Woods of Eternity: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Game

First of all, let me just say that I was very young when Star Wars: Episode 1 came out, so nostalgia has managed to overcome what would probably otherwise be hatred for the movie and characters (for instance, I had no problem with Jar Jar). With that said, the first 3D action game I ever played was the game by LucasArts, which was released slightly before the movie itself.

The game was praised for its high-quality sound effects and the use of music from the movie (and, in the case of the PC version that I had, I particularly liked that the title screen had some clips of the movie that would loop) and for its action sequences, but was faulted for many of these sequences being flawed. A review by Movies2GamesReviews points out a lot of the flaws, but in a particularly searing light. Personally, I didn't have a problem with the relatively simple style of the graphics, the lack of some music from the score (such as Duel of the Fates--I liked the Droid Invasion theme much more, anyway, and that's the song they kept reusing). Being 11 at the time, I didn't notice, or care. It's really funny to hear critics complaining about the difficulty of the game when I, as a prepubescent child, beat it over and over again.

What so many apparently overlooked was the various quirks of the game. For instance, as you can see in the above video, if you walk over the dung worms for awhile in the Tatooine city, everyone in the city will comment on how much you smell like crap. What was a completely unnecessary game aspect, but they added it just to make the game come alive. You've got to admire that. Another neat thing about the game is that it didn't hold your hand, for better or worse. Sometimes this meant some platforming puzzles that meant lots and lots of reloading (and on the old Pentium II, it meant a minute or two of an impatient kid waiting for the game to load), particularly in a later level where Obi-Wan has to jump between some kind of weird turbo-lift platforms in that oversized area where Qui-Gon and Darth Maul fight. It also meant that you could attack and kill an ally, and you would lose the game. The game didn't stop you from doing what you wanted, but it did have consequences.

Also, I should mention that destroying droids in the first level and slaughtering Mos Espa and everyone at the Boonta Eve Race is loads of fun.

True, the platforming is difficult, the fights can be hard, the light sabers don't automatically deflect bolts back to their source, some of the puzzles can be annoying, the levels where you have to guard another character piss me off, and some of it felt rushed, but I still like the game. I guess that's the burden of nostalgia.

Oh, and yes, the final boss is way too easy.