Review: Shadows of the Empire

A Gaming Flashback:

Shadows of the Empire.

And yes, spoilers ahead, if you haven't exited 1996...

To talk about Shadows of the Empire (or SOTE), released in 1996 on the Nintendo 64, it merits talking a little about the inception of this part of the Star Wars franchise.

As well as being another means for which to line George Lucas’ pockets with money before that goal reached its horrible zenith... 

...the story of Shadows of the Empire was created to bridge the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. And this was achieved in numerous ways, as well as this game, also released a year later for PC, the story was published as a novel by Steve Perry, which I highly recommend if not to read more of the brilliant antagonist, Prince Xizor, then for gaining a better perspective on the events of the story beyond what this game can deliver, despite some inconsistencies between game and novel. Comic books were also released chronicling the storyline, as well as an extensive line of merchandise, of which I still own a ridiculous amount.

So when I got my N64 for Christmas many, many years ago, I wasn’t immediately taken with the standard launch titles, Mario64 was fun, but couldn’t hold my interest in all honesty, the 64 was my first console, and even though we did have another gaming system akin to the Commodore 64 (the name escapes me though), my earliest memories of playing games before the N64, were of Commander Keen, Space Quest, Kings Quest, or Leisure Suit Larry (which was completely inappropriate considering how young I was at the time). But being a big Sci-Fi fan and a Star Wars fan I gravitated quickly towards SOTE, and it’s one of those games for which I’ll never want to part with not only for nostalgia’s sake, but because it remains one of the best Star Wars games out there.

You take on the role of Dash Rendar, who is much like Han Solo, a smuggler and occasional ally to the Rebellion though he has no real aspiration to join them against their struggle with the Empire. The story opens on Hoth just prior to the Rebel evacuation that’s about to come, as Rendar is delivering supplies to the Rebel base. However before long the Empire strikes, and you’re soon piloting a Snowspeeder in the obligatory-for-every-fucking-Star Wars game out there Battle of Hoth. After shooting down probe droids, AT-ST’s and stringing up the legs of AT-AT’s , the evacuation of Echo Base is winding down, you’re the last man left, and have to fight your way through the ridiculously expansive base to your ship The Outrider, co-piloted by your droid offsider Leebo who contacts you at various points in the game to outline objectives. And apart from waves of Snowtroopers, you’ll have to keep an eye out for friggin Wampas which are conveniently placed between you and power ups, meaning you’ll need to release them from their cages, or behind some cargo containers to get to the goods in your way. The good news is that they’ll be attacking any Snow troopers that get in their way also.

After escaping from the Hoth system the events of The Empire Strikes Back run their course, till you’re called upon by Princess Leia to assist in finding Han Solo and rescuing him after he’s frozen in Carbonite.

After discovering wreckage of assassin droid IG-88’s ship, you’ll be controlling Dash on the junkyard world of Ord Mandell. Riding from one train to another to reach IG, one of the amazing things about this level in particular, is the size and the attention to detail most notably, you’ll be seeing a downed AT-AT in one spot and a wrecked Imperial transport in another, but after you’ve dealt with the train guards and piloted the train you’re on through a barricaded facility where IG-88 is holed up, you’ll be facing a tough battle with a scary ass-motherfucker. It’s not enough that the final stage of this level is claustrophobic and inescapable, but IG sees fit to make some seriously freaky noises when attacking you:

SOTE has the dubious honour of being one game where I think I failed to beat any of the main bosses, pawning that responsibility off instead to my older brother at the time (that’s what they’re there for, right?). But after defeating IG-88 and interrogating him, you’ll learn Boba Fett is holed up in an Imperial base on the moon of Gall for repairs, where he has Han Solo in his cargo bay.

This is where the game does differ from the book, but with some creative thinking both events can sort of be joined up, regardless it’s a taxing level. Some have gotten it out in record times but those records could be no less than 9 minutes. If it’s your first time playing through, or the first for a long time, it will take much, much longer. But it’s still a highlight. Like Echo Base and Ord Mandell, the level size is huge (though deceptively, as I’m sure the high canyon walls mask the true scale), and it also gives you the Jetpack for which you’ll be making use of till the end of the game. But as well as that not only do you get to listen to the ridiculously cool ‘Departure of Boba Fett’ over and over again for the level, but you get to fight Fett (thankfully not voiced boringly by the otherwise bad-ass Temuera Morrison) and the Slave I in an effort to prevent him leaving with Solo.

Fett does escape with Imperial aid though, so the story changes pace as you are asked to watch over Luke Skywalker after a failed assassination attempt.

Finding Dash in Mos Eisley as Luke trains at Obi-Wan’s old crib in the Dune Sea, a conversation is overheard of which a swoop gang is planning on killing Skywalker for Jabba the Hutt. In another showing of the versatility of this FPS/3rdPS/Flight/Rail game, you’ll be piloting swoops (like hovering-motorbikes) through Mos Eisley and through the Beggars Canyon at high speed, looking to take out members of the gang before they reach their destination.

Upon saving Skywalker, Luke tells Dash he’s learnt of the location of the plans for the Second Death Star, aboard the Imperial Freighter Suprosa (yes we know many Bothans died for us to know Mon Mothma, you patronising bitch).

'Blah, blah. blah-blah-blah, Bothans, guilt trip, mope-mope-mope...'

Intercepting the frieghter Dash must make his way through the bowels of the ship till meeting up with another impossible (to me) boss in the Loader Droid, and upon destroying the droid, the plans are collected.

By this stage Leia has learnt that Xizor has been responsible for conspiring with the Emperor by allowing the Death Star plans to fall into Rebel hands, and had a contract put on Luke’s head. She’s then held captive, and holy shit you’ll be taking on two more ridiculous boss fights in the sewer underneath Xizor’s palace, and inside the palace itself on Coruscant. The first being a giant goddamn Dianoga, which you’ll get to after navigating the labyrinthine sewer system. And the second being the Gladiator droid, I’d say the penultimate boss battle in the game as it’s the second-last level, but it may as well be the final boss fight of all for you’ll find the final (awesome) level a breeze in comparison. After infiltrating Xizor’s palace you’ll need to plant explosives to prevent Xizor from reaching his skyhook in orbit from the safety of his palace, but after mowing down his personal army and exploring the depths of his palace, you’ll be faced with the toughest adversary yet:

The fucking Gladiator Droid. Which you think you’ve killed but only slowed down, as you continue to inflict damage it will only separate into smaller, more lethal pieces till you’ve obviously used the force and found the means to destroy it.

And from then on you’ll be flying on route to the Skyhook in space, after taking down members of Xizor’s fleet from the gun turrets in The Outrider, you’ll get the chance to fly the ship itself in a sweet space battle around the sky hook involving X-Wings, TIE-Fighters, a goddamn Star Destroyer (which no matter how many times you shoot it, it’s health wont waver), and the skyhook itself, which needs destroying.

Aside from story and level design, another standout is the soundtrack, I’ve already mentioned one theme you’ll hear in one of the levels, but not only will you be hearing more tunes from A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back through the course of the game, but other, original works which you’d think as well were the works on John Williams, but surprisingly, he did not score some of the original material, but the music you hear for places like Xizor’s Palace, or Mos Eisley/Beggars Canyon was composed by Joel McNeely, and performed by The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, adding to the quality of the production.

As to the gameplay, though you wont be wielding any other weapons bar your blaster, you’ll be picking up plenty of upgrades like flamethrowers, rapid firing pulse rounds, homing missiles and the equivalent to a near nuclear device which will destroy all but the toughest (fucking) Gladiator droids with relative ease. Being able to play in Third or First Person was a great way to appeal to those who preferred FPS’, but I enjoy 3rd Person Perspective instead, and having the levels cleverly broken up into flight levels, then on foot, at intervals ensured it never got stagnant having to play on-foot missions over and over again, or vice versa. The enemy AI, no it’s not anything to brag about, but this game was developed a very long time ago, so most Stormtroopers or Xizor guards will simply approach and shoot you with no through of retreat or taking cover. Occasionally you will also have to take down remote guns or flying sentry drones, but the auto-aim feature makes short work of them.

The Boss fights though do make up for the lack of goon AI. Taking down the first AT-ST was a big challenge for me and you’d be running out of places to hide from it on that level compared to the second time you face one on foot in Gall. The loader droid will have you cramped for space as it shoots its friggin’ arms at you to inflict damage, and you’ll need to make the use of your jet pack to fly in and out of the water when battling the Dianoga at the end of the sewer level, being mindful of your oxygen levels in the process.

The opportunity is there to unlock an extended ending after gaining enough challenge points which are scattered throughout each level as either highlighted asteroids to be shot or floating, silver Rebellion logos to be collected.

The controls were never an issue, the revolutionary N64 controller made full use of all buttons making Dash easy to guide through all levels, and piloting was a breeze (but I always had trouble with the speed of the Swoops).

And the levels all offer something different, visually and in terms of how you approach guiding Dash through them, though Echo Base and Gall are quite similar in that you’ll have to tip toe around numerous chasms and cliff-faces. But aside from that every other level offers a different environment, different accompanying music, the enemies you’ll need to take out range from Wampas to hired thugs, Stormtroopers, Xizor’s personal guard as well as that asshole droid from the Special Edition of A New Hope that bops the flying droid on the head as Obi-Wan and Luke enter Mos Eisley:

Standout levels would be Echo Base for the sheer size, Ord Mandell for size and visuals as well as the challenge of jumping from train to train, Gall for length, Xizor’s Palace for the wonderful music, and the final Skyhook level.

Is there value for replayability? If you’re a big fan of this franchise I say yes, I say do what I’ve done, keep a hold of your N64 (I think I’ve managed to collect 3 somehow) and always have a copy of this game and a memory card on hand, so you can bring it out of the box or cupboard and play it at least once every few years. Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan you probably will still enjoy the challenge of this game even though you may only run through it once.

For me though it will still remain one of my favorites.

I give it 8/10 Asshole worker droids

Arkham City

CAUTION: HERE BE SPOILERS...

As I noted in my review of Arkham Asylum I had not been in on the Batman gaming craze up till long after that games release. Luckily enough though it wasn't long till I was finished that game that I was aware of the development of Arkham City:

The trailer above was just a hint of what was to come, already featuring an ailing Joker and Harley Quinn, we saw snapshots of the city/prison itself, the inhabitants, the state of decay, along with hints to the inclusion of Penguin (the Iceberg Lounge), Two-Face and Black Mask. More trailers followed in the lead up to the release of the game alluding to the involvement of all the main villains, as well as the ability to play as Catwoman.

Pictured: Stealth. Not pictured: Appropriate winter wear.

Long months passed and then the big day arrived, the game was released on PS3 and X-Box 360, but us poor PC gamers had to wait as the game faced multiple delays (presumably to sort out a bug involving the loss of saved game files), but eventually the game was released on PC and I was blown away even more so by this game than it's predecessor.

But in the lead up to the games release there was a 12-15 minute video of what I assumed would be the opening level, with Batman rescuing Catwoman from Two-Face in the courthouse in the hear of Arkham City. It was a big surprise then to find the game opening in completely different fashion. You in fact start the game off as Catwoman, who has broken into Two-Face's HQ where you beat down some of his goons and steal a map coded to a memory card. Two-Face though puts a gun to Catwoman's head, and the first level ends.

What follows was all the more surprising, a press conference outside Arkham City is being held by Bruce Wayne who is campaigning to have Arkham City shut down, due to the gang wars happening inside the city between Penguin, Two-Face and Joker's thugs. A private security firm though storms the conference and takes Wayne prisoner. Then you get to say hi to this guy:

One of the trailers mentioned previewed Strange's motivation in that he knew the identity of Batman and as Warden has Wayne captured and placed in Arkham City to avoid interference in 'Protocol Ten'.

I was only thinking to myself that this is the Empire Strikes Back of games in that it takes the established and improves in every conceivable way.

The story, as I said, is engaging, after being placed in the asylum you'll come face to face with even more villains than presented with in Arkham Asylum, some recurring (like Bane, Poison Ivy, Zsasz and the Riddler in side missions) and new ones like Two-Face, Penguin, Mr Freeze and Ras Al Ghul. The way the story is woven is well done, as you have to face off with all these villains in order to advance the story, and no battles or side missions seem thrown in for no particular reason (maybe Poison Ivy and having to fight Bane, the reason for his inclusion though seemed plausible). And each time you encounter them you get something fresh which is a step up from the somewhat repetitive boss battles in Arkham Asylum.

And another bonus to the boss battles is the use of gadgetry. Gadgets never played much of a role in the previous game but to further areas of exploration and continue the story. Here they do do the same thing, but you'll always find yourself using new gadgets in every battle, and collecting more upon the way. There are the old favorites making a return from Arkham Asylum being your never-ending supply of Batarangs, explosive gel, the line launcher, the cryptographic sequencer (which has been overhauled to intercept radio transmissions as well as unlocking doors and bringing down forcefields), and the remote control and Sonic batarangs. All of which (excepting the Sonic Batarang if I'm not mistaken) have been improved upon. The line launcher can now be used as a tightrope and you can also switch directions midway through zipping through the environment, the remote control batarang thankfully has a boost and brake function added, and the grappling gun can be upgraded to allow Batman to shoot from a ledge or gargoyle up into the air to attain flight. Detective mode has also been altered, you'll still be able to see through goons to know who's armed and who's not, but the clarity has been reduced meaning less reliance on it like in Arkham Asylum, where you'd almost have it on through the whole game. This was a good move as the city/prison is just too well detailed to have everything negated out through a blue filter. And occasionally you will find goons carrying jamming signals stopping you from using either Batmans Detective mode, or Catwoman's thief vision, meaning you'll have to take them out if you want to continue your hunt with either mode on your side.

Batman just gotta
tip on the tightrope.

Grappling guns, perfect for pulling
goons off ledges, or Bats into the skies.

New editions to the utility belt are the REC (Remote Electrical Charge), basically a gun which fires non-lethal bursts of electrical energy which can be used on enemies or items reliant on electricity like doors, the smoke pellet, which makes almost too much sense it's amazing it was never there in the previous game which you can use to escape gun fire or throw into a crowd of enemies and trick them into attacking each other. 2 freeze related items that you get courtesy of Mr Freeze in the form of an ice-grenade which can be used to freeze an enemy in place or be used to freeze a pool of water, allowing you to access areas otherwise impossible to enter due to the bodies of water you'll encounter throughout the game, or a freeze cluster-grenade, which can freeze the legs of a group of enemies at once. As well as a jammer which can be used to disable weapons or mines which smarter enemies will lay in throughout predator levels to impede your progress.

Using the REC means goons also fire wildly
in the air, but never at each other, typical.

The freeze cluster grenade
immobilises groups of enemies.

The smoke pellet in action.

On top of gadgets the gameplay, combat, voice acting, the environment, everything has been scrutinised and bettered. The fighting system adds more combos and more takedown moves, and goons wont just line up to attack you one at a time, you'll have to make use of more takedowns and counters to disable 2-3 goons at ones. And the enemies you'll encounter are smarter, better armed and better armoured than in Arkham Asylum. Not only do more goons have more guns than before, but you'll also have to deal with ones with thick armour that can't be taken down by predator tactics (though shooting their metal armour with the REC is amusing), or others that find shields to ram Batman or Catwoman. Goons armed with knives and electrified batons make turn up again to make combat slightly more challenging, but using the grappling gun, they'll be disabled in no time. 

Armed and armoured goons don't let
function get in the way of fashion.

As mentioned, boss fights also get beefed up and instead of ducking and weaving past the main boss while battling goons you'll have more of a challenge on your hand. Solomon Grundy, Ras Al Ghul, Mr Freeze, and the final boss fight stand out not just for the challenge they created, but also for the environment in which you'll have to do battle in. While you have to take on Grundy in a pit under the Iceberg Lounge, and the story has you battling Ras Al Ghul in a surreal desert landscape littered with landmarks of Arkham City, which is not unlike the Scarecrow levels in Arkham Asylum. 

Taking on Ras Al Ghul is on the of games many highlights.

Mr Freeze is, probably without doubt though, the best boss fight in this game, which is remarkable considering it takes place only a little after halfway through the story. You'll have to think on your feet if you want to make it, considering once you use a takedown technique or attack Freeze with one of your gadgets, he'll adapt and you wont be able to use it again, to date this has been a killer level for me as playing through on New Game + you'll need to find about 10 different ways of attacking him, before you can beat him. The environment also is against you as all the platforms reserved for grappling up to have been frozen over, and there's no way out. Freeze will also coat ledges and grates with ice as well, ensuring you'll run out of places to hide.

'You will bring me Nora, or you will die.'

Futurama/The Simpsons/Pinky and the Brain/anything else with voice over work will also recognise the multi-talented Maurice LeMarche voicing Mr Freeze, which I would say is the best casting decision for all voice over actors in this game (barring Hamill and Conroy).

The voice acting is top notch here as was in the previous game. Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy return to voice Joker and Batman respectively, and those who lend their voices to other villains to well, but special mention would go to LeMarche, as well as Corey Burton, whose baritone voice gives life to Hugo Strange (to such effect you'd swear it was Christopher Lee voicing him), and Dee Bradley Baker who voices Ras Al Ghul, who you may recognise otherwise as:

'Ladies...?'

And then there is Catwoman. One of the big selling points of Arkham City was that she would be a playable character. Was it worth it? To be honest, I don't think so. I didn't have to pay any extra for it, but to be honest I'm not sure if I would have gone out of my way to have downloaded the missions you play as her. Grey De Lisle (from among other games, Knights of the Old Republic II) does a fantastic job voicing her, and the look is pretty much perfect for the semi-real universe these games are set in, but the missions she is in are very short, her gadgets are limited to her whip, bola's and caltrops used to trip enemies, and her health is much lower than Batmans, even with the option to upgrade her armour, it still wont hold up too well if you're facing the same amount of well armed, armoured enemies as Batman. Though her combat moves flow better, and I found on the challenge maps that it was much easier to rack up larger scores for the combat maps than it was for Batman. 

And while the score is a standout for the game the menu music in particular harkens to Hans Zimmer's score for the Nolan-Batman films, when roaming Arkham City as Catwoman, you'll hear the same music over and over, wasn't impressed.

I suppose she had headphones in
and was listening to better music.

The city itself is massive. Apparently the map is 5-times larger than Arkham Asylum's playable area and it shows. The scope of the city itself impressive once you first arrive and have the chance to fly over and experience all the different areas and environments. Also to be taken into account is the fact that you have the Steel Mill, the Museum/Iceberg Lounge, the Subway, and the steampunk-inspired Wonder City to roam through and do battle in, not to mention the courthouse, the GCPD building, and the various Riddler rooms in which you have to save hostages from. The attention to detail is outstanding and you don't have to go far to find notable landmarks like the Monarch Theatre and Crime Alley (where a chalk outline of Thomas and Martha Wayne's bodies still lay upon the floor with a nearby bundle of flowers), the industrial zone which has been turned into a fair ground as it's dominated by Joker's troops,the Bowery which takes high class buildings and surroundings and brings them down by scattering Penguins well armed mercenaries around, the urban Park Row, home to Two-Faces crew and places like the ACE Chemical Factory, and Amusement Mile, half swallowed up by water due to an earthquake, where hotels and casinos line the streets. They'll also be posters on walls, shop fronts or other items scattered through the city to be scanned in detective mode to unlock 'Arkham City Stories'. And as you battle your way through the game you'll also be unlocking bios on villains and allies alike, including patient interview tapes as Hugo Strange interrogates the various rogues. 

 

And what after you're finished? Well aside from New Game + there's the challenge maps and campaigns, there's the abundance of artwork and character trophies you'll unlock to appreciate. Downloadable content had also been released allowing you to play through challenge maps as Robin or Nightwing, as well as more skins for Batman (which weren't rendered for the more cinematic cutscenes which was a shame, 1970's Batsuit or the 50+ year old Batman in the Dark Knight Returns skins would've been unintentionally hilarious). A Sinestro Corps skin was also available with the Blu-Ray release of The Green Lantern.

Nightwing ummm...fighting?

L-R: 1970's. Year One. Dark Knight Returns. Earth One. Batman Beyond. Sinestro Corps. Batman: TAS.

And hopefully they'll be more to come, I'm hoping more story content as I only have a passing interest in the challenge maps and don't compete online to get to the top of the leaderboard. There are also persistent questions asked of possible glitches and other unexplored areas of the game, like a building near where you first enter Arkham City which has heavy bass music emanating from it. Or a locked door in the Arkham City processing center which wouldn't be a big deal considering there are hundreds of buildings in the city, but the only locked doors you'll encounter mean you can't enter them at a certain stage, or you can't open them on account of being Catwoman. Glitches or not, there is still huge potential for exploration inside this massive facility.

An excellent gaming experience, not only does the story draw you in, but you will find yourself playing for hours on end either completing the many side missions which sees you teaming up with Bane to destroy containers of Titan which have been captured by the various villains, finding hostages the Riddler has placed in his Saw-like death rooms, stopping Zsasz from killing hostages as you answer phones throughout the city, or completing flight challenges which test your abilities (though this can be a bitch with PC-controls) . You'll also need to complete over 400 Riddler challenges which involved finding Batman and Catwoman-specific trophies, completing certain combat or flight challenges, destroying video cameras, chattering teeth, breakable Penguin's and so on. Or you can just go into free roam and take on the game's never ending supply of replenishing goons. 

Arkham City: 10/10 Batarangs.