Star Wars: Battle for Naboo - All N64 Games

[Nicktendo]

7 hours ago, Dcubed said:

Pokemon Stadium 2 (or 3, if you live in Japan), is an excellent expansion pack to Pokemon G/S/C.  But without that Transfer Pak support? It really is utterly crippled as a standalone purchase.

Luckily the minigames are all top-shelf, making it a worthwhile multiplayer party game on NSO, but without the ability to transfer your 'mons back and forth between the GB games? You lose about 90% of its intended use.  Real shame, because it compliments those GB games real nicely; and it was an absolute must-buy for fans of the GB games back in the day.

I remember paying 70 bones for an imported AUS version from GameStation back in the day. Did the game even officially release in Yurop? 

[Dcubed]

13 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

I remember paying 70 bones for an imported AUS version from GameStation back in the day. Did the game even officially release in Yurop? 

It came out in October 2021, 6 months after the Aussie version and 7 months after the US one (as well as 1 month after the GameCube had already launched in Japan!).

[Jonnas]

I had Pokémon Stadium 2 back in the day.

Really cool minigames (Mr.Mime's is absolutely fantastic), incredibly challenging Gym Leaders (PS1 had some bullshit difficulty, but PS2 had some brutal, calculated difficulty, with well-thought teams), the fun Challenge Cup (where rental Pokémon were randomly assigned to you), and it even allowed me to use Mystery Gift on the N64 itself! For a kid like me without Game Boy Colour (the device's infrared reader was required to activate Mystery Gift), that was a heck of a cool feature.

But now, the only reason I ever booted it up on the NSO was to play some minigames. Who knows, maybe some day I'll get the itch to re-engage with the battle system, but it's hard to tell.

[Cube]

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
 

• NA release: 15th December 2000
• JP release: N/A
• EU release: N/A
• Developer: LucasArts, Factor 5
• Publisher: LucasArts
• N64 Magazine Score: 81%

Looking back at N64 Magazine regarding this game is a bit confusing. In Europe, this was due to come out in September 2001. THQ then informed N64 magazine that the release date was pushed forward to June 2001, which is what issue their review was posted in. Yet, despite the PAL version being finished, it never came. I quickly checked the following few issues for a mention of the game not appearing on shelves, but there’s no mention of a delay or cancellation – there was even a guide in their August 2001 issue. It was a game I was interested in, but in, but wasn’t on my list to buy – although it turns out that I wouldn’t have been able to buy it anyway.

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine was a mixture of a Tomb Raider style platformer and a point and click adventure. It’s a nice idea, but the flaws of each part of the game really work against each other.

The original PC version of Infernal Machine used tank controls, but Indy is given proper analogue control for the N64 port, while the “place camera behind Indy” button also allows for strafing to line up shots, which does feel a bit awkward. While generally moving around feels much nicer on the N64, you still need to be immensely precise, which can lead to a lot of frustrations – Indy really needed to be able to grab ledges even when he’s slightly to the side. Incidentally, the modern control options in the Tomb Raider remasters also faced the same criticisms, as those games were designed around tank controls.

What makes the platforming even worse is the camera. It’s very, very close to Indy and points straight forward. In a great many rooms and areas, platforms you need to jump up to are just out of view. You can stop moving and use a slow first person camera, but even then, ledges can blend in with the ceiling. I had to keep looking up videos, as I was constantly missing things that really shouldn’t be part of the challenge.

Infernal Machine also employs point & click puzzle elements, where you have to find objects and work out what to use them on. One reason this mechanic works really well in puzzle games, is that it’s easy to identify what objects you can interact with, and it’s easy to test out objects on other objects. But not in Infernal Machine. The “take” button is often a pain to make appear – interacting with objects as a whole requires you to be standing on the exact pixel the game wants you to be on. This isn’t just a faff in picking things up, but using items to interact with objects. You can use the right thing, but because you’re slightly at the wrong angle, it just seems like you used the wrong item.

Take the lagoon level. It’s set in a place that had some WWII conflict, with some boats and planes crashed. After a few lengthy puzzles and an underwater maze, you unlock a secret tunnel to some kind of underwater temple. When you get there, the door is shut. However, there’s no switch. Hopefully you found a rusty hammer in the underwater maze, as you’ll need to use it on a sunken plane to break off a part of the propeller, and then use the propeller on the door. While doing this, I also found another annoyance with items: on top of needing to be in a very precise location, you also need to remember to holster your weapon, as if you use an item while you’re holding something, the game will act in the same way as using an item in the wrong place. Incidentally, I was holding a machete, which seems like a much better instrument to use to pry open doors than a propeller you smashed off a wet, rusty plane with a rusty hammer.

These obscure puzzle things work fine in 2D point & click adventures, because you can easily highlight objects that can be interacted with, you’ll be given hints as you interact with the various items, and if all else fails, it’s easy to test every object with other objects. In a 3D world like this, it’s just frustrating.

Combat comes across fine, with Indy automatically targeting enemies. Your revolver is your main weapon due to infinite ammo, but you can also find other weapons to use. Your biggest threat isn’t other humans, but small wildlife – particularly spiders. They’re small, hard to see, come out of nowhere, and will poison Indy, so make sure you get loads of anti-venom kits. I also found it amusing that the water sections don’t just have mines and sharks, but they had to add piranhas as well.

All of this is a great shame, as buried beneath this frustration is a great Indiana Jones adventure. The story is intriguing and fully voice acted (although, due to the compression, the lack of subtitles is a hindrance), and you can tell that, if some parts were smoothed out, it could be a ton of fun. A few of the later levels add vehicles to the mix, such as using a jeep for a chase, or having to hop in and out of a minecart to adjust its route through the level, and it would be nice to see this in a tidied up package.

Fine

Quote

So there you have it. Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is, at its core, a polished Tomb Raider. As such, it’s never going to be as smooth or as compelling as Zelda, but if you’re itching for some decent 3D platforming action, you can’t really go wrong here. And let’s face it, until Luigi’s Mansion – or whatever it’s called – arrives, you haven’t really got much choice…

Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #55

Remake or remaster?

This would benefit massively from a remaster. Camera control would help massively along with widening the area for grabs and interacting with items – and perhaps add something to highlight what can be interacted with. Perhaps an “intuition” button that highlights objects that can be used.

Official Ways to get the game

The original PC version is on GoG, with some support for higher resolutions, but has no proper upgrades. It also includes the latest official patch, which breaks the game on level 7, so you still need to track down an unofficial patch.

[Dcubed]

I haven’t played this one myself, but I hear that the N64 version was actually a significant upgrade from the PC version.  And it does so while running in 480i to boot.  No mean feat for a PC to N64 port in 2001!

But then again, this was a Factor 5 job.  You know, the wizards who got Contra 3 running on a frigging original Game Boy!

[Glen-i]

22 hours ago, Ashley said:

Oh no I wasn't thinking of a NSO version of the original two games, but rather you take your gen 1/2 Pokémon from an existing Switch game (say Scarlet/Violet) and transfer them to the NSO stadiums. 

Again, Game Freak won't do that but was curious what issues may arise from it. 

Cheers!

Oh, that's definitely do-able. HOME lets you actually edit a Pokemon's moves in the app itself. It even lets you use TM moves if you already taught it said move in the game it came from.

Again, the stats would have to be recalculated, but if it's going straight to Stadium, I don't see it as unreasonable to just max out the EV's for use in that.

Again though, depends on how easy it is to edit the NSO app with data from HOME.

[Ashley]

1 hour ago, Glen-i said:

Oh, that's definitely do-able. HOME lets you actually edit a Pokemon's moves in the app itself. It even lets you use TM moves if you already taught it said move in the game it came from.

Again, the stats would have to be recalculated, but if it's going straight to Stadium, I don't see it as unreasonable to just max out the EV's for use in that.

Again though, depends on how easy it is to edit the NSO app with data from HOME.

"Why does it say I have three notifications?... Oh I see"

Good to know it is possible, but alas I doubt it'll happen. 

[Cube]

Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo 
 

• NA release: 15th December 2000
• EU release: 30th March 2001
• JP release: N/A
• Developer: Factor 5
• Publisher: LucasArts (NA), THQ (PAL)
• N64 Magazine Score: 78%

The Rogue Squadron trilogy is a much loved series of games, I’ve referred to them as such myself. This means that, like many others, I’m guilty of completely overlooking Episode 1: Battle for Naboo. This takes complaints people had about the first Rogue Squadron and improves on it, with a story about almost entirely new characters showing some of the stuff that happened on Naboo during the course of the first film. Due to this, you get to play as the remnants of the army becoming freedom fighters, trying to help others along the way (and sometimes, choosing not to help due to more pressing matters).

Battle for Naboo has less focus on escort missions than Rogue Squadron does, and the ones that do, they seem to be a bit more lenient, giving you a bit more freedom to go ahead to take out threats. There’s one where you have to protect a transport, but the radar shows the next tank to take out instead. A few aren’t really escort missions, either, you’re told to make sure your captain stays alive and it’s more a case of “don’t purposefully blow him up”. You go on the offensive a lot more than in Rogue Squadron.

Something else that helps a lot with variety are the different kinds of vehicles. On top fighters (of which there are only a few), you also have ground vehicles and a boat. Some missions are entirely focused on one type, while others have you change part way through. One mission gives you the choice of being entirely on the ground or up in the air. Battle for Naboo also has an adaptive difficulty system, so the game will keep tweaking the difficulty to try and keep you on your toes, or relax a bit if you’re struggling. These factors make replaying the game more interesting.

The one complaint I do have, is that some enemy fighters seem to take a few too many hits, but that’s really a minor thing, as dogfights are still a lot of fun. Battle for Naboo is probably overlooked after the hype for Episode 1 died down, and people didn’t think much of it. Despite what you think of the film, this is very much worth playing.

Fave

Quote

By the time you finish each stage, you’ll have covered a huge amount of ground and engaged in some pretty nasty firefights. It’s this kind of in-depth scenario which eventually swings things in Naboo’s favour. Perseverance, it seems, brings great reward, as the intricate design of each mission, and ultimately the plot itself, eventually manage to make the game utterly compelling.

Geraint Evans, N64 Magazine #53

Remake or remaster?

This should definitely get a remaster alongside the Rogue Squadron games.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to play Battle for Naboo – not even the old PC version is on GoG like Rogue Squadron.

[Dcubed]

I really should get round to getting Battle for Nabou.  I have no idea why I don’t have it, I mean, it’s more Rogue Squadron; can’t go wrong with that!