"...gives the Star Wars feel..."

User Rating: 8.2 | Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire N64
Star Wars has always been a hot movie. And can that hotness transfer over to another front? Video games? The answer is yes, and it delivers it in Star Wars Shadows of the Empire. The game takes place sometime during the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and you play as the rogue mercenary Dash Rendar. You were hired by Princess Leia to find Luke Skywalker, and after that it pretty much is a given.

The gameplay is solid, as you have a standard 3rd person perspective and fairly simple controls. The game is pretty easy to take on as you have certain weapons and certain gadgets and specific actions for doors, switches, and such. This helps during some pretty hectic boss battles and also in the midst of tough enemies. The levels are very large, which allows for some exploring for challenge points (they unlock some nifty features if you can find them all which is tough) which are scattered all throughout SOTE. I digress, the levels are pretty easy to navigate and in some of the levels require a cool head and some darn good sharpshooting. The game doesn't just stay to the old 3rd person on foot, but changes in that in certain levels you can fly a snowspeeder in the Battle of Hoth, fly a swoop bike, and fly your own ship, but the funnest thing to use is the jetpack. Overall SOTE has very solid gameplay.

Graphics are so-so. The Dash model himself is okay, and the enemies are done a little on the sketchy side, but the boss battles can get a little better. The varieties of weapon in the game will vary, and they are used in a different manner and in one case, the famous disruptor, will actually make the whole screen go white and will pretty much kill anything in the room. The cutscenes aren't 3-D, they're animated like cardboard figures, but it still gets the story across. Though the graphics aren't too hot, the game is still worthwhile.

Sound is pretty good, but doesn't really deliver. You have the blaster sounds and the sound of enemies dropping dead with a standard "Uuugghh." You can also get a "Aaaahhh!" from foes that fall off of ledges and whatnot which is rather humorous. Music is good, actually, in that you have the classic Star Wars score and entrance, and some other recognizable Star Wars music throughout. However, the music is nothing to celebrate.

Value depends. It depends on the person playing it. Me, I find the game enjoyable every time I plug in the Nintendo 64. However, others may not think the same way. I'd have to tell you just to play it and see what you think. I can't give a straight review in this arena.

Tilt is good. It gives the Star Wars feel, and it offers a good Star Wars experience as you will see Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewie, etc. So, in short, anyone who likes Star Wars should find something to like about this game in some way. To buy it, would probably be a different story. I dunno, depends on the gamer. Asides from some of the unfavorable things in SOTE, you have a true Star Wars game that does its blasted (no pun intended) best to make you happy.