Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64, 1996)

Well, this games follows the Star Wars saga, and is between episodes V & VI. The video game allows players to control new character Dash Rendar, whose adventures in the game weave in and out of the overall storyline (The story is in 3 parts, you need to read the Dark Horse Comic, and play the PC version to get the whole story.) All the while, a battle for the life of Luke Skywalker takes place between Darth Vader and Prince Xizor, as each tries to please Emperor Palpatine.

LucasArts's Shadows of the Empire game was one of the first games made available for Nintendo's 3rd generation console, the Nintendo 64 and Windows. The most commercial product in the Shadows of the Empire line, the game was first released as an exclusive N64 title 4 months after the console's launch in December 1996. The PC version came nearly a year later in September 1997.

In the game, players control mercenary Dash Rendar in his efforts to help Luke Skywalker and rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor's hands. It is divided into four parts (or chapters):

Chapter 1: Dash is drawn into the Battle of Hoth.
Chapter 2: Dash Rendar confronts bounty hunters from the original films — IG-88 and Boba Fett — in an attempt to reacquire Han Solo.
Chapter 3: Boba Fett has escaped and the player's mission changes: you must now save Luke Skywalker's life by fighting a deadly gang of swoop bikers in Mos Eisley, then recover secret Imperial plans for the second Death Star with Luke's help.
Chapter 4: Dash Rendar, with Luke and Lando Calrissian, travels to Coruscant to rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor's stronghold.
Certain parts of the game contradict elements from the book and comic book, but the overall story remains the same.

That is all. Thanks for reading my first review of a game. GH.

Star Wars Shadows of the Empire was the first game I ever played on the N64. This game was the first time Lucas Arts ever put a full push. This game was part of it. YOu had a book, PC game, N64 Game, Action Figures, and Music CD's.

The game play was some of the best early released for the Nintendo system. The story play was great. You follow Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie as Dash Rendar, a new smuggling character created for this series. The game takes place in between STar Wars MOvies.

The game play is split between a first person shooter and a space sim shooter. The space sim and ground ship battles are incredible. The Battle of Hoth is the first chapter and you are flying snowspeeders! Incredible.

The first person shooters can be dark. I used to waste my ammo shooting in the dark to find my way through mazes.

Overall this was great! A True 5/5.

Latsyrhc
Tamarack Collectibles

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is in my opinion the only Star Wars game on the N64 worth playing. It was released by LucasArts very close to the launch of the N64. In fact, in Europe it was a launch title. It was in development when the N64 was still known as the Ultra64, which should give you an idea of how early on this game was. You play the role of Dash Rendar, and the story takes place in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The game features many evil foes from the Star Wars series, such as Boba Fett, Xizor, The Emperor, Jabba The Hutt, and some others. There are 10 different missions in the game. Some missions are played on foot as a First Person Shooter, while others take place inside a battleship similar to Star Fox 64. All modes of play are virtually flawless in terms of fun, and it truly deserves to be in the Top 10.

Possibly the best game for the n64 platform. I have played this game extensivley since the day it came out in the mid ninties, sometimes for 18-20 hours at a time. Controls are perfect, doesnt take long to master them. Graphics are pretty darn good for something this old, sound and gameplay is still as good as anything you can find today. A nice long action adventure game, with not only some great flight sequences but the amount of vehicles, cam view on seeker missles and the jetpack make this game a very enjoyable experience to play even if you aren't a fan of Star Wars.
Fantastic to this day.

The controls are dated, but it's to be expected. The action is still fast-paced. I bought the game to remember a little piece of my childhood, and from first glance of the paper box, I was back in 1998. While not being a huge "Star Wars" fan, I thought the original trilogy had an amazing storyline. I would recommend "Shadows" for any fan of "Star Wars" or good gaming alike. This story fits perfectly into the canon.