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Star Wars: Obi Wan
by Jolex Del Pilar
Wednesday, December 26 2001
One of the most well known Jedi in the Star Wars universe gets his own game. Is this game strong with the force, or doomed to mediocrity? Find out in our full review!
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Title:
Star Wars: Obi Wan
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Platform:
Xbox
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Publisher:
LucasArts |
Developer:
LucasArts |
#
of Players: 1 - 2 |
Genre:
Action/Adventure
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
December 22, 2001 |
Grapevine:
As far back as I can think, Lightsabre combat has never truly been emulated correctly and certainly not quite as good as in this game. |
"Use the force Luke."
It might come as no surprise to you that one of the most clichéd adages of all-time was spoken by a fictitious character from one of histories' most popular science fiction epics of all-time, but to have his own game? It's about darned time!
Star Wars: Obi-Wan, based on the extremely popular Jedi played first by Alex Guiness and then by Ewan McGregor in the films, takes place in the timeline a little before Episode 1, and then during it as well. Over the course of 15 missions, you will guide "young" Obi-Wan Kenobi through the city-planet of Coruscant, through the hallways of a trade federation ship, and even the city of Theed on Naboo just to name a few. There are many locations in the game, some familiar to those who are fans of the films, and some surprises to even those who consider themselves born and raised on Tatooine. There is lots of stuff in here for the Stars Wars fanatic. For those of you who aren't Gamecube owners and missed out on playing Rogue Leader, then never fear, your Star Wars game is here.
Obi-Wan and The Force
Since Obi-Wan is a Jedi (or a Padawan Learner if you want to be really technical) you can expect him to have a certain degree of control over the "force" (the mysterious magical entity that Jedi's have control of). All of the force powers that Obi-Wan has are useful, but not completely necessary to complete the game with the exception of perhaps the force jump. Among them are the Force Push, which is useful for knocking enemies off a ledge, or into a wall, and the Force jump, which can have you leaping onto platforms not attainable by normal jumps. Perhaps one of the cooler force powers is the "slow-mo" effect which slows everything down to a crawl so you can react to situations more efficiently. This effect has been popular in gaming recently and can also be seen in Remedy's Max Payne. Other force powers include the Force pull, Sabre throw, and the ability to throw objects into enemies causing great damage. But when all is said and done, the Force is certainly cool, but we all know why most of us are here in the first place: The Lightsaber.
Lightsabre Combat
As far back as I can think, Lightsabre combat has never truly been emulated correctly and certainly not quite as good as in this game. Using the right analog stick, you wield Obi-Wan's lightsabre like a skilled swordsman, and it's all very intuitive too. If you swing the stick right, Obi-Wan swings right, and if you swing it left, Obi-Wan slashes left. Using different button combinations in unison with the left control stick yields even fancier moves such as a spinning saber smash, or stabbing your enemies on the ground. It's all very easy to learn and should only take a few missions to get used to, and luckily so because you'll need to know how to wield that blue light of death if you expect to make it though some of the missions. Many of the enemies are excellent at blocking sabre attacks, and some of the missions have you squaring off against other Jedi who are very skilled in the art of lightsabre combat. A word of advice: There is a power called "Force block", make good use of it.
The Adventure
Spread over 15 missions, Star Wars:Obi-Wan never feels rushed and seems to have a very adventurous but not chaotic pace to it. The first few missions have you chasing down a bunch of space gangsters known as "The Black Hand". They are especially of interest to the Jedi Council since they seem to be researching Jedi resistent weaponry. After the Black Hand missions, the story pretty much follows the Episode 1 plot with some minor twist. The Black Hand missions seem to be more difficult than some of the later missions however, which brings me to my first gripe about this game(you know there had to be one). Although the pacing of the game is near perfect, I found that the early missions that involve the Black Hand are perhaps some of the most difficult in the game, with the exception of the levels which take place on Naboo. It's not anything that causes a major gameplay imbalance, but it is weird that some of the earlier levels prove to be more difficult than the later levels. This could potentially scare away those who are expecting to ease into the game gradually, because after the second mission, things become a bit more difficult which forces the player to learn how to utilize their sabre and force powers quickly or face a quick Jedi death. The droids of the Black Hand are some mean mofos who wield Jedi resistant weaponry which makes dueling them very difficult. Don't expect to hack through them with ease, especially when two of their friends join the fray. In some missions, you'll have Qui-Gon Jinn, your Jedi master, to help you. Occasionally, friendly locals may help you as well. Most of the time though you'll be playing it solo, so don't rely on A.I partners too heavily.
Visuals
Graphically, Obi-Wan is not going to break create any new standards but they are very good in their own respect. The textures are high-res and are enough to convince this editor that the full extent of the Xbox's 64 megs of memory is being used. The character models are decent, with little details such as Obi-Wan's braided tail, or even Darth Maul's individual horns. It's all these elements that will cause Star Wars fans to immediatly recognize some familiar landmarks and characters from these fine 3D models. Perhaps most impressive of he levels is the Theed power core, the location of the "Duel of the Fates". Reflective mapping is used on the floors giving the room that shiny, wax feel that one may have gotten from the actual movie set. Overall, Obi-Wan doesn't fail to deliver in the visuals department.
Sound
Obi-Wan delivers gracious amounts of recognizable sounds and music from the movies for any Star Wars fan to enjoy. It's quite a spectacle to be on the trade federation ship, with the exact music that was playing during the scene in the movie. It all adds to the realism effect, that effect that causes you to believe you are really there. Lightsabre sounds are captured nicely, from the angry sparking roar that a sabre gives off when it touches another lightsabre, or the sound of your sabre being powered up in anticipation for battle. LucasArts seems to always deliver in the sound department whether it be their feature films, or videogames.
Multiplayer mayhem!
One of the most entertaining aspects of the game is the multiplayer mode. Although this game isn't going to beat out Fusion Frenzy as a regular birthday party game. it will still allow you an opporunity to "strike down" a friend with all your anger in lightsabre combat. Throughout the game, by finding a secret items, or performing well during a mission, you'll unlock Jedi Knights and secret battle arenas for the multiplayer mode. First you start off with just Qui-Gon Jinn, and Obi-Wan. Eventually, you'll gain all members of the Jedi Council, ending with Mace Windu, a powerhouse of a jedi. Dueling in multiplayer is done with a split-screen, and is a very technical affair. Those who charge in flailing away will find themselves in the Jedi underworld fairly quickly. Learning when to counter, and when to block may be the difference between berating a friend or receiving annoying taunts from that same friend. It's all in good fun, and is an interesting addition to the game which will preserve it's replay value.
Use the Force?
In the end, a decision must be made on whether Obi-Wan is a worthy addition to a gamer's Xbox library. To answer the question, a condident "yes" can be given. Obi-Wan, while not perfect (some annoying graphical glitches, and might be a tad short for some gamer's taste) is a fairly solid title that stays true to the Star Wars Universe, and also does what no game has managed to do before, that is emulate lightsabre combat perfectly. Obi-Wan has managed to do just this, quite efficiently.
Also, with Xbox owners complaining about not getting such a cool exclusive such as Rogue Leader for the Gamecube, well, complain no more. Obi-Wan has arrived.
--- Jolex Del Pilar, VGLN Warlord
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