Shadows of the Empire - An Extensive Star Wars Retrospective

[@evprince]

So saying that this takes place between 4 and 5 was a TOTAL mis-speak on my part. I know that it was 5 and 6, I have no idea how that error made it past recording much less editing.

[@daniels3401]

hahah i was so close to being that obnoxious asshole who comes in and HOW VERY DARE YOUs over it.

[@natchezudoh2763]

From my memory the modern pulse canon that was used in star wars jedi knight jedi outcast and maybe battle front one and two is first experience with IG88-d on ord mantel

[@evildego]

lol yeah bro. You had me second guessing myself for a minute and I got the game, book and comic back when they came out (yes, I am that old). :D

[@manni17b]

I saw this as I was typing a "it's 5 and 6" response. Good catch, sorry for my BO and pony tail

[@chiefnotit418]

oof

[@chookskapow]

The IG-88 battle on the N64 was one of the most thrilling video game experiences I can recall, actually fairly scary. Great game, infamously horrendous controls.

[@bigbird2240]

Yes I remember getting the spooks playing it late at night in my room in 6th grade lol

[@mattblom3990]

It's IG-88s voice and sound effects that terrify. That warble he makes...

[@dougsmith6262]

What stressed me was when you had to fight that giant robot thing. Saving some disruptor ammo for that boss came in extra handy.

[@javiermichel7097]

That and the battle against Boba. That figth was algo hard as F with the N64 controls. With my control Dash only walked slowly.

[@iamnotfromgeorgia3150]

I failed that fight so many times that the train section became muscle memory haha

[@bassfunkmaster85]

As a kid, IG 88 scared the hell out of me. That battle where he can run away and you had to try and find him was a nope for me

[@Soniti1324]

SAME-- He's camouflaged against the environment, and then you just start hearing whizzing and whirring and suddenly you're dead. My first video game experience of anxiety, and certainly not the last in this game lmao

[@bassfunkmaster85]

@@Soniti1324 yeah the sewer creatures were also scary. I still get a little bit of anxiety against ig 88 though lol The whole game, especially the n64 edition, was unsettling. Look up the cutscenes in that version, prince xizor had this one scene where he creepily smiles and it creeped me out

[@mikemurdock7234]

The noises he makes scared me too! But nothing comes close to the sewer monsters. You can't see them, but you hear them in the water, and they can kill you so fast... then.... oh man. That boss at the end of the level is nightmare inducing.

[@jimmyrolls37]

You too? That boss battle had me shaking at age 9

[@bassfunkmaster85]

@@jimmyrolls37 I would play up to that point on the level, then go to the main menu and skip to the next lol The whole game was unsettling to me. The music was creepy, the n64 cutscenes felt odd, it was just weird for me as a kid. I wish there were more Star Wars games like it

[@shadowulfhedinn8261]

Rented this 3 weeks in a row from blockbuster for N64 back in the day. It was such a blast!

[@SludgeMan90]

Same exact experience. Those were the days

[@Soniti1324]

I like to believe that when we die, we go to a Blockbuster in the sky where it is perpetually a friday night at 6PM and you see all your friends from school in the aisles @@SludgeMan90

[@nybergsgarage]

you can still purchase it on steam for a couple dollars and play on modern PC's.

[@nybergsgarage]

@@eastsideeric2231 the what?

[@Soniti1324]

@@eastsideeric2231 Are you having a stroke?

[@rodolfohernandez3303]

My first Star Wars game ever Shadows of the Empire, play it when i was 9 years old, and now with 33 years old still have the CD ROM game in its case in a book shelf, quite a treasure for me.

[@chrisandrew7577]

I've played this game 100+ times. The first mission (hoth) is responsible for the entire rogue squadron series I'm not sure if I even knew lvl 3 was playable in 3rd person

[@Aquatarkus96]

I was so scared of IG-88 and the monster in the sewers as a kid... and the robot in Xixor's palace was a difficult fight. Never did beat it...

[@DougUnfunny]

The voice actor John Cygan was Dash Rendar and sadly passed away in 2017. He was also Canderous Ordo from Kotor. He also voiced Luke in some audio dramas.

[@terramimic2628]

X-wing Alliance lets you play one of the game levels from the perspective of one of the rebel pilots that escorts the outrider

[@afterburner94]

This was one of the coolest thing about XWA and Shadows of the Empire. They really linked the 2 together. Still one of my fave SW game chokefull of EU lore.

[@Lloyd_Brown]

Fun fact, the wampa at 21:29 is called a "Cliff Wampa", and according to Wookiepedia is the result of imperial bioengineering as a means of guarding imperial territories... The behind-the-scenes origin is that the devs of Shadows of the Empire wanted to implement them to have fun with the game assets ;)

[@alexanderjones9241]

Great retrospective! The swoop bike race felt too fast on the PC version because it actually was too fast! The speed on that level is tied to the frame rate. On the N64, it was a lot slower simply because the frame rate was lower. On PC, they increased the frame rate, which had the unintended consequence of making that level’s gameplay speed up. If you force the frame rate to match the N64’s frame rate, it will feel a lot better to play.

[@evprince]

Tell that to what's left of Dash Rendar in Beggars Canyon. RIP

[@tannerslomko]

I never even had this game, I played it at friends’ houses, but it still gives me the most Star Wars nostalgia out of any movies, games or books.

[@je6164]

We are so spoiled with modern controls :)

[@mikemurdock7234]

Christmas day 1996 was one of my favorite memories of my childhood. Got an N64 and this game as my big present. The entire family spent the day gathered around the TV playing the opening level with the snow speeder. Everyone wanted to take turns playing it. One button changed the camera to the cockpit view, then we all wanted to replay it in that first person view mode! Someone figured out how to launch the tow cable and that led to another replay as we all took turns trying to take down the AT-ATs. As fun as it was, we were even more shocked by the second level that it was completely different controlling the character. Good times.

[@commonsensei8719]

That sounds like a wonderful memory! :)

[@tatuira93]

The train level will be etched in my mind forever. Never got past it when I was a kid.

[@Rschr101]

Seemed like it went on forever😂

[@davidishappy]

Actually it was bridging the gap between episodes five and six. The game starts with the Battle of Hoff at the beginning of empire, and continues on as Luke constructs, his new green lightsaber and Leia and chewy attempt to track down Han. Still a great video on an amazing time to be a Star wars fan!

[@thermopylaeanmeetcute]

Isn’t that what he said?

[@thermopylaeanmeetcute]

Wait you’re right, my bad. I literally heard it the correct way, went back and sure enough, he says “four and five”. Which does not really make sense.

[@-Gax-]

Yep, he accidentally said 4 and 5 instead of 5 and 6 but you knew it was an accident because he clearly knew what he was talking about😂 He also mentioned how he was annoyed that Darth Vader wasn't there on Hoth in the cutscene. He also said that the book isn't the actual story it is more story to the main story. Which is the book. And he mentioned the book is it all about giving more information about how they got to where they were in Jedi. Such as Death Star 2 plans. But he made a simple, human mistake, therefore wrong. Apparently invalidating everything else he said. I know Disney has ruined Star Wars but damn, that old school Star Wars fans vitriol has seepage

[@Bunkerknacker_Retro-Nostalgie]

Weeell, eggshuallay it is called the Hoth system, not "Hoff".

[@timothyjamesmedia]

I fondly remember playing Shadows and buying all the Shadows merch back when it was released in the mid 90’s. It was the best era for Star Wars.

[@FullMetalHans]

Old Star Wars games become more and more memorable when compared to the current gen of Star Wars titles and merch

[@fgdj2000]

Well, I do think that is a bit harsh. Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor we're fantastic, Battlefront II turned things around and was great as well. Lego Skywalker Saga is just the most wholesome celebration of the main 9 Star Wars films and Squadrons also wasn't half bad. I don't want to diminish earlier Star Wars games, but rather I think Star Wars has at least since the 1990s had a fantastic track record of games, even though we've had a bit of a dry spill between 2010 and 2017.

[@AshanBhatoa]

​@@fgdj2000LucasArts within the 2000s was suffering too. Not all of their titles were good.

[@fgdj2000]

@@AshanBhatoa Exactly. No one is saying that really. But humans do tend to turn all memories into fond memories. So, we tend to forget the annoying or bad parts in games and only remember the fun we've had or our surroundings at the time, which we perceive now as simpler, more innocent.

[@iplaydodgeball]

Tell me more about how disconnected from reality you are

[@tylertass9983]

@@fgdj2000the modern Jedi series is mid af. Boring story, wannabe souls-like gameplay, and bad level design. The new Lego game is also a disappointment. Squadrons and eventually the new Battlefront were good though.

[@DIEGhostfish]

30:31 Most of the Bothan deaths come later when the Empire makes a good show of trying to get the plans back. Some of THAT is actually captured in X-Wing alliance, it also ties Borsk Fey'lya from the Thrawn trilogy and many other books in, since it was said it was his clan that got the plans but he was nowhere to be found in SotE itself.

[@evprince]

Love when you guys out-nerd me. I'll admit I haven't read the x wing books.. They're on my audio book list though

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@evprince X-wing books are set post-endor the game's X-Wing Alliance. It has the Executor showing up to the Rebel/Tenloss Syndicate asteroid base, and to Kothliss and Bothuwii.

[@themanyouwanttobe]

I assume Manny Bothan was one of them.

[@Fork1]

The Black Sun syndicate features in that game too!

[@DIEGhostfish]

The red faced "Black Sun Mercenaries" also look an awful lot like the red armored Coruscant Guard that Lando and Luke disguise as in the novel and the toys, and show up in the RPG sourcebooks. They're just missing the X-visor.

[@riftshredder5438]

Since Nightdive announced that they are remastering Dark Forces, I really hope they also remaster this game too

[@Soniti1324]

O SHIT NO WAY-- A Dark Forces remake?! Now we just have to wait another decade to get a DF2:JK remake...

[@riftshredder5438]

@@Soniti1324 I said remaster, not remake, there's a big difference

[@Soniti1324]

@@riftshredder5438 No fucking shit. Fuck me for hoping.

[@jamesp2646]

I loved this game as a kid. The Skyhook mission at the end was particularly fun

[@TurKlack]

0:07 - 0:20 Oh you mean before Dave Failoni? Yes, I remember. 20:53 Well they scout for unwelcome pests like you.

[@waynesolo]

It bridges the gap between 5 and 6, not 4 and 5.

[@Blink_____]

X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Dark Forces, the SNES series of games, Shadows of the Empire, Rogue Squadron 3D, X-Wing Alliance. The golden age of Star Wars games.

[@Rschr101]

RiP in peace LucasArts

[@jamographer]

I still have this for the N64 haha. I tried it on the hardest difficulty but was freaking insanely hard. One shot deaths make it next level

[@andycopeland7051]

Also i love it that your gameplay communicates how hard the damn train level was. I always sucked at it. This one and the swoop bike level

[@Detective_L]

IG-88 became my favourite SW character because of this game. I still have a few figurines of him of various franchises. Also playing this game in 3rd person is like switching the game to hard mode and there was some easy to avoid deaths if you switched to 1st person, mostly the junk yard.

[@terminalphilosophy8760]

This is by far the best retrospective on Shadows of the Empire! Well done!

[@TheFoxEssence]

Im glad someone made a real retrospective about this game! This game was as cannon to me as a kid as it is to me now. This game was truly a huge part of my childhood!

[@scottgauley7722]

As someone who was a kid when Shadows came out, I can safely say this game had everything you could think of. When "Shadows of the Empire" was marketed, it was marketed like a movie! This game had a movie trailer, an original soundtrack album, a novelization, comic book, action figure line, pretty much everything you'd expect for a movie tie-in... Minus the movie. It was a brilliant marketing campaign. Mind you this was just before the Star War special editions came out in theaters in 1997, and before the prequels as well. To say Shadows of the Empire was the biggest Star Wars event since Return of the Jedi is no exaggeration if you ask me.

[@unfinishedBridges]

I always hoped that Dash would show up in live action and played by Dennis Quaid.

[@psychoapplesauceeater8562]

Should have showed up in the Solo movie

[@jetsetatrophy67]

In my mind, my first visual thought is Randy Quaid so I'm now running with the scene that Dash shows up like Cousin Eddy to wherever the main cast is

[@jimmyboy131]

"Shadows of the Empire"...now that's a name I haven't thought much about in a long time...a long time. But I remember the multimedia experience from back in the day, and I remember having mixed feelings about it. The game was fun (man I miss my N64!) and ambitious but also frustrating in certain parts, but certainly a rewarding experience. I remember thinking Dash Rendar was the cheesiest name and that he had the most 90s Marvel comics inspired outfit ever! I remember Prince Xizor (sp?) and thinking he was just OK as a villain. But my SOTE experience was in the context of: - Other great N64 games of the time, some of which I consider to be among the greatest games of all time, such as Perfect Dark. - The just-announced in 1996 prequels and the insane levels of discussion on the then new-to-us internet. This began to overshadow everything else Star Wars, especially if it was original trilogy based. We were beyond excited to get a new trilogy. - The then-new Special Editions, which were also a mixed bag. So with that perspective I can still say SOTE was fun and a worthwhile addition to the Star Wars experience.

[@Valdorian]

Fun fact: if you hit the stardestroyer in the last level at specifc spots, it showed you the health of it at 100% like with any other boss. I spent hours trying to find a way to take it down as a kid, nowadays i googled it but never found a way to actually do so. Probably the unit was setup with unlimited health or so..

[@Soniti1324]

I'm pretty sure you could blow up the spherical radomes on top of the destroyer! (Unless my brain is Mandela-effecting me all the way back from 1996).

[@ABrickinTime]

Must’ve been the fancy version of the game. I only remember the still photos from the N64 game!

[@evprince]

Pc version had full cg cutscenes

[@CarrowMind]

This game is a huge rush of nostalgia for me, I remember getting it for my birthday in July 97 on the N64 and only managing to beat it sometime mid-September. Back then the controls weren't an issue, we didn't even think in terms of "bad" or "good" controls, they were simply the controls and that was that, it was a simpler more innocent time. I distincly remember feeling frustrated with the final mission and kept trying to beat it without Dash dying at the end obviously never succeeding, and since the N64 didn't feature the cutscenes, I had no idea about him surviving. To this day the sewer mission undearneath Xizor's palace was the most haunting and intimidating mission I ever played due to the low render distance of the console, meaning the final boss was actually terrifying since you coulnd't see a damn thing. A truly memorable and fantastic experience. Vintage times!

[@the_real_tay_loud2072]

That was this games version of Blight Town😂

[@andycopeland7051]

I remember this was a birthday gift for me or my brother (cant remember now who). We only had a little time to try it out in the morning before school and i couldnt stop thinking about it all day. Loved this game. I used to think dash rendar was so cool. Man this was such a cool time for a kid to experience star wars. I obsessed over as many novels as i could read and then there was this game. Imagine how cool it was, after all of this, to see the prequels come out. For me, a child at the time, they were everything i couldve wished for.

[@The.natrix]

Watching that jump fail at 17:50 brought back some painful memories 🤣

[@AlexKaneROTN]

Traumatizing 😅

[@retrovideogamejunkie]

27:45 Luke sound like futurama fry XD

[@abstraction6212]

I wish this game could be remastered so that modding it will be the first thing we do

[@InfernosPhantoms]

Probe droids were also used to secure areas and act as alarms with guns

[@pimpinkeen19]

I remember playing that and beating it multiple times on n64. What a great game.

[@Phoenix-xn3sf]

Can't wait 'till this guy gets to TIE-FIGHTER, it's gonna blow his mind.

[@evprince]

Should I do that one?

[@Phoenix-xn3sf]

It's quite possibly the best of the 90's Star wars games. Great story, and game-mechanics. Maybe play predecessor X-WING first to fully get what an improvement TIE-FIGHTER was back then.

[@Chron880]

man this game was an absolute banger back in the day, good memories

[@Fiazco]

Still one of my favorite Star Wars Games to this day! A remake would be Amazing!

[@jakefuller685]

I was born in ‘96 and only played a couple of these ‘90s era Star Wars in my early years, but I remember the vibe just being something they can’t create anymore. So much more expansive/diverse than the current universe. Been wanting to check out and read the Heir to The Empire books to try to recapture this, anyways great video!

[@fromthefire4176]

It’s interesting because I want to blame Disney but tbh I really feel like that special 90’s Star Wars vibe started to fade after the prequels and 00’s. And I like the prequels, I’m not saying they were a mistake, but they changed the aesthetics so much and fleshed out the lore, it really does feel like a different franchise before and after them. And losing that 90’s Star Wars vibe was a consequence, Star Wars in a sweet spot for worldbuilding then, where the setting was established but there was still a lot of room for expansion and it actually hadn’t been that long since the OT wrapped up so it was still pretty fresh in people’s minds and they wanted more. The focus of the franchise as a current setting was just after the fall of the empire following the OG cast, after the prequels that focus turned entirely to leave all of that behind indefinitely and explore the old republic era, just random new characters, too deep lore trying to explain everything, generic and disconnected aesthetics, it was only technically still Star Wars but didn’t feel or look like it or anything. That was why everything was primed for Disney to get everyone pumped for the force awakens precisely because it returned to the old style and rehashed new hope. Heh, maybe I am saying the prequels were a mistake, they’re not bad but only started feeling like Star Wars after we forgot what the OT felt like.

[@jakefuller685]

@@fromthefire4176 an interesting and definitely well thought out take my friend. I have to admit my interest does sag a little when it comes to old republic stuff for the most part. For sure I think Revan is really cool and some of the other Sith Lords, but that’s about it and I think you nailed the point about it having a disconnected aesthetic. That post OT era definitely inspired a lot of great work. Personally I’m fine with the aesthetic of the prequels, cause to me in comparison it makes sense head canon wise that the Empire’s galaxy would be more sullen but that’s just me. Nice reply 👍🏻

[@antonisauren8998]

@@fromthefire4176 Well, they continued with post Endor timeline right up to Disney buyout, but it also changed in aestetics when prequels came out. Somehow after over a decade of worldbuilding, everyone started cosplaying prequels to fit in, like it couldn't remain different and still sell itself as starwars.

[@treadstone1138]

In response to your controller comment: this game was actually very easy to control with the original N64 controller. By the time this game came out most players of that system were well experienced in how the control setup worked so it was almost intuitive. When I played this back in the day when it came out I had no issues whatsoever falling off cliffs, looking up or anything like that. Granted this is coming from someone who played it when it initially came out so there is possibly a bias there, but I think the majority of the original players had no issues with the controller setup. Which cannot be said of some other N64 games where the control setup was horrendous even with the original controller.

[@andrewmorgan693]

I adored playing this game with my dad as a kid. It’s funny too, because most of my least favorite parts you listed as highlights and vice versa, so I suppose the game really is a different experience for different people

[@Soniti1324]

This game is one of two video game memories I have with my dad. He played GoldenEye with me a couple years later, but he wanted to rope AT-AT's with me in this game and I will never forget it. I wish to God that my dad had embraced my hobbies a little more (and just met me at my level) and these precious few memories are the closest I'll ever feel to that happening. He's retired now and just plays Solitaire on his iPad and all I can think is that so much has happened in casual / regular video games in the intervening quarter century, I just know there has to be a game out there with mechanics that he will find satisfying and we could maybe bond over. Such is this life.

[@dash1141]

Memories. What fun we had ❤️

[@theoutlander9564]

I was born in 85 And purchased this game when it came out on N64..... They sure don't make games this fun anymore.

[@ericheckenkamp6091]

Lucasfilm has more success WITHOUT making a single movie, than Disney did with all of the sequels.

[@Byronic19134]

Except this is not even close as the sequels have raked in total over $10 billion in profit from box office and merchandise.

[@QuantaSolace]

My dad loved this game. He probably played it more than I did. We never did beat it though. I don’t think we ever got passed the IG boss fight.

[@questlazy122]

The Nintendo 64 version did not have the cut scenes. That was really awesome to see for the first time.

[@warellis]

I remember the N64 version. Instead of cutscenes it had like sort of still art imagery that was sort of hand drawn or something. Looking back on it, I think it was sort of cool

[@questlazy122]

@@warellis When they said they were starting to release new Star Wars movies. I really thought this story would make an awesome sci-fi action movie. Dash has the makings of an awesome action hero.

[@warellis]

@@questlazy122 Shadows of the Empire could've easily been a TV series I think. Honestly a lot of the stuff that didn't focus around Luke, Han, Leia, or their children could've been used for television shows, movies, and so on. Like Tales of the Bounty Hunters for example.

[@questlazy122]

@@warellis Yeah that “Shadows of the Empire” era of Books and the video game would have been amazing to see on tv.

[@Lanterns_light]

Thanks for the review. I remember playing 85% of this game when it came out. What blew me away was the sound track. I have often recalled some of those missions mainly because of the fantastic score.

[@TERMINATOR101-b8j]

I got this game and a couple of toys (xezor, Vader's tie, ig-88, and Boba fett with slave 1) for my 7th birthday. Best birthday ever. I played this constantly.

[@siebenboy]

You are NOT the only person to learn you can look up AFTER the AT-ST boss fight lol. Wow, my cousins and I spammed shooting those AT-ST feet for so long.

[@Eheth1958]

I love that it can be played in first person. So much fun

[@geesterfunk]

i find it funny that grown adults nowadays find a controller that we used as a kid so difficult, I feel like games nowadays have power steering to help you all out haha

[@daniels3401]

i enjoyed watching this to relive being 10 years old. 1996-7 was a hell of a time to be a Star Wars fan growing up. The how shadows of the empire multi media thing was wild. First novel I ever read, first game I had on the N64, and you bet your ass I hunted down that Dash Rendar action figure (was super hard to find) and his Outrider. All in all major nostalgia

[@dustinorr9408]

I was 7 when it was released and got this and a N64 for my birthday that year. I collected the figures too and the outrider that could be made into a B wing was a treasure to me for my whole childhood. Always considered Dash as the giga Chad of star wars.

[@daniels3401]

@@dustinorr9408 it was a perpetual disappointment to me though how he never showed back up in any other EU stuff

[@FireGoliath]

I don't know if words can properly express what it was like to be 11 years old and having flown starfighters for 3 years in X-Wing and then to jump into this massive expansion to the universe with new characters interacting with old characters, new ships, new toys, new books (when you were already neck deep into the expanded universe novels). We would gather at each other's houses because we didn't all have N64's and we would hand off the controller to the next guy in reference to each of our skill sets and to share time in the game equally. Racing around Mos Eisley at mach Jesus was not for the faint of heart, but some of us memorized the paths and did it based on just that. I understood the weapons systems better so I was king of the turret rail section and two of us excelled equally on the free flight sections. It was a great time to be alive and this property and its expansion into the world felt monumental.

[@DomeCandyGames]

ALMOST as old as you? Damn bro, please appreciate your youth as much as I appreciate your perspective. I was 12 when i played this brand new on N64 and i played the hell out of it. It's interesting seeing the differences between the pc and console versions, but also the generational difference in how we deal with the game in it's technological and narrative context. I must say you did a great job of putting it into perspective.

[@evprince]

I feel you actually, but part of me feels like I was there for it all. Even though I wasn't. So I'm living it all now.

[@Ratkill9000]

Played this game at my cousin's back in the 90s. Couldnt get past Hoth, granted I was like 5 or 6 when I played it. Years later I got an N64 and this and got as far as Ord Mantell.

[@Troopertroll]

As my first ever console game, I must point out how revolutionary it was. The snowspeeder section was the blueprint used for Rogue Squadron gameplay, and without it there wouldn't have been the progression of console flight sims that we have. Also, I really think the N64 cutscenes are better - they're artistically done and have a unique soundtrack that still very much holds up compared to the extremely dated computer graphics of 1997. It is very much dark comic in style and made the game both unsettling and fascinating to play through. I recently tried to beat it with my own USB N64 controller on Jedi and it is still insanely difficult to control, but what's really cool is that you can also play in 1st person view, top-down for jumping segments, and even cinematic camera view just for fun.

[@Stereozentrum]

Very good Retrospective, Evan. The best on this (by the way very great) game on KZbin in my opinion. Glad you even mentioned Joel McNeely's fantastic score for the multimedia project. Please keep on the good work! :)

[@jamesknight3070]

This was one of the best games on the N64, yet many people don't even know about it. Great work giving it the publicity it deserves! =D

[@snaptoppers]

I remember in 1st or 2nd grade bringing the instruction booklet of the game to school and looking at it during recess. I unfortunately never got past the speeder level but have fond memories of it. I didn't realize the book and comics when along with the game ill have to pick up the book. Thanks for the wonderful retrospective

[@Alltimechamp24]

I've always thought Dash Rendar was that bounty hunter...Dengar. jeezus

[@slimischillin7753]

We didn’t get the animated cutscenes on n64. This is my first time ever seeing them.

[@evprince]

The cartridge couldn't contain the file sizes for the videos.

[@selay333]

Only thing I remembered about this game is that one of the cheat codes was a pain to enter because needed to use the dpad c buttons and the analog stick.

[@osets2117]

Technically those probe droids on the canyon mission would be viper security droids

[@padawanmage71]

When Lucasarts came out with games, I always read everything about them, especially Star Wars and eagerly awaited its arrival. There was so much fun and adventure back then, with ‘The Force Unleashed’ coming a close second for the same amount of books, games, etc as a multimedia experience. Sad that Disney closed down a venerable company and now just have…ok games? Speaking of ‘The Force Unleashed’, perhaps talk about that? I still remember how it ended on a cliffhanger and the second game being a bit worse than the first.

[@user-kl5zd2oe3e]

This was such a fun time for Star Wars. There was so much excitement and creativity. And I was just the right age.

[@brianm5563]

The narrator of this sounds like the voice actor for Luke in the Rogue Squandron series

[@Rschr101]

Lmfao

[@TheRecklessMetalhead]

A 10-year-old autistic me enjoyed this game and was growing up a Star Wars fan, and this was before Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. I was a kid who did very good with single-player video games, including Shadows of the Empire, and not good with schools. I managed to play through Shadows of the Empire over the weekend and it was not that difficult (only if you're quick-witted enough). That train level was the highlight of the game in terms of design. Never get close to or near the IG-88 and you will be set to kill him. The last level of seeing three different groups fighting each other and destroying that ship was my favorite level in the game (oh man, that music). Still a top 5 Star Wars game for me, and I wish Nintendo bring this back on Switch just to replay it.

[@FolstrimHori]

Playing the game on the N64, like most games back then, was something that became 2nd nature the longer you played. By the last level I was navigating through space fighters like it were a dream.

[@skadude113]

I'd probably already be retired if I got paid every time I played this game as a kid lol it still is one of my all time favorite games over the span of systems and star wars games in general. A few weeks ago I was visiting my dad out of state and always love checking out new record shops so while sifting around, I found a copy of this soundtrack! I already had two in my hand that I really wanted but knew that I absolutely needed to own this so I walked away a very happy dude! Really well done video, I'm definitely gonna be checking out your other ones!

[@thechitownclown8972]

The Ord Mantel was so hard. IG-88 was terrifying.

[@janwitkowsky8787]

I look forward to when he is playing X-Wing Alliance, which was released shortly after the release of the Special Edition movies. He's gonna love the ship variety and the many smaller call backs to earlier games, such as this one and the hidden references to novels and comics.

[@FalconNest]

Thanks for the video! It's interesting that John Knoll and other people at LucasArts launched the idea. I always wanted to ask them whether they intentionally imitated the look of the Jem h'adar in DS9 for Prince Xizor. If you're familiar with the X-Wing/Tie Fighter video-game series, then you'll have noticed how the design of so many ships/space stations was taken from Star Trek (e.g. the Preybird Fighter and the Klingon Bird of Prey). These Star Trek reminiscences in '90s Star Wars have always fascinated me and it's a very under-researched topic.

[@captaintitus7210]

So this came out when I was a kid. Most people younger than me probably don’t remember a time when there was NO star wars toys in stores. SotE basically reversed that. I still have my Dash action figure on my desk and my third son is names after him. I still remember how thrilling and scary is was to face IG-88, the noises he makes scared the shit out of me, and facing Boba was epic. Still my second favorite SW games next to KotOR.

[@RoSohryu]

Just curious, maybe it's a PC port thing. But I know for a fact that the N64 version has a First-Person Perspective that you can swap to. Both in the on-foot and vehicle missions. That might solve some of the aiming issues your having if it's present in the PC port

[@D4rthyyy_]

I remember first seeing Shadows when I was six years old. At the time, my father worked for the Nintendo distributor for New Zealand. One school holidays he ushered me into a boardroom at the office where they had an N64, prior to its release, hooked up to a large CRT screen. I was amazed by the graphics and this Star Wars world that I had never seen before. Last year, when I was in Japan, I managed to pick up a mint condition copy of the N64 game as a keepsake. Awesome video a ton of nostalgia came from it 👍.

[@ja8ames]

Best I can recall, I never managed to defeat the Giant Dianoga so I never played past the sewer level. That monster seemed incredibly difficult to me, though I wasn't really connected much to strategy tips from others back then. My favorite thing about this game is how diverse its levels are, and how much fun the overall Shadows project was across different media.

[@Broly91571]

Got this game when it came out for Christmas as a kid. I had an absolute blast between this, turok and legend of Zelda. This game was also the source of many nightmares after the sewer level and I had one about ig88 the droid you had to fight in the junk yard 😂

[@serath78]

I played and finished that game when I was 8 years old in the N64 in Jedi mode... literaly the most satisfiying thing in my childhood.

[@ShawnDaviskillerdiary]

While battling Imperial walkers on Hoth in the rebel snow-speeder, the classic John Williams' musical score is playing in perfect sync with the action - it was like actually being in the battle of Hoth - never will forget the experience! I don't think any game has matched that thrill since.

[@paulbrown196]

I remember renting that game at the video store. Tough bastard to beat in a weekend; I know I rented it a few times. I've just started reading the classic books for the first time and was just thinking about this game; thank you for dusting off some fun if frustrating memories.

[@astrosquirrel5038]

I would love a remake of this game. I played it a lot as a kid and always enjoyed it.

[@Soniti1324]

Now that's the real full ground-up level remake every developer is way too afraid to undertake. So many facets of this game all but require the N64 controller, and more specifically, a single axis of control.

[@Rschr101]

Movie without a movie. It was awesome, the game the book the soundtrack, the comic, the toys. Had em all, loved em all.

[@NolanThunder]

What a wonderful video. For like over a decade I’ve wanted good content about Star Wars games and you delivered!! Some reviews/retrospectives are just so boring and misses the “magic” of Star Wars. You had such a great balance of its impact in the 90s and the game and general idea of the Shadow of the Empire story. You earned a sub, would love to see you cover more book stuff too!! Hope you get loads of members!

[@evprince]

More coming, brother. So much more.

[@alexander_dean]

This was a very well made video. I enjoyed it from start to finish. Nicely done.

[@evprince]

Thanks! I appreciate that!

[@thisisalreadytaken]

I'm glad I clicked on this video, I dont remember seeing those cutscenes before. To my memory, my game back in the day only had still images with walls of text in between levels that I couldn't read because of language barriers.

[@ecargfosreya]

I had this game 23 years ago and the fight with IG88 was the part I remembered most. It was really fun in its time

[@AutumLow]

been playing this game since new on N64, first time ever seeing and knowing of the cut scenes

[@evanwilliams8627]

Got this for Christmas in the late 90s for my N64. That was a helluva time to be a 12 year old. I loved this game. Played it over and over until I had a handle on those horrible controls. I love this game for the nostalgia alone, but getting good at it took a ton of trial and error.

[@mikemurdock7234]

At 9:10 - your problem here is that the FPS is set too high. In your footage, it looks like the game is running at double speed. Shadows was meant to run lower than 30 FPS. In the settings on PC, you can set it to 30 FPS. Try that, and Dash will stop slipping on the slopes. Higher FPS makes this game break.

[@skyrider4789]

Just watched this. I've only played this on the NS64 and never had an issue with it. I still have my 64...Watching this makes me want to play again. What I remember clearly, is many of the cut scenes were different on the N64 than the version you showed. Thanks for the video.

[@skyrider4789]

Cut scenes from the N64 version: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGrCdIiFlLOri8ksi=TONyY1P0kION7wWA

[@NerdDumb]

Great video! What a fun nostalgic ride. Thanks for making it! And well done!

[@humbltrailer]

Great retrospective. Probe droids were frequently used in patrol and point defense capacities in Imperial territory. Wampa are indigenous to Hoth but were introduced on other worlds for big game hunting. Those on Gall were bioengineered.

[@stinkbanana2522]

These videos are really high quality. You're going to get tons more subs soon. Have some engagement.