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By WES PLATT
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 26, 2001
Star Wars: Battle for Naboo
PLATFORM: Windows
COMPANY: LucasArts Entertainment
PRICE: $39.99
The first thing Star Wars: Battle for Naboo has going for it comes before the game starts: a crushing end for Jar-Jar Binks.
That's right. The goofy, gibbering alien many Star Wars fans love to hate is ambling across the screen, and suddenly the title drops on his head.
It felt like an apology, and I accepted it readily.
But the game wasn't worth the price of admission.
It doesn't help that I didn't enjoy Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace as much as the earlier movies.
So, going in, I felt little enthusiasm for the prospect.
Battle for Naboo takes place on the verdant home world of Queen Amidala, with players assuming the role of Gavin Sykes, a member of the royal guard sworn to defend Naboo from the nefarious Trade Federation.
The graphics are pretty good, and they should be, considering they hog 64 megabytes of RAM and require a 3-D accelerator. The controls are simple to master.
The game, broken down to its basics, is a shooting gallery. You roam from target range to target range, shooting at anything before it can shoot you. The only feature this particular duck shoot offers that others don't is the Star Wars brand name.
So, if you enjoyed Phantom Menace, you'll probably enjoy this game, because it gives you a chance to immerse yourself in the events of the movie.
If you didn't, save your money.
-- WES PLATT, Times staff writer