Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #3 the story of Prince Xizor's quest to replace Darth Vader

Introduction

Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire tells the story of Prince Xizor's quest to replace Darth Vader as the leader of the Sith, and wipe out the Rebels' chances of victory. The only man that can stop him is the interstellar bounty hunter Dash Rendar. The game is based on the novel of the same name, with locations including ice planet Hoth, Mos Eisley and the sewers of Imperial City, all in full 3D.

Levels each have very different objectives, ranging from piloting snow speeders on Hoth and racing speeder bikes on Tatooine to shooting stormtroopers and droids on foot throughout the galaxy. Dash primarily uses a blaster with unlimited ammo, but can also find more powerful weapons with limited ammunition. Each level has optional "challenge points" that are hidden throughout the level, and finding all of them will unlock a cheat dependent on which difficulty setting the save file is on.

Story

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... As Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance struggle to defeat Darth Vader and the Empire, a new threat arises. Dark Prince Xizor, head of the Black Sun crime syndicate, aspires to take Darth Vader's place at the Emperor's side. To do that, he must eliminate young Skywalker. As Dash Rendar, it is up to you to protect Luke and help the Alliance defeat the evil Xizor. Watch out for infamous bounty hunters and deadly stormtroopers! May the Force be with you!

As Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance struggle to defeat Darth Vader and the Empire during the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, a new threat arises. Dark Prince Xizor, head of the Black Sun crime syndicate, aspires to take Darth Vader's place at the Emperor's side. To do so, he hatches an evil plan to eliminate young Skywalker. As freelance adventurer Dash Rendar, it is up to you to protect Luke and help the Alliance thwart Xizor's deadly plot. Before reaching Black Sun HQ, you must tangle with the notorious Boba Fett, savage sarlaccs, deadly stormtroopers and merciless AT-STs!

Crafted by the game gurus at LucasArts, Shadows of the Empire remains faithful to its Star Wars roots while venturing in bold new directions. Ten richly varied stages and four difficulty levels guarantee maximum replay-ability. Shadows boasts a fully digitised Star Wars soundtrack and top-notch graphics that do ample justice to the game's big-screen heritage. The action begins with a bang, with Dash and his faithful droid sidekick, Leebo, hurled into a ferocious dogfight with gigantic AT-ATs on the wintry planet of Hoth. Most of the later stages take an over-the-shoulder perspective as Dash stealthily escapes from Echo Base and rides trucks rumbling through the Ord Mantell Junkyard. Dash must also battle TIE fighters in deep space and speed through the twisting back alleys of Mos Eisley on a swoop bike.

Packed with great graphics, great shooting action, great hidden items and great sound, Shadows of the Empire is the perfect game for anyone who's ever dreamed of filling the sandals of a Jedi knight. Be warned, though: on the advanced difficulty levels, it seems that the enemies never miss. By all means start this game on the Easy setting!

The game is divided in four parts (or chapters). The first chapter takes place during the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. Dash Rendar is trapped on Hoth when the Imperial forces attack. As the player, you have to pilot a snowspeeder in the Battle of Hoth destroying AT-ATs, AT-STs and Imperial probes. Then you must fight your way through Echo Base back to your ship the Outrider. After escaping Hoth you must fight your way through the Hoth asteroid field and the several waves of TIE Fighters before escaping into hyperspace.

In the second chapter, Dash tracks down some of the bounty hunters that had been dispatched to capture Han Solo. Fighting his way through several trains and finally confronting IG-88 on Ord Mantell and assaulting Imperial outposts throughout canyons, on Gall to finally find and attack Boba Fett.

In the third chapter, Boba Fett has escaped and the player's mission changes: you must now protect Luke Skywalker from an assassination attempt ordered by the Black Sun's Prince Xizor, by fighting a deadly gang of swoop bikers through Mos Eisley and Beggar's Canyon. Dash then recovers Imperial secret plans of the second Death Star, that are being carried aboard the freighter Suprosa.

Finally, in the last chapter, Dash, along with Luke and Lando Calrissian, travels to Imperial Center to rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor's stronghold by infiltrating Xizor's palace through the sewers below Imperial City, fighting their way through the castle and eventually engaging in a space battle above the planet. The game's greatest surprise comes at the end, when Dash flies within Xizor's space station to destroy it. In the game the player is led to believe that Rendar perishes in the blast, with a secret ending on harder difficulties revealing he secretly survived; however in the book Rendar does not participate in the stations destruction, remaining outside in his ship with the rest of the fleet.

Gameplay

tar Wars: Shadows of the Empire tackles many different forms of gameplay. These include third-person shooter/platforming levels, maintaining turrets on his ship (the Outrider) in an on-rails sequence, and total-control vehicle levels. Only the final level switches between different forms of gameplay mid-game.

Shooter/Platforming Levels

In most levels, the player controls Dash Rendar himself, running around and gunning stormtroppers, droids, and other enemies. The player can choose between third-person and limited first-person views. Dash uses a variety of weapons (though primarily his Laser Blaster, which has infinite ammo), including seeker missiles, flamethrowers, pulse cannons, stunners, and disruptors. In later levels, Dash obtains a rechargable jetpack, which helps him fly over difficult platforming areas.

The Shooter/Platforming levels and the Swoop Bike level contain "challenge points" which are scattered throughout the level, seen in the form of a rotating chrome Rebel Alliance emblem. These are often put in hard-to-reach areas, encouraging the player to explore the vast levels. Collecting all of them in certain difficulty levels allows certain codes and privileges to be triggered, including gaining all weapons and invincibility, changing to an X-Wing or TIE Fighter in the final level, and allowing wampas to fight on the player's side in the second level.

On-Rails Turret Levels

In some levels, the Outrider is piloted by Dash's robotic co-pilot, Leebo, as Dash maintains the ship's guns. Hazards, such as asteroids and enemy ships, must be blasted before they damage the ship.

Flight Levels

There are three levels in which Dash maintains full control of a vehicle: the beginning of the game (where he pilots a Snowspeeder), the middle of the game (where he controls a Swoop Bike), and the end of the game (where he pilots the Outrider).

Description

The game is divided in four parts (or chapters). The first chapter takes place during the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. Dash Rendar is trapped on Hoth when the Imperial forces attack. As the player, you have to pilot a snow speeder in the Battle of Hoth destroying AT-ATs, AT-STs and Imperial probes. Then you must fight your way through Echo Base back to your ship the Outrider. After escaping Hoth you must fight your way through the Hoth asteroid field and the several waves of TIE Fighters before escaping into hyperspace.

In the second chapter, Dash tracks down some of the bounty hunters that had been dispatched to capture Han Solo. Fighting his way through several trains and finally confronting IG-88 on Ord Mantell and assaulting Imperial outposts throughout canyons, on Gall to finally find and attack Boba Fett.

In the third chapter, Boba Fett has escaped and the player's mission changes: you must now protect Luke Skywalker from an assassination attempt ordered by the Black Sun's Prince Xizor, by fighting a deadly gang of swoop bikers through Mos Eisley and Beggar's Canyon. Dash then recovers Imperial secret plans of the second Death Star, that are being carried aboard the freighter Suprosa.

Finally, in the last chapter, Dash, along with Luke and Lando Calrissian, travels to Imperial Center to rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor's stronghold by infiltrating Xizor's palace through the sewers below Imperial City, fighting their way through the castle and eventually engaging in a space battle above the planet. The game's greatest surprise comes at the end, when Dash flies within Xizor's space station to destroy it. In the game the player is led to believe that Rendar perishes in the blast, with a secret ending on harder difficulties revealing he secretly survived; however in the book Rendar does not participate in the stations destruction, remaining outside in his ship with the rest of the fleet.

Controls

Snowspeeder Controls

Move

Standard Setup

Thrust

Fire

and Brakes

, , , and Harpoon

Switch camera angles.

Camera

Traditional Setup

Fire

Thrust

, , and Brakes

, , and Harpoon

Switch camera angles.

Move

Outrider Controls

Move turret or ship

Standard Setup

Fire (asteroid field) Thrust/Roll (skyhook)

Fire

and Change camera angles

Fire missile (asteroid field) Brake (skyhook)

Fire missile

Fire missile (asteroid field) Roll (skyhook)

and Missile

Camera

Traditional Setup

Fire

Missile (asteroid field) Thrust (skyhook)

Missile (asteroid field) Change camera angles (skyhook)

Missile (asteroid field) Brake (skyhook)

Missile (asteroid field) Roll (skyhook)

Missile (asteroid field) Change camera angles (skyhook)

Camera (asteroid field) Missile (skyhook)

and Fire (asteroid field) Missile (skyhook)

Move

Swoop Controls

Move

Standard Setup

Thrust

Brake; Go backward

and Ram left

Ram Right

Change camera angles

and Thrust

Brake

Change camera angles

Traditional Setup

Brake; Go backward

Thrust

and Ram left

Ram Right

Change camera angles

and Thrust

Brake

Move

Levels

• Part I: The Battle of Hoth
  • 1. Battle of Hoth
  • 2. Escape From Echo Base
  • 3. Astroid Chase
• Part II: In Search of Boba Fett
  • 1. Ord Mantell Junkyard
  • 2. Gall Spaceport
• Part III: Hunting The Assassins
  • 1. Mos Eisley and Beggar's Canyon
  • 2. Imperial Freighter Suprosa
• Part IV: Lair of the Dark Prince
  • 1. Sewers of Imperial City
  • 2. Xizor's Palace
  • 3. Skyhook Battle

Collectables

Here is a list of all the collectibles you find while playing Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. Some are weapons that you can use against enemies, while others heal your health points and help open up hidden unlockables when you complete the game.

• Seeker Missle
  These are small missles that seek out a nearby enemy when fired. They deal a lot damage when they hit their target. NOTE: Bosses will be immune to the tracking of Seeker Missles. They have to be fired directly at bosses to be used.
• Flame Thrower
  This is a flame based weapon that is highly damaging at short range. The flame when fired does not travel too far, but is incredibly useful up close. Hold down for continuous fire.
• Pulse Cannon
  This is the equivilant of a machine gun laser. This weapon has very low accurancy, but fires a ton of bullets that are damaging. Can be held down for continuous fire.
• Stunner Gun
  This is a weapon that once fired unleashes an energy wave that stuns all human enemies. They are frozen for a brief period of time before being mobile again. Droid enemies and bosses will not be affected by a Stunner blast.
• Disruptor
  This is a devestatingly powerful weapon that unleashes a large explosion that damages everything within the blast radius. It destroys most smaller enemies within the blast, as well as be damaging to Dash if he is too close to the blast radius.
• Rebel Emblem (Extra Life)
  Collecting this gives you an Extra Life.
• Rebel Emblem (Challenge Point)
  This silver Rebel Alliance emblem opens up secrets and cheats once you complete the game. You must collect all the Challenge Points within each level in order to open up different abilities. Different difficulties have different abilities to use.
• Health Containers
  These heal your health points. Containers heal in increments of 10, 20, and full health.
• Invincibility Device
  This grants you invincibility for a short time.
• Standard Jetpack
  Collecting this allows you to use a jetpack. When you collect this, the Jetpack will appear on Dash's back and can be controlled with the Left C-Button to turn on and off, and the A-Button to thrust up. The Jetpack can also be used underwater with the same controls.

Story According to LucasArts

Challenge points are collectibles that unlock different things when you complete the game. By collecting all the challenge points in the game and then finishing the final level, you can gain an unlockable ability based on the difficulty you chose. You can then use this unlocked ability on the same file you completed the game on.

Here is a rundown of the locations for all Challenge Points in the game. Each section of the game has a separate number of Challenge Points to be collected. Use this guide to make sure you do not miss any of them.

Differences with novel and comics

There are many notable differences between the game, novel, and comics.

• Though Dash has only a small supporting role in the comics and novel, it was the video game that propelled his character to "stardom."
• In the novel, Luke recalls that Dash managed to bring down an AT-AT during the Battle of Hoth. In the game, it is revealed that Dash destroyed three of them.
• In the novel and comics, Dash merely guides the Millennium Falcon over the treetops to the Imperial Enclave, but leaves the Falcon to fight it out with the Imperials; the Falcon reaches Boba's platform at the moment the Slave I leaves. In the game it is revealed that Dash did not actually abandon them: he makes his way through the canyons of Gall with a jetpack and fights Boba Fett, defeating him and damaging his ship before he escapes.
• Unlike the novel (but like the comic) the above mission took place in the day side of the planet.
• Dash Rendar manages to defeat all or most of Jabba's hitmen before they even reach Ben Kenobi's hut.
• There is no mention made of the Bothan agents, and Luke and Dash depart for the Suprosa from Tatooine instead of Bothawui.
• Dash boards the Suprosa alone, and is forced to fight his way to the supercomputer.
• In the game, Dash plants bombs to destroy Xizor's castle, however in the novel, Lando Calrissian also drops a thermal detonator down the garbage chute.
• If the player beats the game on medium difficulty or higher, the game reveals that Dash Rendar escaped the skyhook via a jump to hyperspace and decided to lay low for a while. He remarks that it is good to be known as a martyr while still being alive. Dash's survival is consistent with the sequel and other sources.

Review

Problems with the control, camera angles, and frustrating save feature keep Shadows from reaching its full potential.

by John Broady

April 28, 2000 at 9:57PM PDT

There was a moment when I first began playing Shadows of the Empire when I actually believed I was a living, breathing participant in the Star Wars universe. The game's glorious first level (in which you take the controls of a snowspeeder in a gallant attempt to destroy evil Imperial Walkers, droids, and other machines on the ice planet of Hoth), is a flawlessly executed piece of video gaming: clear mission objectives, silky smooth controls, outstanding graphics, fantastic sound effects, and a true sensation of flight. I stared at the screen in awe as I made my first approach toward an Imperial Walker. Laser fire screamed past my ship as I angled to connect a tow cable to a Walker and wrap it tightly around its legs. And then it happened: The lumbering monstrosity seized up, its legs buckled, and the beast crashed to the ground in a huge fireball. I felt like jumping out of my chair and shouting to the world: "Yes! Yes! This is what video games should be! This is what I've been waiting for!"

Unfortunately, the remaining nine levels never even come close to matching the quality of the first. And perhaps it is the game's stunning first level that makes the rest of Shadows of the Empire such a letdown.

On the Star Wars timeline, Shadows of the Empire takes place during and after the events of The Empire Strikes Back. You play the role of Dash Rendar, a mercenary for hire who decides to take up the cause of the Rebellion. In a storyline that is never particularly engaging (due in large part to the rendering of the plot with still-life pictures and lines of text oddly reminiscent of the 16-bit gaming era), Dash finds himself knee-deep in the search for the frozen Han Solo, and in the company of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Dash's ultimate mission is to unseat the Dark Prince Xizor, who is determined to murder Luke. While playing Shadows of the Empire, you control Dash as he struggles through ten levels of play, which encompass piloting a snowspeeder, doing battle in the Outrider (a ship resembling the Millennium Falcon), cruising on a speederbike, and running on foot through several levels of Doom-style, first-person shooting.

On the surface, Shadows of the Empire looks like a sure winner. But the game simply does not deliver the goods. It is difficult to control Dash's movements. The Nintendo's analog controller, so well-suited to Mario 64, does not perform well for the many levels of first-person action. Because it is difficult to move in a straight line, you constantly have to worry about falling off ledges or small platforms. Combine this faulty movement feature with the game's aggravating save system (like other LucasArts games, save points are few and far between), and losing a life from walking off a cliff becomes especially frustrating.

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 gameplay, but it limits your field of view; the second-person behind view offers a better view, but Dash's body squarely blocks your line of sight; the view from above has limited utility; and the view from in front of Dash is a throwaway. Finally, beating the game's several bosses ranges from difficult to nearly impossible, thanks in large part to the game's auto-save system. Being forced to begin a level from the beginning when a boss brings you down can turn the game into a tiresome chore.

In all fairness, Shadows of the Empire certainly excels in some areas. The game's ambiance is often remarkable; at times you truly feel you are lurking in the bowels of the Empire's darkest corners. Confronting lifelike Stormtroopers is a treat. The graphics, while at times oddly sterile (monotone gray hallways and endless sand-colored canyons abound), are still generally convincing. Many of the sound effects, such as ships' engines, laser fire, and explosions, are perfect. Moreover, the gameplay is varied - few games offer flying, driving, swimming, and first-person shooting all in one package.

If Shadows of the Empire had lived up to its first inspiring level, it would certainly have been in the running for game of the year. As it stands, the control, camera angles, and frustrating save feature keep it from reaching its full potential. Programming for the Nintendo 64 is reportedly a daunting challenge, and perfecting the use of a true 3-D environment and analog controller will certainly take some time. Hopefully, the next Star Wars title for the Nintendo 64 will come closer to what Shadows of the Empire aspires to be.