Reviews / previews
So, you've finally taken a shower after spending 64
consecutive days in line to get the tickets. Your
toy-buying fever has
subsided, and you're
in that dormant
stage between
movies where you
can only wait for
Internet-bred rumors
and fan-based
storyline speculation
while you eat your
Wookie cookies in
peace.
But don't forget:
there's still an
action/adventure game out. And it isn't bad.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace follows
the exploits of Qui-Gon Jinn (Jedi teacher), Obi-Wan
Kenobi (Jedi rookie), Captain Panaka (Royal Guard
lackey), and Queen Amidala (royal hair model)
through 11 levels packed with shooting, fighting, and
running.
The game plays like a third-person action game, with
a camera angle that hovers just behind and above the
main character. The Jedi can use lightsabers to block
laser fire or chop through your enemies, and even the
Force Push, which knocks enemies down so you can
haul your butt out of town. And then you've got Thermal Detonators, Rocket
Launchers, Blasters, and Gungan Energy Balls, which disrupt anything
mechanical within a limited radius.
The game shines in the small details, like
the destroyer droids that come rolling down
a hall to blast you, or the intruder alert alarm
from the battle droids. You'll be amazed to
learn the voiceovers are not done by the
original actors. Add to that the great sound
effects from the movie, an awesome
soundtrack, and great 3D sounds. (And
then, when you're almost in heaven, the Jar
Jar Binks voice brings you right back to hell.)
The special effects bring out the game's
natural beauty, especially in dense areas like the Gardens of Theed. Smoke
trails, laser reflections, shadows, transparent water, and lightsaber particle
effects will bring you right back to the movie experience, which makes this
game a dream for Star Wars fans.
But the other three people left in the universe will find that the game
progresses much like the movie. It starts off with a bang, gets a little dreary in
the middle, and really picks up again at the end. The tedious hacking,
slashing, switch-triggering, and NPC escorting may seem like the wait for the
Phantom Menace movie tickets: a whole lotta time for a two-hour payoff.
Moreover, a wide range of video cards don't work properly with the game, and,
on a PII-300, the soundtrack stuttered and sound effects popped when the
game was running at the "superior" system
setting. Simply turning down the effects
helps out a lot, but it kind of kills the fun.
But the sound, which is faithfully re-created,
the action, which even at its dullest keeps
the game moving, and the simple controls all
add up to two things that Star Wars
devotees should be happy about:
1) Everything a fan of the movie would want
is in here.
2) You don't have to watch Jake Lloyd say
good-bye to his mother again.-- Lawrence Neves / GamePro
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