|
by THQ
|
I cant believe that there
actually was a time when I looked forward to the coming of a new Star Wars game. I bought
an N64 largely to play Shadows of the Empire. I remember counting down the days to the
release of Rebel Assault II. It didnt really matter much that the games werent
all that goodit was Star Wars, and that was enough. But it seems that you cant
find time to breathe between all of the Star Wars games coming out. Lucas was careful not
to release the Episode I toys too early because he feared overexposure. I wish that he
would exercise the same caution in releasing the games. The fact that Obi Wan Adventures
was published out of house should tell me that theyre releasing so many Star Wars
games that Lucasarts cant keep up. In just the past couple of months weve seen
Jedi Power Battles for the Dreamcast, Star Wars Demolition for the Playstation and
Dreamcast, Battle For Naboo for the N64 and now Obi-Wan Adventures for the Gameboy Color.
And if that wasnt enough, well be seeing Starfighter for the PS2, a Star Wars
themed kart racer for the Dreamcast and PS2 and Obi-Wan Adventures for the PC. Im
sure I missed a couple of titles, but the above list should be enough evidence that Lucas
is milking this franchise more than any evil trade federation could imagine. In an attempt
to cash in on the much anticipated Obi-Wan Adventures for the PC, THQ has published their
take on Jedi Power Battles for the Game Boy Color. The gameplay is almost identical to
Jedi Power Battles with a lot less jumping. In fact the jumping in Obi-Wan Adventures is
little more than hopping or skipping. I actually found myself getting embarrassed at the
lameness of his leaps.
You have three basic weapons: your lightsaber, a blaster, and the force. I never found
any real use for the blaster while playing the game, but you will need the force to
complete a few of the puzzles on some of the levels.
The graphics are actually pretty nice. They are a
couple of notches above what I expected from the Game Boy. Obi-Wan is nicely animated,
theres a lot of action going on in the backgrounds, and the Destroyer Droids unravel
themselves with a nice flourish.
The
brevity of level play is a concern. There were a few puzzles that I got hung up on while I
was playing which stretched out my playing time considerably, but if you dont have
any problems figuring out the puzzles you should be able to complete the game in a couple
of hours (at most). Each time I finished a level I had that same feeling I have whenever I
eat one of those small bags of M&Ms"Is that it?" Some of the levels
were over before I could blink, and with a total of nine levels that doesnt add up
to a whole lot of gameplay.
The
levels are short; its more of that Star Wars junk that people seem to be getting
sick of, and Obi-Wan cant jump well enough to make a decent show at hop-scotch. The
only things that Obi-Wan Adventures has going for it are the graphics and the chance to
wield a lightsaber on the Game Boy Color. Star Wars fans will be pleased, but Im
starting to learn that it doesnt take a whole lot to please that bunch (Phantom
Menace did make over 400 million at the box office).
Jason
Frank |
|
Snapshot
Ups: Nice graphics; weilding a lightsaber; Star Wars franchise appeal.
Downs: Too short; embarrassing jumps.
System Reqs:
Game Boy Color
|
|
|
|
Questions? Suggestions? Comments?
Contact us at:
editors@gamesfirst.com |
|