Even though most diehard Star Wars fans out there already know, we'll quickly discuss the creation of Shadows of the Empire. While there is no mention of Shadows of the Empire whatsoever in the Star Wars movies, this side story made waves upon its release. Taking place between The Empire Strikes Back and Revenge of the Jedi, Shadows of the Empire introduces the tale of Dash Rendar. Normally, I fear the worst for any side projects for any movie, but this little side story is quite epic in its own way.
The main characters of Star Wars are still around, but the primary focus is on a new hero rather than Luke or Han. It's Dash Rendar who takes the spotlight, and he is out to stop a criminal organization who plans to befriend the Emperor and get rid of Darth Vader. In the game, it's up to Dash to take control of the galaxy while Han is incapacitated and Luke is desperately trying to rescue Leia from Prince Xizor, whom I like to refer to as Prince Scissors.
(Great story line that worked surprisingly well.)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was one of the first games released when the Nintendo 64 hit the stores. It was 1996, and I can clearly remember eagerly waiting to get a copy of this instead of Super Mario 64. I had a couple of friends who already played it, and I was instantly hooked. I didn't want Goombas or Whomps; I wanted Storm Troopers and laser guns. This was the year that gaming made a huge impact on my life. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire teamed up with Nintendo 64 and really showed us what gaming could do.
The game begins with a brief meeting between Dash and Han and immediately throws the player into one of the greatest beginning levels for any game ever made – the Battle of Hoth. Now, as mentioned before, I loved the short little level that was in the NES version of Star Wars. When I got to play the same thing on the Nintendo 64, I thought gaming would never get any better. Here I was, actually flying a ship and deploying tether cords to down ATAT Walkers. I've played through a lot of great openers, but by far, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is one of my favorites.
(Look ma', no hands!)
Unlike the NES version, the rest of the game is as sweet as pie. The second part of the game begins at the end of Empire Strikes Back. Han has been captured, and Dash is off to rescue him. From there the game flips into a third person shoot'em up. Shadows of the Empire is one of the first games that I got to play that allowed such fluent controls. Before getting my hands on Shadows of the Empire, I had previously played a bit of Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider was another game I loved, but there was something about it that didn't grab me like Shadows of the Empire did. I wanted balls to the wall action, and Shadows gave that to me.
So there I was, making my way through Echo Base – blasting Storm Troopers in the face and shooting at just about everything else when I began to wonder how much more awesome this game could get. Then suddenly, I was flying around space, destroying asteroids, while trying to fight of TIE fighters at the same time. There was just so much awesomeness packed into this tiny cartridge to name each and every level.
We understand the game was great. There is no doubting that. What made it so great was how every aspect of the game blended so well together. The music was top notch, and the sound effects were spot on. Every blast of the laser, every enemy’s death sounded like it did in the movies. The game’s music was great for every different level as well. Whether you were flying a ship or running down the mountainside after Boba Fett, the music was right there with you. Then there are the great graphics. When the first stage looked so perfectly done, you knew the rest of the game had something equally as spectacular. The ships that you are infiltrating and the planets you visit are surreal. Again, it looks like pieces of the movie masterfully remodeled to fit the Nintendo 64.
(Now this is just off the hook crazy! There is like, five different kind of laser beams!)
The game never manages to skimp out or stray too far from the storyline. Every single level is packed with something fans are going to remember. You don't end up ten galaxies over, fighting fish men or get forced into playing Dash Rendar's Cooking Factory. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is strictly Star Wars lore. There may be some new enemies you bump into or new obstacles to face, but nothing too outrageous. The game makes sure to tie all the loose ends up.
For those who can't get enough of a challenge, the game throws in Challenge Points. These points are usually placed in areas that may be hidden or a bit difficult to get through. One of the things Shadows of the Empire likes to do is put Dash on some narrow mountain edges. While he's got his back placed up against the wall, he'll notice that there may be a challenge point a jump away. It may be risky to get, but players who enjoy risk will go out of their way for them. Think of it as one of the very early stages of achievements. Collect them all, and suddenly you have bragging rights to all your friends.
Shadows of the Empire is sure not to leave very many game mechanics out. Some games tend to pick one flashy move in place of a normal action, such as jumping. With Dash, you can run, blast, and jump. If anyone remembers Doom, you'll know that there was no jumping for the space marine. Instead, he was forced to run off the side of cliffs in hopes of getting to hard to reach areas. Dash was sure to rub it in the face of his predecessors with the power of Nintendo 64 backing him.
There is no doubt that Shadows of the Empire hit so many key elements, but was there anything that it did miss out on? Unfortunately, there are a few minor inconveniences. This over the shoulder style of play was still quite new and getting camera angles down could be tricky. For players who wished to use the third person view, they may find several annoyances as they get into tight areas where the camera may decide to bug out on them. Luckily, you can always flip it into first person mode. There was also a movie style camera shot which was rarely used unless you were on a certain area where you could really show off.
(Curse you auto-aim! Well, actually - thanks for the help, but I don't want your help! Actually, I do.)
For any first person shooter who enjoys their action on the PC, they'll know the dreadfulness of auto aim. Fortunately, we were still in the early years, and auto aim wasn’t exactly frowned upon yet. Shooting style games on consoles back then (and even today) couldn't compare to the quickness of the mouse. So naturally, the movement in Shadows of the Empire was a bit slow. Just tapping the laser gun button would send off multiple shots in the general area of an enemy, zeroing as the player moved the cross-hairs closer. Players didn't have to be dead on to land a kill, but the closer they got, the quicker auto aim kicked in.
As mentioned, these minor flaws are nothing more than tiny nuisances that can be overlooked. There is too much cool stuff going on in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire to focus on minute bugs. This was a game that was constantly being rented from my local Blockbuster because my friends were too greedy to let me borrow the game for a month or two. Seriously, you own the game, why can't I borrow it for a long time? In case anyone is wondering, I visited three different Wal-Mart stores for a good month and never was able to get my hands on this game. It was a rarity to see it on the shelves for the first three months because it was that awesome of a game.
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