JonTron's StarCade: Episode 5 - The Phantom Menace Games

Jon continues the StarCade series by talking about games about The Phantom Menace.

Synopsis
Star Wars Episode 1 lives in infamy. This movie spawned more social outrage than the burning of the library of Alexandria. All of Jon's favorite books were burned up in that! Like a coloring book about mustaches of the former Soviet Union! It only comes with a brown crayon.

Jon introduces Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace on the PlayStation 1. It's rare to find a Star Wars game that is just based off of the movie. The differences include the deformed wobbly pixelly chimp face. The top-down angle that the camera is in is vomit inducing and is too close to the character. Even if you do find out what to do, you still have nausea to go with it.

A glitch is shown of a character struggling to go through a doorway. Jon is horrified as Obi-Wan gets cut to pieces in a fan! Jon likes Jar Jar, at least until he is killed by a firing squad. Most of this game is just traversing the terrain. The game is clunky to play, but Jon has played worse. It is interesting how they tried to make a scene by scene, but it doesn't quite work. The graphics are appealing and the environments are varied, so Jon gives the game a pass.

The next game is Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles. Sam Jackson looks like he just saw a spider, and Obi-Wan looks like he's listening to his friend's parents fight during an awkward family dinner. You can play as all your favorite characters and Plo Koon. He's a creature of the night. It looks and plays similar to the last game, but with a better camera and is more arcade-like. There is some platforming but is mostly a beat-em-up. Yoda is laughing a lot. Jon is dressed as a clown, and is holding a gun!

There are also some Flash games about the prequels based on Revenge of the Sith.

The first is Jedi vs Jedi: Blades of Light. Jon laughs at the slapstick fighting. Eventually one will fall over like a child. These games look strange because they were used to advertise a toy line, and it looks like they used the figures in stock motion. It's even possible to buy the background with the orange goo!

There is another toy line game for Revenge of the Sith called Scene Bot. It's a movie making game, and Jon puts the figures all over the screen. Jon freaks out, and puts the tapes into a safe, and burns them. They blow up!

Star Wars: The Gungan Frontier is the next game. The characters seem to have rigor mortis. They want to make a new home on the moon. Jon does a spit take. Jon is offered a fish and doesn't want to take it. Jon plays the game and is confused as to what he is doing, and is horrified by the menu that comes up. Someone flashes up on the screen, and Jar Jar comes in and annoys Jon.

This game doesn't hold up to Jon's favorite Gungan adventure game, Jar Jar's Jar Jar Jar. Jar Jar tries to open the jar, but can't get it open.

Jon has always liked Pod Racing, and the Pod Racing was his favorite part in the movie. There is always a sense of danger. Your favorite racer could be torn to shreds at any moment! Jon rides a pod racer, only to be horrified when someone is killed in front of him and is covered in blood!

This leads to Jon discussing Star Wars Episode 1: Racer for the Nintendo 64. Jon doesn't know why they didn't just call it Pod Racer? Maybe because people associate pods with peas. Jon stomps on frozen peas. Watto looks like Gonzo from the Muppets and Jeff Goldblum from The Fly.

The feeling of speed is impressive, and the controls feel tight. There was a large variety of locations and racers. Jon loves this game. There is always a Game Boy Color version, that isn't that good. It has a good opening theme, but the sound during the race sounds like the sound of death.

Jon thinks he is finished and begins to end the episode when he hears a tune. He finds a game called Star Wars Super Bombad Racing. Jon is worried. Jon is confused at this game. What's a bombad? Why did they choose Bombad? Jon can't get over this and tries to find what a bombad is.

It may mean superb. So this game translates to Super Superb Racing. That's pretty impressive. Jon freaks out about seeing Jar Jar. Jar Jar dances to tech music and screams. The Millennium Falcon blows up, and Jon and Jar Jar are floating in space.