This was a game I rented multiple times back in the day, as it was pretty fun and quite frankly there were not all that many fun games for the Nintendo 64. It was this one and Turok, both rather fun games and both had a flaw to them that made them less than ideal. Extreme difficulty. Well to be fair, a person can easily win this game on the lowest difficulty selection. The problem? Well, you do not get much of an ending on this setting. "No problem," You are probably thinking to yourself, "I won the game easily enough on the easy level, I can probably handle the next one up". Well I do not know about anyone else, but neither my friend or me could handle it on the next difficulty level and I applaud anyone else who could. My friend could not make it past the first level, I got to the boss in the ice cavern stage where the boss took me out in like two shots and I pretty much sat there with my jaw opening wondering how in the world can anyone survive the game on such a insane degree of difficulty and there was at least one more degree of difficulty beyond the one up from easy, there may of been two! Still, it is a fun game on the easy mode as you play as some made up character that is buddies with Han Solo so unfortunately no light saber here. Still, some of the levels are a blast to play (unless on the aforementioned higher difficulty). I especially enjoyed the level where you were on the desert planet and you could see enemies far off and I used to blast them before they even saw me coming. I also liked the level where you had to fight that strange creature that was underwater in a sewer like stage. Of course, I made it all the way through, but I have no idea if Dash survived, because you had to be the best of the best to see beyond the shabby ending you get on the easiest section. I guess George Lucas wanted you to earn it!
15 Reviews
Original in every way
Dockelektro18 October 2001
An original effort from Lucasarts to build a game with no defined genre, which combines the best of many situations. An arcade excitement, which benefits from a very special asset. It's like this: I would have given it a 7, but one point goes for the Joel McNeely score, which is by far the best music written for a videogame, and is a great match to John Williams' classic score. Fantastic gameplay and graphics are aided by these fantastical musical pieces, which would fit in a Hollywood epic. Good fun, and many hours of gaming.
Finally played and loved it
starhorsepax1 April 2017
I loved how this was a multimedia release and had read the books, comics and had the tie ins years ago. But alas, nothing to play the game on! Well GOG finally released it and I just finished it on 'easy'. I did NOT find easy to be easy! But I enjoyed the way its story ties into the book and comic. The only thing really stopping me giving it 10 is 3 little details. 1. Some of the scenes were too dark. Whether it was an age thing or what, it made it hard to see to navigate. 2. auto aim was atrocious. Never worked if the robot shooting at me was beneath me.
3. Dash has an annoying habit of running off cliffs. Hitting back space, crouching, sometimes nothing stopped him. Finally I found a Logitech Gamepad worked better than the keyboard.
I did find the swoop riding fun when I got the hang of it and the space combat was great!
The graphics are dated. But that's okay because those dianoga monsters in the sewers are one thing I do not want greater detail on.
Given its age it was a great game and reminded me a lot of the Dark Forces series. I just wish it had let me do the aiming!
3. Dash has an annoying habit of running off cliffs. Hitting back space, crouching, sometimes nothing stopped him. Finally I found a Logitech Gamepad worked better than the keyboard.
I did find the swoop riding fun when I got the hang of it and the space combat was great!
The graphics are dated. But that's okay because those dianoga monsters in the sewers are one thing I do not want greater detail on.
Given its age it was a great game and reminded me a lot of the Dark Forces series. I just wish it had let me do the aiming!
Dash Rendar is a cool boy.
ilovestarwars17 November 2004
Shadows of the Empire was originally a PC game.But when Nintendo 64 appeared, Lucasarts launched this game in the new Nintendo console. The game does not have good graphics or a good gameplay, but is a Fun-Factor game, is very cool. You play as Dash Rendar, an old friend of Han Solo(He is a smuggler, too) and his loyal droid LE-BO729, or just Leebo.In this game you have to stop Prince Xizor's evil plans. For this, you can count with Dash's multifunctional Blaster, a Snowspeeder, a Speederbike and his starship, the Outrider, a ship that is strangely similar to the Millennium Falcon. Shadows of the Empire was the first Star Wars game in N64.And it is a very good game. My score for Star Wars Shadows of the Empire is 9/10
The story that was supposed to be a film without the film.
SubZeroMK3 July 2009
Let me start off and say that I'm a huge Star Wars fan. This game delivered on all levels of fun. I was just a kid when I got into Star Wars, and when I saw this game at the rental store, I had to get it.
I played it through and thought it was the best game ever made, and I still do think that it is the best game ever made. At the time, I didn't know what to expect with it other than I was excited to boot up my N64 console and play this beauty. And, it starts off with my favorite Star Wars scene and battle. The Battle of Hoth. I didn't know it was a flying mission, but I was just that excited because I was getting into Star Wars.
I played through the whole and noticed how much variety it had. You'd get flying missions, walking missions, and even a speeder race mission. Keep in mind, that was the very first segment of a speeder race, before episode 1 racer.
I was pretty sad at the ending of the game because I liked the character of Dash Rendar, he was like Han Solo, and I kinda looked up to him as a cool Star Wars hero.
This game gets a 10 out of 10 for originality and variety. It was far ahead of any Star Wars title in that decade. Sure, it's not entirely faithful to the book or the comic, but what video-game adaptation is? If you wanna' sit down and complain about that, then go read the books. I've the read the books as well, phenomenal books. I like the 120 page comic book better. It still maintains to keep the original plot, but from a different character perspective. You have the Shadows plot from Boba Fett's point of view. Just like the game, you also have the original plot, but through Dash Rendars perspective.
This could of made an excellent movie, but instead, it had its success through a toyline, a comic book line, a best selling book line and through a video game. The multi-media project that was a film without the film.
I played it through and thought it was the best game ever made, and I still do think that it is the best game ever made. At the time, I didn't know what to expect with it other than I was excited to boot up my N64 console and play this beauty. And, it starts off with my favorite Star Wars scene and battle. The Battle of Hoth. I didn't know it was a flying mission, but I was just that excited because I was getting into Star Wars.
I played through the whole and noticed how much variety it had. You'd get flying missions, walking missions, and even a speeder race mission. Keep in mind, that was the very first segment of a speeder race, before episode 1 racer.
I was pretty sad at the ending of the game because I liked the character of Dash Rendar, he was like Han Solo, and I kinda looked up to him as a cool Star Wars hero.
This game gets a 10 out of 10 for originality and variety. It was far ahead of any Star Wars title in that decade. Sure, it's not entirely faithful to the book or the comic, but what video-game adaptation is? If you wanna' sit down and complain about that, then go read the books. I've the read the books as well, phenomenal books. I like the 120 page comic book better. It still maintains to keep the original plot, but from a different character perspective. You have the Shadows plot from Boba Fett's point of view. Just like the game, you also have the original plot, but through Dash Rendars perspective.
This could of made an excellent movie, but instead, it had its success through a toyline, a comic book line, a best selling book line and through a video game. The multi-media project that was a film without the film.
As Star Wars games go, this one proves to be the most ambitious with its genre-mixing.
Johnny-the-Film-Sentinel-21872 August 2018
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is probably the most ambitious and overly-stretched game of the franchise in terms of gameplay styles, but it actually adds to the sense of gaming variety; at least its non-conventionality worked in favor of it as opposed to something like Superman 64 did (which was the opposite of innovative or well-done), and Nintendo was still testing the waters of 3D video-gaming in general. So historically speaking, Shadows of the Empire was probably too far ahead of its time and not meant for the right system technically speaking (the N64 cartridges could only manage mere 12MBs) but kudos to Lucasfilm for pushing the boundaries of a young technology and medium in 1996.
Shadows gets 4/5 stars.
Shadows gets 4/5 stars.
Shadows of the Empire will always live in the shadows of better Star War's games, books, and films. It's really not that good.
ironhorse_iv5 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
-And that's coming from a huge 'Star Wars' fan! I know, a lot of people get nostalgia about this game, but let's be honest. It's pretty meh, outside from the first level. Even as a kid in the 1990s, it's a letdown. It's sad, because on the surface, 'Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire', the video game, looks like it will be a fun game. After all, the novel by author Steve Perry, in which, this game was based on, was a very entertaining read. I like, how the story is set between the time-line of the films of 1980's 'Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back' & 1983's "Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi'. I also dig the plot in, which had Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) & Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) search for Han Solo (Harrison Ford) whom still frozen in carbonite, only to find an alien overlord of the largest criminal organization in the galaxy, Prince Xizor (Voiced by Nick Tate) wanting to destroy both the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance in one big swoop. Unfortunately, none of this, is canon anymore. Yet, the game doesn't do a good job, explaining that plot even to those, who haven't read the novel. Still, I kinda dig that you can jump into star-ships and relived, famous moments from the movie, like the Battle of Hoth. However, that love affect with a true sensation of flight mix with movie nostalgia is short lived, after the first level. It's here where the game starts to show its flaws with the poor Han Solo type smuggler, Dash Rendar (Voiced by John Cygan). While, I'm not against, playing as a new character. However, I didn't want to play as him, throughout the whole game. I wanted to play somebody from the movies at times. Unfortunately, you don't get to do that. Anyways, that supposed to look like a movie, didn't. The 'cut-scenes' was not appealing. The Nintendo 64's cut imagery is so monotone and ugly-looking. It's not well detailed. It mostly come across as fogged and blurry. Not that convincing, even at the time. I like the PC version with motion cap, way better. The 'on-foot' game-play isn't any better. It has the same problems like the cut-scenes, but really bad lighting. Some sequences of the game are so pitch dark, you can barely find your way out. Also, the lack of direction, make this, a very confusing and extreme hard game. The mission objectives are not always clear. It's hard to figure out, what's going on, at times. Also, the repetitive cycle of hits, turn the game into a tiresome chore. It doesn't help the game's has some really long levels with little to no save points. Because of this, several bosses ranges from difficult to nearly impossible, thanks in large part to that. It doesn't help that the game doesn't really refill your life meter at all. The camera angles are also a nagging problem. Four fixed views are available, though none of them is fully satisfying. The first-person view offers the best game-play, but it limits your field of view; the second-person behind view offers a better view, but the character's body squarely blocks your line of sight; the view from above has its limited; and the last view from in front of your character is just bad. It's basically worth throwing away. Another problem with this game is the faulty controls. It's very difficult to control the character's movement. The Nintendo 64's analog joystick, did not perform well for the many of the first or third-person levels that had platforms. You can barely move in a straight line, due to it. It was so easily, to fall off ledges or miss jumps, despite the player's skill level. On a similar complaint about the movement, the motorbikes levels are just as jumpy and awkward. The obstacle courses are just as confusing with no sign of direction. It's neither fun as a racing sequence, nor high-action pack chase scene. It's just as weird to see the gang villains that Dash is supposed to knock off actually wait for him to catch up! That's not fun. Despite that, many of the game sound effects, such as ships' engines, laser fire, and explosions, are perfect. Its sounds, what you would think, a 'Star Wars' game, would had. Also, it's cool to hear, multiply versions of composer John Williams's scores for the film, playing in the background, rather than one song looping. Overall: A decent selection of levels may hold hardcore gamers' attention, but the awful game-play will make it, more stressful than fun. It simply wasn't good. It's somewhat overrated. Yet, I will give it, some credit for helping pave the way for the theatrical release of the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition and future games, in the following year. Follow close by later releases of the prequel trilogy and the Disney produce sequels. So it's not all bad. It's just mediocre.
Fantastic
Mr-Fusion27 January 2016
"Shadows of the Empire" is more than a terrific video game. For me, it's a trigger word for fuzzy nostalgia. It came out right around that time when the Special Edition hype was in full swing and I played this thing nonstop for a good six months. My Star Wars love had reached a fever pitch. The book, the score, the comic, I ate all of that tie-in material up.
But just as a game, itself, can you think of a better hook than putting the player right into the worlds of "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back"? Tatooine, Hoth, a Star Destroyer, dogfights (this was before Battlefront made it a standard thing); you get to take down an AT-AT with a tow cable, speeder-bike through Beggar's Canyon, fight Boba Fett! There was no topping that in '96. Who cares if there were camera issues or that Dash was a cheap Han Solo clone? Fun of this level didn't come along everyday, and it remains one of the greatest games on the N64, easily.
10/10
But just as a game, itself, can you think of a better hook than putting the player right into the worlds of "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back"? Tatooine, Hoth, a Star Destroyer, dogfights (this was before Battlefront made it a standard thing); you get to take down an AT-AT with a tow cable, speeder-bike through Beggar's Canyon, fight Boba Fett! There was no topping that in '96. Who cares if there were camera issues or that Dash was a cheap Han Solo clone? Fun of this level didn't come along everyday, and it remains one of the greatest games on the N64, easily.
10/10
Based on a novel it doesn't even follow!
The_Light_Triton3 February 2006
Shadows of the empire was originally a novel. I guess it was so damn good they decided to make a Video game out of it.
Anyways, the game follows the beginning of episode 5, all the way to before episode 6 starts. in the game, You are in control of rebel dash rendar, who just happens to have a ship quite similar to Han solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon. Anyways, after the 3rd level, the story starts.
I'm not going to spoil the story, but i can tell you this - don't play this game if you haven't read the novel. because the novel is very different.
But however, this game is for the Experts. It took me a freaking month to pass the levels 5-9. but believe me, level 10 is easy.
Here's another thing. There's several modes you play in. there's fixed camera levels, where the camera follows the person's back. There's Flight simulator mode, and there's also a mode where you shoot at enemy ships from inside your own. the ship moves automatically, courtesy of your robot.
Anyways, this is a game for all star wars fanatics.
Anyways, the game follows the beginning of episode 5, all the way to before episode 6 starts. in the game, You are in control of rebel dash rendar, who just happens to have a ship quite similar to Han solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon. Anyways, after the 3rd level, the story starts.
I'm not going to spoil the story, but i can tell you this - don't play this game if you haven't read the novel. because the novel is very different.
But however, this game is for the Experts. It took me a freaking month to pass the levels 5-9. but believe me, level 10 is easy.
Here's another thing. There's several modes you play in. there's fixed camera levels, where the camera follows the person's back. There's Flight simulator mode, and there's also a mode where you shoot at enemy ships from inside your own. the ship moves automatically, courtesy of your robot.
Anyways, this is a game for all star wars fanatics.
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire!
Movie Nuttball11 February 2004
This comment is for the N64 version of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire!
When Nintendo launched its 64 bit system in 1996, the world at the time seen some of the greatest graphics ever on a video game console and even though Sony's Playstation and Sega's Saturn were competing, this new competitor in the gaming arena quickly became a superstar! With it's unique analog controllers, unbelievable games, and it's Nintendo Expansion Pak, Nintendo clearly had a system that would remain champion in the console stadium for years!
My Take: As a huge Star Wars fan and big gamer this was a must to play! The graphics are excellent and the ships look like they do the films and even the ones that wasn't still look very real! It has great characters, incredible action, game play, and music! Read below for more!
The Story: In between Episodes V & VI, It is yet still a dark time in the galaxy, Prince Xizor has a terrible plan. The green skinned leader of Black Sun is at his most powerful state. While Han Solo is frozen in carbonite and being taken by the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett, Solo's good friend Dash Rendar comes on to the scene to not to only rescue him but also must achieve many other deadly obstacles such as the deadly android bounty hunter IG-88, the Swoop Gang, meat eating Wampas, the Empire's Tie-Fighters and Star Destroyers. Will Dash succeed and defeat the odds or will the universe be covered by a very dark shadow?
Game Play: The game play is hard at first but give it a bit of time and it becomes natural. It has many camera angles including first person. The controls are smooth. There are several types of modes being Dash in action, flying his Outrider, driving an extremely fast swoop bike, and more!
Graphics: The graphics, while not flawless is excellent and is some of the greatest ever put in a game. The AT-AT and the AT-ST Walkers look nearly identical like their counter parts. The Snowspeeders, Probe Droids, Boba Fett's Slave I, Tie-Fighters, Ties Bombers, and Star Destroyers look very real as well! The Storm Troopers and Snow Troopers look good also! The cut scenes really look awesome with the pictures of the characters! Very cool art! The whole graphics category is tremendous!
Difficulty: The game has many difficult stages and has many options for the novice players to the experts!
Music: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire has one of the most explosive scores ever! Its all performed by an orchestra and underrated composer Joel McNeely takes this to new heights! Some of John Williams composing is here from the original films but most of it is new music. In My opinion some of McNeely's score sounds similar like the music James Horner has composed in the past but that doesn't mean anything bad by a long shot and that means its that great! In the last level the music even has a choir! There are only a handful of games that can compete with this epic monster when it comes to music in a video game! Its simply amazing!
Sound: The sound is great and clear! Very realistic Tie-Fighter, Probe Droid, AT-AT and AT-ST Walker sounds! The game really has dynamic sound!
Overall: In My opinion this one of the greatest Star Wars games ever and with its plot, characters, and musical score it could have easily been a motion picture! Its a great fun game and even if you have beaten it on all difficult modes its still worth playing simply because of the marvelous score! If you are a Star Wars fan and have an N64 get this game now! I strongly recommend it!
To purchase Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire for the Nintendo 64 stop by Amazon.com!
When Nintendo launched its 64 bit system in 1996, the world at the time seen some of the greatest graphics ever on a video game console and even though Sony's Playstation and Sega's Saturn were competing, this new competitor in the gaming arena quickly became a superstar! With it's unique analog controllers, unbelievable games, and it's Nintendo Expansion Pak, Nintendo clearly had a system that would remain champion in the console stadium for years!
My Take: As a huge Star Wars fan and big gamer this was a must to play! The graphics are excellent and the ships look like they do the films and even the ones that wasn't still look very real! It has great characters, incredible action, game play, and music! Read below for more!
The Story: In between Episodes V & VI, It is yet still a dark time in the galaxy, Prince Xizor has a terrible plan. The green skinned leader of Black Sun is at his most powerful state. While Han Solo is frozen in carbonite and being taken by the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett, Solo's good friend Dash Rendar comes on to the scene to not to only rescue him but also must achieve many other deadly obstacles such as the deadly android bounty hunter IG-88, the Swoop Gang, meat eating Wampas, the Empire's Tie-Fighters and Star Destroyers. Will Dash succeed and defeat the odds or will the universe be covered by a very dark shadow?
Game Play: The game play is hard at first but give it a bit of time and it becomes natural. It has many camera angles including first person. The controls are smooth. There are several types of modes being Dash in action, flying his Outrider, driving an extremely fast swoop bike, and more!
Graphics: The graphics, while not flawless is excellent and is some of the greatest ever put in a game. The AT-AT and the AT-ST Walkers look nearly identical like their counter parts. The Snowspeeders, Probe Droids, Boba Fett's Slave I, Tie-Fighters, Ties Bombers, and Star Destroyers look very real as well! The Storm Troopers and Snow Troopers look good also! The cut scenes really look awesome with the pictures of the characters! Very cool art! The whole graphics category is tremendous!
Difficulty: The game has many difficult stages and has many options for the novice players to the experts!
Music: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire has one of the most explosive scores ever! Its all performed by an orchestra and underrated composer Joel McNeely takes this to new heights! Some of John Williams composing is here from the original films but most of it is new music. In My opinion some of McNeely's score sounds similar like the music James Horner has composed in the past but that doesn't mean anything bad by a long shot and that means its that great! In the last level the music even has a choir! There are only a handful of games that can compete with this epic monster when it comes to music in a video game! Its simply amazing!
Sound: The sound is great and clear! Very realistic Tie-Fighter, Probe Droid, AT-AT and AT-ST Walker sounds! The game really has dynamic sound!
Overall: In My opinion this one of the greatest Star Wars games ever and with its plot, characters, and musical score it could have easily been a motion picture! Its a great fun game and even if you have beaten it on all difficult modes its still worth playing simply because of the marvelous score! If you are a Star Wars fan and have an N64 get this game now! I strongly recommend it!
To purchase Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire for the Nintendo 64 stop by Amazon.com!
One Of My Favorite Games Of All Time (N64 Version)
malcolmallancrossfield15 August 2002
I loved this game. It's on my list of my most favorite games (GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, WinBack: Covert Operations and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron). Everything i this game is great, graphics, sound, music and especially gameplay. You could tell as you play the levels that so much work, care and love went into making this game. This game has my most favorite levels to date. Unlike GoldenEye or Perfect Dark, when you can beat some of the levels in under 5 minutes, Shadows Of The Empire has levels that take 20, 30, sometimes 40 minutes to complete. Take my advice and rent this game, and have the most fun you'll have for a long time.
Hmmm...
JohnnyJohnHildegaard16 May 1999
Not bad, for a Star Wars game.
shadow-541 May 1999
I liked Shadows of the Empire. The gameplay and storyline are very well used. The story came from Steve Perry's Star Wars novel released by Bantam Books. I liked to see a story explaining the events between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
This game couldn't be played by anyone other than Dash Rendar. Leia hired him to protect Luke. That was the goal. The graphics aren't that great in the N64, but the PC version is very good. The sound and music are excellent, but Rogue Squadron is already my new favorite Star Wars N64 title. Shadows got old quickly. That doesn't make the game bad. I like it. Getting all the Challenge points is a real challenge worth seeking.
And it's definitely a Star Wars worth playing, even with grand games like X-Wing vs Tie Fighter or Jedi Knight.
This game couldn't be played by anyone other than Dash Rendar. Leia hired him to protect Luke. That was the goal. The graphics aren't that great in the N64, but the PC version is very good. The sound and music are excellent, but Rogue Squadron is already my new favorite Star Wars N64 title. Shadows got old quickly. That doesn't make the game bad. I like it. Getting all the Challenge points is a real challenge worth seeking.
And it's definitely a Star Wars worth playing, even with grand games like X-Wing vs Tie Fighter or Jedi Knight.
See also
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