Star Wars: Episode 1: Battle for Naboo┃History and Analysis

[@TheWax70]

I had a lot of fun with this one back in the day, both on the N64 and PC. I wonder why the PC port never got a digital rereleased on GOG and Steam?

[@evprince]

I wondered the same thing; might have been rights issue since it was technically developed by Factor5, and LucasArts never felt like it was worth working something out? Just speculation though.

[@TheWax70]

@@evprince Hopefully Disney/LucasArts will add it at some point. They add a few classic Star Wars games to GOG & Steam every May 4th.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

I would kill for a Factor 5 collection rerelease.

[@gameragodzilla]

Rogue Squadron 3D is available for purchase so not sure if rights issues are the reason. I did recently try out the PC port and it turns out if you don’t limit your monitor’s refresh rate to 60Hz, you can’t move. And it has to be the refresh rate, you can’t even limit the FPS to do that. It’s not difficult to manually change the refresh rate down to 60Hz then back up if you have a higher refresh monitor, but it is an added pain that Rogue Squadron doesn’t have. Not sure why that happens, though.

[@greggbarkerr1150]

My brother got stuck on the final level. He couldn’t find the shield generator until he looked it up in the Phantom Menace cross section book.

[@riftshredder5438]

One thing I really love about this game is in the movie, we only get to hear about the suffering of the people of Naboo happening off screen as the Trade Federation are taking control of the planet, here, we actually get to see it happening, it really feels immersive

[@High_Key]

Was a kid at the time and my dad rented it for me from Blockbuster. Never got a chance to finish it but I remember “police” version of the Naboo Starfighter having really cool sounding laser cannons

[@KylePhantomK94]

It's rather bothersome that there is no steam/gog release of this game, or let alone the later Rogue Squadron games on modern hardware/PC releases. (Or even Jedi Starfighter.)

[@evprince]

It has to be a lack of interest from Disney execs, there's no rights issues or anything that could possibly hold such a thing back. Unfortunate.

[@theappmaster3422]

Oh my childhood. Interesting cause you get the smaller battles even if it isn’t non cannon story.

[@Nergalsama01]

I played this years after the fact and had a blast with it. I recently came across a Maul-centered short story called "Endgame", which actually references some of the events of this game! I was beyond excited, because I always loved it when other Legends materials referenced the video games. :)

[@Deathelement53]

I loved this as a kid

[@CancelledMcCree]

Dude, I just subscribed to your channel & you hit me with this one?! My testicles can’t handle this! Thank you for reviewing a game so dear to my heart that I want a port right now! Keep up the fantastic work!

[@evprince]

Stick around then, more coming!

[@dudujencarelli]

The opening level, Escape from Theed, is both the easiest and hardest level in the game. Pretty easy to just win. But getting the Platinum Medal??? It took me 12 hours of failed playthroughs to pull that one off. In fact, more than half this game's replay value comes from getting those Platinum Medals. They make Rogue Squadron's Gold Medals a cakewalk by comparison.

[@evprince]

No bro the boat level. That is by far the hardest.

[@dudujencarelli]

@@evprince That one is definitely hard to survive, and it took me multiple tries as well. But getting the Platinum is not so bad. It's a matter of destroying the laser guns fast enough in order to spend some time shooting a metal wall to increase accuracy before the time limit.

[@AceParty]

Believe it or not, I still have my copy (with rogue squadron 3D) of the PC version back in the day. It was less memorable than RS3D for sure, but I loved the game back then because I could finally play all these new vehicles from the movie like the AAT. It's a fun game, I think they just didn't have the time to make it as good as the first one because they were already working on Rogue Leader. I wish nightdive studio will be able to remaster all the Star Wars factor 5 games because they are really worth it and sadly forgotten overall.

[@Lorexbg]

I remember playing this one as kid , yeh had nothing on rogue squadron but was interesting never the less

[@yarpen26]

It's one of only two Phantom Menace tie-in games that I actually played back in the day, alongside the definitive adaptation. I remember slightly more from this experience than you do, I think I tried it out some time after or before Rogue Squadron, probably around the time Attack of the Clones came out. A school buddy of mine ran a small business renting pirated game CDs for a bunch of pennies (he now happens to be a priest, lmao) and this, I'm 80% sure, was one of them (either way, it definitely wasn't a legit copy). I didn't beat it all the way through, just did a couple of missions. I still remember "Trade Federation scum" being thrown around like every five minutes by the main character. I believe I enjoyed Rogue Squadron far more than this, all those green textures spreading into infinity just looked really unappealing in comparison.

[@prostagma]

I have a vague memory of renting this game once or twice from the local video store back in the day , great video! :)

[@dieterhorvat5176]

its criminal that none of the factor 5 games are on the newer systems yet

[@evprince]

Yes for real.

[@77philesposito]

I never played this and I don't how how I missed it this looks great!!

[@j.mitchcoppoletti6946]

@j.mitchcoppoletti6946 1 second ago Spot on about how the final battle in this game is better than Starighter's. In fact I would say the finale of Starfighter keeps me from replaying it. And remembering Battle For Naboo's finale makes me want to back to it...until I remember turrets in this game.

[@Anditeshordo]

I feel this game would be played more modernly if they remastered it. New crisp graphics, clean-up game play, especially with the boat levels. And if modernizing it allowing for after missions to play as more iconic star wars ships. Maybe link to an old republic one being the Ebon Hawk.

[@Bazookatone1]

This is one of a slew of "concurrent story" games for Star wars that were popular in the late 90s and early 2000s (shadows of the empire is another one form a few years prior, the Dark Forces: JEdi Knight series and of course, the X:Wing and Rogue Squadron games)), I really like the way they occasionally intersect the lives of the main characters (Dash seeing the Falcon leaving Echo Base on Hoth, for example) but they show that there's more going on that just what we saw in the films. I'd love is someone made remakes of these with some crossovers between the characters, who wouldn't want Kyle Katarn and Dash Rendar to team up for a level, maybe with Galen MArek and Cal Kestis being spotted alon gthe way? But you are right about the graphics, I played this (on PC) in or around 2002, and even in 2002 and even on the N64, this was pretty poor.

[@C25-150]

I remember playing this game in the early 2000s couldn’t get past level 1 😅

[@jarfmusic]

Let's frickin gooooo!

[@WTFisTingispingis]

I never had a chance to play this, but man i wish i did.

[@rudolphantler6309]

I hate Naboo. Somehow plain grass comes off as more lazy than Tatooine sands. And driving around in Theed just instantly put me off of playing this and uninstalled back in the day. And this simply cannot hold a candle to Rogue Squadron. Of which I was a big fan of by default. The OT is king! Although I am one of the few people who liked Phantom Menace the game and Naboo/Theed is at least serviceable in that game. Also, that game has pretty neat Tatooine levels!!! Hope you will also review Rogue Squadron sequels and Racer Revenge!

[@Taijan1]

How were you able to play this?! The footage had to have been 60fps and you wouldn't have gotten that through N64.

[@evprince]

The gameplay was 30 fps, but the video exported at 60, thereby smoothing the footage overall.

[@Taijan1]

@@evprince Ah Kay. So it was just N64 capture?

[@evprince]

@@Taijan1 yeah

[@Taijan1]

@@evprince damn. Was hoping someone had made a working build for PC to run on modern systems. FACTOR 5 must have conducted witchcraft to get their games running in the first place considering no one seems to be able to get them running properly today without subsidiary programs like Voodoo DX. Hope someone makes a working version and releases for PC, would love to play it again.

[@loang0]

Can't believe you called it X lol

[@mistyhudson9421]

Can you do star wars force commander? Should be able to download one file install

[@evprince]

It's possible! Wouldn't need to tho, there's a CD copy here in the house lol.

[@mistyhudson9421]

@evprince cheers, mate. I loved that game growing up, and then, as an adult, I realized it's not that popular with a big lack of review videos. I think it has a good story and ties in to the OT nicely. Also, if you can figure out the 999,999+ health cheat, good on ya. I can not activate it with my laptop keyboard.

[@marcopolo2418]

Ayy Evan! Nice Name 👍

[@RDR911]

Good retrospective but I can see why you don’t talk about graphics. I’m just gonna skip that section before I have an aneurysm.