I love Star Wars. But whenever I say
that, I feel like I have to qualify that love. I do not have my own lightsaber, but I do
have an ample collection of action figures. I did not wait for days in line to see The
Phantom Menace; I waited hours. The Star Wars Universe played a big part in my youth and
functions more on a nostalgic level for me today. Because I care so much about the
franchise, I find myself beginning to worry about its possible overexposure. There was a
time when the Star Wars seal was synonymous with quality. You really had the impression
that George Lucas wouldnt let anyone go near his baby unless it was golden material.
Maybe hes been too busy to care. After all, he has been working non stop on the
original trilogy and the prequels for about the last five years which coincides with the
end of what I like to call "The Golden Era of Lucasarts." Thats not to say
that there havent been any great games to come out of the franchise. Its just
that a Star Wars game is no longer guaranteed to wow. I remember the first time I played
X-Wing and Tie Fighter and being amazed at the games ability to suck me into the
Star Wars universe. Then came Dark Forces, which was like living out the ultimate dream. I
bought an N64 because of the promise of a good Star Wars game. Shadows of the Empire
proved to be among the first of many disappointments with Nintendos powerhouse. So
far, Ive enjoyed the Star Wars games for the Dreamcast, but Ive never been
wowed. Demolition is the best Star Wars console game available, but that may be damning it
with faint praise. The folks over at Lucasarts have teamed up with Luxoflux,the makers of
Vigilante 8, to give us a game for any boy who dreamed of blowing up his Star Wars toys
but was too afraid that he would get in trouble with his parents. The premise of the game
is simple and straightforward: Jabba the Hut is holding his own version of a demolition
derby circuit where anything goes. There is no complicated plot to follow or any complex
character motivation. You just need to blow everybody else up before they blow you up.
This is
Vigilante 8 with Star Wars themed setting and spacecraft. There is nothing particularly
new or innovative about this game, but it seems to really appeal to a love for the Star
Wars mythology while satisfying a need for destruction. The vehicle choices are excellent.
It could have easily been a boring assortment of Tie Fighters, X-Wings, and Corellian
Starships, but instead we get little Boba Fett with his jet pack, the Rancor Beast with a
mounted laser canon, and the bounty hunter Aura Sing on her swoop. There are some great
standards as well like a modified Landspeeder or an AT-ST. There is something for everyone
here. The detail on the vehicles is spectacular. After playing this game, you might wonder
why anyone would want to play with the toys anymore. This incredible detail extends to
damage that the vehicles take while fighting. When your Snowspeeder is on its last legs,
it looks it.
The weapons
are simple blasters that have been mounted on each vehicle and there are four secondary
weapons that you can find throughout the courses. This may not seem like a lot in a day
where we rate our shooters by the number of different ways you can kill your opponents,
but trust me, the limited number of weapons actually enhances gameplay. I fear that if
there had been too many weapons the players focus might shift from the actual goals
of the game to getting their favorite canon. All of the weapons have special moves when
fully charged and you wont be disappointed with the effects. My favorite has to be
the Rancors grab and throw move when hes at a full charge. The only problem
with the combat aspect of this game is the auto-targeting feature. It switches between
opponents at a snails pace. Ive missed a few opportunities to demolish some of
my opponents right in front of me because the targeting system didnt switch over
fast enough. There is a manual override that I highly recommend using.
There was a
surprising amount of variety when it came to gameplay options. The various modes of play
include a tournament, a high stakes game, a droid hunt, a simple battle game and, of
course, multi-player. The tournament is self explanatory, except that you have to pay
attention to how much money youre making. Repairing sheilds and recharging weapons
through the game costs you credits and if you dont walk away with enough prize
money, you wont be able to unlock other characters. High Stakes mode gives you the
option of placing bets on yourself, which was a nice touch. You play until you get to
10,000 or you run out of money. Droid hunt is a simple "blow up as many as you can
before the time runs out" scenario. Battle mode is simply a matter of picking your
opponents and vanquishing them. The multi-player on the Dreamcast enables up to four
players at once which will provide a nice opportunity for bonding with friends and family.
The battle
arenas themselves are almost flawless. There are plenty of choices like the ice planet
Hoth, the swamps of Dagoba, or the capital on Naboo. The attention to detail is where this
aspect of the game really shines. For instance, when youre battling it out on the
surface of the Death Star you have to avoid Tie Fighters in the trenches and Hoth has
roaming AT-ATs. The only problem with the arenas is that the backgrounds are constantly
being drawn in which can be a little distracting at times, but the level designs are so
well done that you want to forgive this one minor flaw.
If you are a
Star Wars junkie, this game is a no-brainer, and it will provide gobs of entertainment for
anyone else who just likes to blow things up. When I reviewed Jedi Power Battles for DC I
gave the game four stars, but I had to qualify that it was a four star game for Star Wars
fans. I dont have to make the same excuses for Star Wars Demolition. It doesnt
break any new ground, but Lucasarts has created a game that I can recommend to almost
anyone without reservation, and its been awhile since Ive been able to do
that.