game. Thankfully you can rebind your controls in that version. However you cant do much to fix the aiming system which feels like no matter what you're doing, you're just firing around blindly until the auto aim finally lines up the shot for you.
The game's physics are another source of problems. THere are instances where you will expected to do platforming and jumping puzzles which would otherwise be simple in most other games. However, Shadows' inertia and momentum physics can sometimes make the simplest jumps into unnecessarily huge dangers. The Ord Mantel train level is particularly bad for leaving the player at the mercy of the game's inertia physics for almost the entire stage.
Besides these, there are a few odd problems that pop up, from levels having an abundance of enemies appearing behind doors or on top of elevators giving them no chance to avoid taking damage, to some bizarre enemy hitboxes such as the one for the Slave-1 boss battle which seemed like a coinflip whether or not you would hit it in either version of the game.
Despite all of these flaws i spent this entire review going into, there is an enjoyable, or possibly even a good game hidden underneath. However the game demands a lot of huge asks of the players if they wish to actually enjoy the experience and for some the game is demanding too much for too little payoff.
Star Wars Shadows of the Empire is fairly tricky to pin down to a single genre. While the main gameplay portions are the third person shooter segments, there is a variety of different gameplay styles present in different missions, including 2 arcade shooter style missions taking place from the Outrider's turrets, the infamous Swoop bike race, and of course the starfighter segments which would partially inspire the Rogue Squadron series. While many agree that the Battle of Hoth opening mission was revolutionary at its time and remains a high point in the game, most of what follows is held back by a combination of awkward controls, questionable level design, and janky physics which sometimes seems like its actively trying to get the player killed. For the sake of this review I played the PC version, though these points apply to both versions of the game.
The game has an awkward control scheme. While some of this can be attributed to being such an early game and being designed around the Nintendo 64 controller, the PC version has these as well as some of its own strange quirks including one of the most unintuitive default control layouts I have ever seen in a game. Thankfully you can rebind your controls in that version. However you cant do much to fix the aiming system which feels like no matter what you're doing, you're just firing around blindly until the auto aim finally lines up the shot for you.
The game's physics are another source of problems. THere are instances where you will expected to do platforming and jumping puzzles which would otherwise be simple in most other games. However, Shadows' inertia and momentum physics can sometimes make the simplest jumps into unnecessarily huge dangers. The Ord Mantel train level is particularly bad for leaving the player at the mercy of the game's inertia physics for almost the entire stage.
Besides these, there are a few odd problems that pop up, from levels having an abundance of enemies appearing behind doors or on top of elevators giving them no chance to avoid taking damage, to some bizarre enemy hitboxes such as the one for the Slave-1 boss battle which seemed like a coinflip whether or not you would hit it in either version of the game.
Despite all of these flaws i spent this entire review going into, there is an enjoyable, or possibly even a good game hidden underneath. However the game demands a lot of huge asks of the players if they wish to actually enjoy the experience and for some the game is demanding too much for too little payoff.
A game so inspirational, it even inspired another big hit within the franchise, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, with its very first mission: escaping Hoth. The very first mission you’re flying a Snow Speeder and taking out Imperial Probe Droids and tying up AT-AT’s, and it was a blast. But what makes Shadows of the Empire great is the fact it not only incorporates aerial combat, but also ground combat. You even fight on foot and you’re shooting at things. No force powers or lightsabers, you’re a god damn wanna-be Han Solo type with a blaster and a jet pack (later on). But playing this felt like a cool mini-movie with its narrative. Shadows of the Empire had this whole thing back in the 90’s that was actually a side thing for the franchise, but they wanted to hype it up like a film. Releasing a bunch of a merch, like toys, video games, even a decent soundtrack that was composed. Not by John Williams sadly, but man was it good enough!
And of course, they released a game that went along with the book’s and comics release. Two versions though: one on PC and on the N64. I played the N64 but the PC one has actual cutscenes and real dialogue. The N64 only had some slideshows, but I was ok with it. I was just enjoying the combat and gameplay. And the fact I could play a level where I hunt down Boba Fett himself, or even fight in a huge space battle alongside the Millennium Falcon, was enough for me.
To this day I have yet to see a Star Wars game that makes me feel like I’m not playing a Jedi, or a Sith, or some clone soldier or rebel or imperial. I just wanna be a rogue man. And this so far has felt like the only game to really bring that feeling. I’m hoping Star Wars: Outlaws will fulfill that feeling again.
And of course, they released a game that went along with the book’s and comics release. Two versions though: one on PC and on the N64. I played the N64 but the PC one has actual cutscenes and real dialogue. The N64 only had some slideshows, but I was ok with it. I was just enjoying the combat and gameplay. And the fact I could play a level where I hunt down Boba Fett himself, or even fight in a huge space battle alongside the Millennium Falcon, was enough for me.
To this day I have yet to see a Star Wars game that makes me feel like I’m not playing a Jedi, or a Sith, or some clone soldier or rebel or imperial. I just wanna be a rogue man. And this so far has felt like the only game to really bring that feeling. I’m hoping Star Wars: Outlaws will fulfill that feeling again.
For being an early 3D/Nintendo 64 game I thought they did a very good job in creating a good atmosphere and setting the right Star Wars vibe.
This game is definitely more than just the Hoth battle level that helped popularize the game: it features a very interesting story (I'd almost movie worthy) and levels with gameplay variety. The gunplay was a bit clunky, as well as performance making some levels a bit frustrating to navigate. The difficulty was also all over the place with certain spikes here and there but overall this a very enjoyable action adventure set in the Star Wars universe and I'm glad I was able to experience it early in the life cycle of the Nintendo 64.
This game is definitely more than just the Hoth battle level that helped popularize the game: it features a very interesting story (I'd almost movie worthy) and levels with gameplay variety. The gunplay was a bit clunky, as well as performance making some levels a bit frustrating to navigate. The difficulty was also all over the place with certain spikes here and there but overall this a very enjoyable action adventure set in the Star Wars universe and I'm glad I was able to experience it early in the life cycle of the Nintendo 64.
Just Make the Shadows of The Empire Movie, Already! What's Your Problem, Disney?
Shadows of the Empire, which was a fully fledged Star Wars marketing cycle minus the movie, is unjustly overlooked nowadays. This would-be Episode 5.5 is absolutely SICK for a number of reasons. It goes deep into the criminal underbelly elements of the original trilogy and features characters like Boba Fett, IG-88 and some freaky green dude named Prince Xizor. Since Han is down for the count in between Empire and Jedi, we get a different renegade gunslinger type named Dash Rendar, a guy so cool he had to be disappeared immediately after the events of Shadows so as not to distract too much from the main event. This game has everything you could want in a Star Wars game in '96: OG trilogy vibes, jet packs, a Hoth stage, a Boba Fett boss battle, space battles, blowing up a Death Star type thing. Yes it's on the N64, so everything looks like garbo by today's standards but man what a time.
Shadows of the Empire, which was a fully fledged Star Wars marketing cycle minus the movie, is unjustly overlooked nowadays. This would-be Episode 5.5 is absolutely SICK for a number of reasons. It goes deep into the criminal underbelly elements of the original trilogy and features characters like Boba Fett, IG-88 and some freaky green dude named Prince Xizor. Since Han is down for the count in between Empire and Jedi, we get a different renegade gunslinger type named Dash Rendar, a guy so cool he had to be disappeared immediately after the events of Shadows so as not to distract too much from the main event. This game has everything you could want in a Star Wars game in '96: OG trilogy vibes, jet packs, a Hoth stage, a Boba Fett boss battle, space battles, blowing up a Death Star type thing. Yes it's on the N64, so everything looks like garbo by today's standards but man what a time.
This review contains spoilers
Shadows of the Empire was a big “Expanded Universe” multimedia event with this story getting a novel, soundtrack (for the novel), comic book, toys and, of course, a video game. Shadows of the Empire was released on the N64 on PC. I was originally going to use the PC version for this, as the game is identical, but it has video cutscenes with voice acting, but controller support is poor (and the HUD goes tiny). With the help of remapping buttons, I was able to create a good setup that uses modern using the strafe setup.
I played this as a kid and I do remember enjoying it.
The game starts off during the Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes back, with you controlling a snowspeeder. This section is great, with the snowspeeder feeling great to control and toppling AT-ATs with the tow cable is great. Unfortunately, the level isn’t very long and it’s the best part of the game (you may notice the large amount of lives – that’s more for the poor platforming in later stages). If the entire game was like this, it would be a great game, but most of the game is on-foot.
You play as Dash Randar, who in this game is essentially a Han Solo clone (the novel expands the character’s personality a lot). You’re armed with a blaster that recharges, and you can get special ammo for it (best saved for bosses). The game heavily relies on autoaim, which is especially necessary as you can’t really aim up or down in any reasonable way (the aim button lets you, but it’s far too sensitive).
Trying to setup so you can flee Hoth, you start by watching the Millenium Falcon leave (shouldn’t Vader be standing nearby?) then blast your way through the stormtroopers attacking the rebel base. The shooting isn’t very satisfying and the movement is wonky.
After blowing up an AT-ST, you make your way off Hoth and blast TIE fighters in an asteroid field in a dreadful turret section with awful controls. The game at least gives you plenty of time to react as the bombs from the TIE bombers are really slow, and you have infinite missiles – they just reload between batches of 5.
Hunting for Boba Fett, Dash heads to a junkyard planet to get information from IG-88. I absolutely hate this level as a kid due to the controls but I didn’t find it too bad – I think the ability to strafe helps a lot with lining up jumps, and I never figured that out the first time round. It’s still a very ugly planet, though – Shadows of the Empire was definitely ahead of its time for its use of greys and browns. At the end of the level you take out IG-88, who gives you information on where Boba Fett is.
This is where the platforming really does take a nosedive. Dash’s jump is incredibly floaty and not difficult to control, and the narrow paths of this level are built for you to fall off constantly. You get a jetpack half way through which helps a bit, but is not as fun as a jetpack should be due to being slow and only possible to use for short bursts.
You fight Boba Fett and the Slave 1 at the end. I ran out of ammo, but found a spot where Slave 1 couldn’t hit me, so was able to hit it a few hundred times to destroy it.
Some text explains that after this, Boba Fett escapes and an assassin tries to kill Luke, so it’s up to you to help protect him.
As Luke chills out at Obi-Wan’s home on Tatooine, Dash hears of a swoop gang heading to kill Luke. Speeding through this level is great, but it’s much better to go slowly to take out enemies. You find out information that an Imperial ship contains the necessary information.
As Luke waits outside in his X-Wing, Dash assaults the imperial ship on his own (this game makes Luke seem weak). Most of this level is messing with door switches in a large cargo hold. There’s some secrets to find, but you need to work your way, then fighting a big droid near the end. The jetpack you found earlier would have been handy, but Dash left it on his ship. On a side note, I do really like the Outrider.
In order to infiltrate a base, we need to go through a sewer. Dash has absolutely no issue diving though massive amounts of excrement as you have to find a few different items to progress. The boss fight at the end is a horrible experience, with respawning tentacles and the poor jetpack controls underwater.
Going through the base your job is to find a reactor to place charges to blow up a space elevator. Luke is also infiltrating this base to save Leia, but that’s just background information and you never get to see them during gameplay. This is another dull level.
After another bad ship turret section, we get to actually fly the Outrider, and it’s great. You don’t get to focus on shooting other ships, though: your mission is to shoot four turrets then fly into the base and blow up the reactor, Death Star 2-style. The game ends with Dash seemingly not making it (but then reveals his fate in the final cutscene).
Shadow of the Empire is not as fun as I remember. The genre has evolved a lot, and the controls are just strange and floaty. The full story is probably good, but this isn’t a good adaptation as important points are relegated to scrolling text.
I played this as a kid and I do remember enjoying it.
The game starts off during the Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes back, with you controlling a snowspeeder. This section is great, with the snowspeeder feeling great to control and toppling AT-ATs with the tow cable is great. Unfortunately, the level isn’t very long and it’s the best part of the game (you may notice the large amount of lives – that’s more for the poor platforming in later stages). If the entire game was like this, it would be a great game, but most of the game is on-foot.
You play as Dash Randar, who in this game is essentially a Han Solo clone (the novel expands the character’s personality a lot). You’re armed with a blaster that recharges, and you can get special ammo for it (best saved for bosses). The game heavily relies on autoaim, which is especially necessary as you can’t really aim up or down in any reasonable way (the aim button lets you, but it’s far too sensitive).
Trying to setup so you can flee Hoth, you start by watching the Millenium Falcon leave (shouldn’t Vader be standing nearby?) then blast your way through the stormtroopers attacking the rebel base. The shooting isn’t very satisfying and the movement is wonky.
After blowing up an AT-ST, you make your way off Hoth and blast TIE fighters in an asteroid field in a dreadful turret section with awful controls. The game at least gives you plenty of time to react as the bombs from the TIE bombers are really slow, and you have infinite missiles – they just reload between batches of 5.
Hunting for Boba Fett, Dash heads to a junkyard planet to get information from IG-88. I absolutely hate this level as a kid due to the controls but I didn’t find it too bad – I think the ability to strafe helps a lot with lining up jumps, and I never figured that out the first time round. It’s still a very ugly planet, though – Shadows of the Empire was definitely ahead of its time for its use of greys and browns. At the end of the level you take out IG-88, who gives you information on where Boba Fett is.
This is where the platforming really does take a nosedive. Dash’s jump is incredibly floaty and not difficult to control, and the narrow paths of this level are built for you to fall off constantly. You get a jetpack half way through which helps a bit, but is not as fun as a jetpack should be due to being slow and only possible to use for short bursts.
You fight Boba Fett and the Slave 1 at the end. I ran out of ammo, but found a spot where Slave 1 couldn’t hit me, so was able to hit it a few hundred times to destroy it.
Some text explains that after this, Boba Fett escapes and an assassin tries to kill Luke, so it’s up to you to help protect him.
As Luke chills out at Obi-Wan’s home on Tatooine, Dash hears of a swoop gang heading to kill Luke. Speeding through this level is great, but it’s much better to go slowly to take out enemies. You find out information that an Imperial ship contains the necessary information.
As Luke waits outside in his X-Wing, Dash assaults the imperial ship on his own (this game makes Luke seem weak). Most of this level is messing with door switches in a large cargo hold. There’s some secrets to find, but you need to work your way, then fighting a big droid near the end. The jetpack you found earlier would have been handy, but Dash left it on his ship. On a side note, I do really like the Outrider.
In order to infiltrate a base, we need to go through a sewer. Dash has absolutely no issue diving though massive amounts of excrement as you have to find a few different items to progress. The boss fight at the end is a horrible experience, with respawning tentacles and the poor jetpack controls underwater.
Going through the base your job is to find a reactor to place charges to blow up a space elevator. Luke is also infiltrating this base to save Leia, but that’s just background information and you never get to see them during gameplay. This is another dull level.
After another bad ship turret section, we get to actually fly the Outrider, and it’s great. You don’t get to focus on shooting other ships, though: your mission is to shoot four turrets then fly into the base and blow up the reactor, Death Star 2-style. The game ends with Dash seemingly not making it (but then reveals his fate in the final cutscene).
Shadow of the Empire is not as fun as I remember. The genre has evolved a lot, and the controls are just strange and floaty. The full story is probably good, but this isn’t a good adaptation as important points are relegated to scrolling text.