Star Wars - Shadows of the Empire
OTHER PAGES
CHEATS, CODES, HINTS AND STRATEGY
LINKS (soon)
8 June 1999
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I was pretty excited about the whole Star Wars situation and thanks to my lovely wife winning opening night tickets to the movie, I couldn't wait to try the game.
I have hired it for three days and now feel I have played it enough to give a fair review. If you have read any of my other reviews you may have seen I gave a previous Lucas Arts game a right pasting - thankfully this game deserves much praise. Despite the unusual courses and race machinery this is a straight out racing game. Unlike Extreme G there are no weapons to fire or pickups which to me always detracted from the main purpose ... racing.
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| The stills don't do the game justice, you have to play it to believe it |
The graphics are outstanding and the creators let their imagination run wild which has allowed them to make some amazing courses. I have the expansion pak which gives the game amazing clarity and a glitch free frame rate however the two player game slows up a little with some pop-up.
The racing "Pods" handle superbly, the air brakes and slide control allow you to zip around with amazing speed and control. There are lots of different racing Pods to choose from which you can upgrade with your winnings. Watto's Part Shop is amusing especially if you have seen the movie. The parts themselves do make a difference to your Pod's racing characteristics.
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| You would think weaving in and about the courses would be challenging enough but the other contestants are constantly trying to knock you off course |
There is a lot of contact in the racing and you are usually battling all the way around each course. It's not one of those racers where you either get miles in front or left way behind which means it's challenging and fun the whole time.
So, in summary, Lucas Arts have created an excellent futuristic racer that has superb control, jaw dropping graphics and heaps of fun built in. I am returning it tomorrow and I think I will miss it ... Now, what have I got to sell that's worth $90.00 ... hmmm ...
P.S. Just one minor letdown I must mention on reflection and it relates back to the movie. The racers in the movie emit a deep pulsing (almost V8 like) sound that would add heaps of atmosphere to the game. The game Pods don't have this aural characteristic otherwise the transition from film to game is very realistic.
MY OPINION "Never mind if the force is with you or not, if
you've got the cash ... get the game!"
Brian McCorry - "Juggernaut" (N64
Test Pilot)
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Watto
An intergalactic
used car salesman
Annakin Skywalker
The only human with
reflexes fast enough to race a Pod
Sebulba
He's the champ but
doesn't believe in fair play
Frozen Planet
The game creators
had the whole galaxy to choose from for courses
Pod Hangar
You get to view your
Pod in full screen and zoom in and out to see all the details