An adventurous game for the "Star Wars" series, and an adventurous game to play period! :D
User Rating: 10 | Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire N64
Maybe it's just the nostalgia talking, but I felt as though this was one of the better games that the N64 had to offer! Certainly it was one of the first, and as far as shooting games go, it definitely set the bar as far as adventure games go! Before 1996, I had certainly never played a 3D game where the primary role was to guide a character forward, changing camera angles to get different views, using different weapons to defeat different enemies, and most importantly, dealing with a character who by 1996 standards (and even a few years later after the fact) was a relatively realistic human character, even though he was in a time that was long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. ( :lol: Little "Star Wars" humor. ) There are different levels of challenge for people of different skill levels. Certainly, the harder levels of difficulty are not for the faint of heart. I could certainly never beat the Very Hard or the Jedi levels of difficulty, but as far as gameplay goes, this was a very good game to play. While the graphics certainly wouldn't look impressive by today's standards, in 1996 they were really great! And there were many decisions to choose as to whether or not the character could get to a certain place. Jumps had to be timed carefully, lest the character hurt himself from jumping from a place that was too high or worse, killing himself. Even with the addition of a jet pack later on, the energy wasn't limitless, so the player still had to be careful. The level challenges are also wide and varied. The game starts during "Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back." And puts the player into the role of bounty hunter Dash Rendar, a hero for hire. He starts off by shooting the AT-ST's and AT-AT's on hoth, then he must escape on foot to his spaceship, avoiding the Snow Troopers, Wampas, and an AT-ST to reach his destination! Then he has to fly through an asteroid field, avoiding the space rocks and TIE fighters sent to destroy him. But his troubles are far from over. In not too long, he learns that Han Solo has been frozen in carbonite, which takes Dash Rendar onto another trip into hero time. He goes to a junkyard planet where a bunch of trash is located, and running on a train, avoiding obstacles and trying to stay alive (which was not an easy task) and then destroying IG-88. Then he travels to a canyon planet until he eventually finds his jet pack. He then hunts for and locates Boba Fett. First having to fight him, then his Slave II ship. However, Dash Rendar soon goes from trying to rescue Han Solo to protecting Luke Skywalker! He must race on a desert speeder, taking out the deadly bikers along the way, and avoid going to fast and crashing and exploding! Not to mention the deadly Sarlacc traps. Then he learns of a spaceship which may contain plans to a weapon, and he goes up there. It turns out to be the plans for the New Death Star. But the victory comes with the discovery that Princess Leia has been captured by a new enemy: Lord Xizor! So Dash travels to Xizor's planet, and infiltrates his defenses through the sewers, then he has to blow Xizor's palace up! But Xizor doesn't take the defeat lying down, and focuses on one last attack through his Skyhook. Dash Rendar must destroy it before the day is saved. It is an exciting game and an adventurous game to be sure, and definitely a good experience to have for fans of the "Star Wars" franchise! :idea: I'm one, and that's why I enjoyed this game! :D Enough said! ;)
