Windows

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is just like the movie. Some people are going to love it and others are going to walk away from it with mixed reviews. I, personally, thought the game was enjoyable to play and was excited when I had a chance to write a review for it. As with any game that is based on a movie, there were inconsistencies in the storyline that a few Star Wars freaks might find irritating. I know I would have liked to have a chance to control Jar-Jar and take on a few thousand droids on Naboo, but they didn't put that in the game. Maybe, if enough of us write suggestions to the "master" programmers at LucasArts, they will see the light (saber) and we can "force" them to make an add-on pack for it.

The Phantom Menace shows too much of its console-led, mass-market roots to come across as a cutting-edge PC game. The visuals are crisp and colourful and the levels do look spectacular, but the reliance on the film's plot stifles what could have been so much more. It's disappointing that The Phantom Menace fails to make the grade, although the next game in the saga, Obi-Wan (or Jedi Knight III), is sure to be nothing short of spectacular. Oh, and if you're not a Star Wars fan, feel free to take a few points off the score - if you haven't done already.

Upon first seeing this game I thought of it as a blatant cash in, but, upon some further playing, I found this was not so. The Graphics engine may be a rather quick put-together job, but the actual gameplay can be quite fun (up until you meet the "adventurous" bit). Luckily, the action picks up again afterwards and you'll happily be hacking away again at those lanky tin cans. I have to end this with a note to the level designers that they have done a lovely job and saved this game from doom.

Allerlei punten dragen ertoe bij dat het spel een beetje steriel overkomt en te weinig betrokkenheid kweekt bij de speler. Louter en alleen het feit dat het spel op zo'n goed verhaal van een bekende serie gestoeld is, tilt het boven de grijze massa uit. Dit, samen met de schitterende tussenanimaties en het ongelofelijke geluid, maakt het spel waarschijnlijk nog aantrekkelijk voor de Star Wars fanatici.

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is een gemiddelde aktie/adventuregame en volgt de film op de voet. De soundtrack is meesterlijk maar de graphics laten soms te wensen over.

Ultimately, The Phantom Menace just isn't much fun. It's simplistic button-pushing and combo-jumping exercise. Rather than build upon the cool environments of the movie, it slinks around the outskirts of them. All the awesome sound effects and music and colored lighting and rolling destroyer robots in the world can't change the fact that this game plays like a series of barely interactive postcards from the film.

Un jeu qui déçoit un peu par la faiblesse de sa partie aventure. Mais la réalisation est très correcte, et on a droit à des graphismes travaillés, et une ambiance très bien recréée. Les combats quand à eux sont nombreux, et deviennent vite répétitifs... Un jeu qui aurait pu être excellent s'il avait eu un véritable scénario. A réserver aux fans de Star Wars, qui ont déjà vu le film.

When I popped in the CD and finally got to the options screen, I was amazed to see actual fight footage from the movie! That should have been my first clue that this game was going to be just like the movie, but we will get back to that.

All in all, The Phantom Menace successfully captures the movie, both good and bad. Jar Jar is annoying in the movie - Jar Jar is annoying in the game. Pacing isn't always perfect in the movie - pacing isn't always perfect in the game. But while it has its snafus, the game can still be a lot of fun. This is a good recommendation for those without the highest standards looking for a good long action game or ardent fans of the movie. The force is strong within this game... why? Because it's filled with "mido-chlorian" goodness. Sheesh.

Il était une fois, dans une très lointaine galaxie… (musique) une trilogie cinématographique qui avait fait un tel foin que, des années et des années après sa sortie, son créateur se décida à en sortir une nouvelle. La Menace Fantôme, ou Episode I, se déroule, comme chacun sait, bien avant la saga de Luke Skywalker. Mais nous ne sommes pas là pour parler du film, car si vous lisez ce test, c’est que vous connaissez par cœur le scénario de la Guerre des Etoiles. La Menace Fantôme, c’est aussi l’un des nombreux jeux tirés de l’univers imaginé par Georges Lucas (oui, LucasArts, ça vient de là, vous l’ignoriez ?). Dans ce jeu d’aventure et d’action, vous allez suivre pas à pas (et avec quelques digressions) le scénario du film.

Overall, The Phantom Menace is a mildly entertaining game that can be extremely frustrating and quirky at times. The game does rely heavily just on its Star Wars credentials and I have a feeling that if the game weren't set in the Star Wars universe it would be easily overlooked. It is addictive, though, and I was tempted to crawl out of bed on several occasions to try to get past another friggin' jump puzzle. But I do wonder how good it could have been with a better camera angle and more character development.

Though the game's faults abound, I couldn't begin to count the number of times I exclaimed, "This is SO cool!" That has to make up for some of them, but nothing can dispel at least some disappointment. What it all comes down to is that the Force is with The Phantom Menace -- but only as much as it is with the Jedi in the game.

I recommend anyone who enjoyed the film, but wanted to see more lightsabre dueling, or battle droid dismemberment to go out and buy the game, because on PC you can choose to spend more time fighting and less time talking, or vice versa. And anyone else who simply likes an enjoyable action adventure with the added benefit of the Star Wars background should give it a try too, because, just like the movies, it really is a heck of a lot of fun.

Wie konnte aus diesem Prestigeobjekt nur ein dermaßen uninspiriertes Baller-Hüpfspiel mit verkümmerten Adventure-Ansätzen werden? Pixelgenaue Sprungorgien, reichlich "und nun?"-Ratlosigkeitsmomente sowie ins Wirre abdriftende Massenkämpfe. Die Designer haben kaum etwas ausgelassen, um mich auf die Palme zu bringen. Die kantige, viel zu künstlich wirkende 3D-Spielwelt zeigt vor allem bei Dialogen ihr häßliches Gesicht, wenn die Kamera ganz nah heranzoomt. Die Musik mit Ausschnitten aus dem Soundtrack rettet etwas Atmospähre. Auch der gute Wille zu Abwechslung und Komplexität sei vermerkt; an Phantom Menace hat man lange zu knabbern. Und es ist schon irgendwie befriedigend, mit dem Laserschwert in einem Rudel Kampfroboter zu landen, um diese per lässigen 360-Grad-Schwusch in qualmenden Schrott zu verwandeln. Trotz solcher zusammengekratzter positiver Aspekte hat die dunkle Seite der Spielspaß-Macht gesiegt.

Quando, há alguns meses atrás, a equipe da Lucas anunciou que tinha desenvolvido alguns jogos baseados no filme, muitos de nós ficaram completamente extasiados. Muitos foram levados a acreditar em algo realmente bom, que traria toda a fantasia e as emoções do universo da série Star Wars para a tela do PC. Nada mais justo, já que gerações cresceram assistindo no cinema todas as aventuras de Luke Skywalker e sua turma. Porém, a grandee verdaded veio como um tiro em uma noite escura. O lançamento dos tão aguardados títulos se fechou em dois jogos. "Star Wars Racer" (um jogo de corrida sem grandes novidades) e "A Ameaça Fantasma" (um adventure que prometia muito além do que todos os outros puderam cumprir). Outro título, ficou às sombras e foi desenvolvido por uma sub-divisão da Lucas com ênfase ao lado educativo - Star Wars - The Gungan Frontier. Um jogo onde o objetivo é criar, no estilo Simcity, eco-sistemas perfeitos para as criaturas do filme.

Do I personally recommend this game? Yes, but not as an adventure game. This is a game that was marketed for the general public. Yet I am positive that LucasArts couldn't care less what a 43-year-old male does and does not like. Bottom line--my three sons, aged 16, 11 and 9, who wouldn't know a real adventure game from Pokemon, love this self-proclaimed action/adventure game, and that, my friends, is the bottom line--cold, hard cash. But here's another bottom line, LucasArts and all you other companies screwing us adventure gamers--I control the purse strings in my house, and I will no longer support games or companies that continue to bastardize the adventure genre. I wish I could report that Phantom Menace is a good but failed try at an adventure game, but it is a sheep in wolf's clothing. I never thought the day would come when I would dread the release of a new LucasArts game, but Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine just dropped off my list of must-have adventure games.