Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Shadows of the Empire is an astounding game, in more ways than one. Launched as part of a massive multimedia campaign, the game follows the events that occured between episodes V and VI in the Star Wars timeline. Players step into the boots of Dash Rendar, a sort of substitue for Han Solo while he is frozen in carbonite. Players will tackle missions such as stealing the plans for the Second Death Star, a breakneck speeder-bike chase through Beggar's Canyon, and the final explosive assault on the dreaded Skyhook.

Shadows of the Empire is positively the worst game i have ever played.. what were the designers thinking.. I would use all sorts of profanity in my explanationas its the only thing that would do this game justice, unfortunately i fear my comment will be removed and i would hate for another unsuspecting victim to have to suffer 5 minutes of this atrocious game without prior warning.

I've been a big Star Wars fan for eight years now, ever since Episode 1 appeared in cinemas. My first taste of Star Wars though wasn't through the movie but rather through Shadows of The Empire. I first had the PC version which I thoroughly enjoyed but a few months ago I found a copy in my local store. Curiosity getting the better of me, I bought a copy of the game and immediately brought it home to play. I was in for a great time...

'Shadows of The Empire' follows mercenary Dash Rendar as he gets caught up in a plot that involves criminal syndicate Black Sun and its evil leader Prince Xizor. From planet to planet, Dash has to find out who wants Luke Skywalker dead as well as help find the frozen Han Solo. With blaster in hand and his ship prepped for launch, Dash is ready for anything.

I half-expected to see Shadows of The Empire have half decent graphics but, surprisingly the game actually looked just as good as its PC counterpart. Everything flowed well and there weren't any frame issues or glitches. The characters are a little bit sharp in places (The stormtrooper helmets do look a bit jagged) but otherwise the in-game graphics don't look too bad.

The cut scene graphics though are pretty abysmal. Bearable at best, the FMVs look terrible and seem to be a rush job to me. In this section the PC version is much better; as it actually has the power to do these cut scenes. Luckily, there are only a few in the game so it isn't too much of a hassle.

The music in the game is typical Star Wars stuff, which isn't a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. The Star Wars theme does have a different tempo to it which is a nice change. The level tunes are also quite good and are memorable. The sound effects from the characters and machines are good (The grunting from Dash whenever he falls off a high ledge is particularly good) and help to give the game that little bit more life.

The game play is the big point for the game. It is very addictive and it does want you to play on. You want to play on. The levels are very diverse and help to keep the player playing. The controls are a bit robotic though and it does handle badly in places (Especially when you use the jetpack) but if you master the controls using the Force... of your fingers then you'll be fine here.

Overall, this is a very good game that would be a great addition to anyone's N64 collection. The PC version is better though but the N64 has a bit of charm to it. If you don't mind the robotic controls and the bad cut scenes then this is a great game to buy!