Shadows of the Empire is an interesting and welcome addition to the Star Wars storyline and a classic gaming experience.
I recently stuck the game in again after finishing it nearly 10 years ago and discovered it still held up well, and I have become hooked by it. While I shall try to review the game as it appeared 10 years ago, I will also discuss how it has aged. In Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, you play as Dash Rendar, mercenary and smuggler for the Rebel Alliance. Set during and between Episodes V and VI of the classic trilogy, Dash is first enlisted by Rogue Squadron to help fight during the Battle of Hoth. Later as Han Solo is encased in carbonite, Dash will also try to rescue him from Boba Fett, defend Luke Skywalker from assassins, and save Princess Leia. It is revealed that a much larger and darker force then the empire is to blame for these latter actions. It would seem that the Dark Prince Xizor is the main antagonist of Shadows, and he is jealous of Vader's place as the Emperors' right hand man. He thinks that killing Skywalker will show Vaders' incompetence and the Emperor will grant him the place of right hand man. This serves as a decent plot, and is evident as this game was released in conjunction with a novel and comic book portraying the full story of Shadows of the Empire. George Lucas himself liked this plot so much that he would of made a movie of it in the 80's had he the script and ideas. Shadows of the Empire has a lot of gameplay variety in it. As aforementioned, the first level is piloting a Snowspeeder during the Battle of Hoth. Gamers have only dreamed of playing this sequence from the movie The Empire Strikes Back, and their dreams have been answered. Bluntly, the first level is spectacular and one of the most exceptional pieces of gaming. Ever. The second level is an on-foot shooter set inside Echo base. All the shooting levels that follow (there are 6 in total), can be played either in first person, or third person, providing variety even in the shooting themed levels...One of the main complaints with the on-foot levels are that Dash controls bad. I found that if played in first person you should be fine.
The third level is in your trusty ship, the outrider and is reminiscent of the arcade style shooting classic Rebel Assault. You destroy asteroids and tie fighters alike, as you try to flee from the Hoth systems atmosphere. Later on you will take control of a swoop bike in a race to beat assassins to Luke's hideout on Tatooine, and further on you will engage in a massive space battle involving the Rebels, Imperials and Xizor's forces at Xizor's Skyhook. Suffice to say, there is a great amount of variety in Shadows, which mixes the game up a bit and provides a great ride.
The graphics were superb back in 1997. I remember it was used to compare to a lot of other games, meaning it was a standard setter. While obviously not as great now, I'm surprised that the graphics have held up decently enough and that I can still play it without resenting it. Some of the level interiors are bland (but hey, you're traveling through sewers, star destroyer interiors and palaces) after seeing them a lot , but the characters and vehicles encountered in the game are excellently designed. There is no voice acting in the game. Character dialog and chapter explanation is presented through text. This adds to the game and presents it in a graphic novel/comic book kinda style. The music in game is very good, with the tunes suiting the specific location or mood. Rest assured that the classic Star Wars theme is played in all it's greatness throughout. With no multiplayer, the game doesn't really have much incentive for you to go back to it again, unless to relive the great moments or play again on a harder difficulty. 10 years on however I am playing and immensely enjoying this game. Star Wars Shadows of the Empire is an important plot piece in the Star Wars universe and a classic piece of gaming that should not be missed by fans.