Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (video game)

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Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Developer(s)	LucasArts
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release date(s)	December 3, 1996
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (13+)
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, Microsoft Windows

LucasArts's Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire video game was one of the first games made available for Nintendo's 64-bit system, Nintendo 64. The Microsoft Windows version came more than a year later.

In the game, you control the mercenary Dash Rendar in his efforts to help Luke Skywalker and rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor's hands. It is based on the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire multimedia project and takes place as a backstory between Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

1 Gameplay
2 Story
3 Levels
4 Voices (PC Version)
5 External links

[edit] Gameplay

Shadows of the Empire featured two primary forms of gameplay based on on-foot and vehicular missions. In the on-foot missions, the player controls Dash Rendar from a primarily third-person perspective, although the camera could be adjusted to a first-person view if the player desired. Rendar has access to various forms of weaponry such as a standard blaster and pulse rifle, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and ammunition requirements. These sections often made use of Dash's jumping skills in a manner similar to other third-person action adventure games like Tomb Raider. Dash will also gain access to a rocket pack at a specific point in the game that allows him to fly for limited bursts of time.

The game's vehicular stages are varied in terms of the type of vehicle piloted and how much control the player has over it. These vehicles include a snow speeder, speeder bike, and Dash's ship, the Outrider. When piloting the snow speeder, the player has control of all of the speeders functions, including pilot controls, guns, and the tow cable. In the speeder bike stage, the player must defeat all of the enemies in Dash's path by slamming them into walls and obstacles. Outrider stages come in two forms; sometimes, the player will only be asked to man the gun turret and take out enemies while the ship is flown by a co-pilot, essentially playing out as a rail shooter. At other times, the player will be forced to take the pilot's seat as well as the gunner's, making for much more action-oriented stages.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The game is divided in four parts (or chapters). The first one takes place during the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. Dash Rendar is trapped in Hoth when the Imperial Forces attack. As the player, you have to destroy AT-ATs, AT-STs, probe droid and snowtrooper. In the second part, Dash Rendar is sent to Ord Mantell to interrogate IG-88 about the whereabouts of Boba Fett. It turns out he is on the moon of Gall. IG-88 meets his demise. Dash confronts Boba Fett on Gall, but the bounty hunter manages to escape.

Jabba the Hutt is told by Prince Xizor to eliminate Luke Skywalker, so he hires a group of bounty hunters to kill him. It is Dash's job to protect Luke and destroy the bounty hunters in a dangerous swoop bike race. He succeeds, and the two go to an imperial cargo ship, the Suprosa, whose location was given to them by Black Sun. It is there he, with the help of the Bothans (not seen in the game) find the second Death Star's plans. Dash, Luke, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca infiltrate Xizor's palace on Coruscant through the sewers to save Princess Leia, who has been captured. They succeed, destroy Xizor's palace, and escape. Your final objective is to destroy Xizor's Skyhook. A space battle occurs, with you behind the wheel of the Outrider, instead of manning the guns.

The game's greatest surprise comes at the end, when Xizor's skyhook is destroyed. The reader of the book and the comics usually think that Dash Rendar dies in the battle that follows, but his real destiny is only revealed in the game. Dash lives, as shown in an additional cutscene, having hyperspaced away at the last moment, but only when the game is completed on medium difficulty or above. He decides to lay low for a while, taking advantage of his apparent demise.