How The Phantom Menace Game Became a Sandbox RPG | Developer Interview Part 1 | FLANDREW
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- I had the pleasure of sitting down with Michael Ebert and Ray West, the developers behind Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace Game for PC and Playstation One. In this in depth interview the guys discuss the development of the game and how they went about adapting The Phantom Menace movie.
A big thanks to both Mike and Rey. Find them on twitter here:
Michael Ebert: / vigilant940
Ray West: / zanzibar106
Flandrew Twitter: / the_flandrew
HOLY HELL THIS IS UNREAL! This game is a solid 90% of why I enjoy the phantom menace. I replayed it so many times as a kid that there are dialogue lines forever engraved into my skull. Keep pumping out this incredibly niche but also incredibly high quality content my guy!
The room is filling with posion gas!
I'm about to slash.....ALL MY PRICES!
"I'm looking for a T-14 hyperdrive generator"
there is actually a junk dealer in fallout 3 that has a dialog option "Do you have a T-14?" which is met with "Huh?" and I always wondered if it was a reference to this game.
I always use, ‘door is open, let’s go’ in my everyday life
Nngh…..You’re a no good killer!
_"Better stand back mister because I'm about to slash..._ *ALL MY PRICES!"*
Such a underrated game!
Thank you for this interview!
CHOKIE
How do you make fresh dried chokie?
Played the hell out of this as a kid! I remember discovering you could just force push Darth Maul down the shaft instead of doing the whole fight properly. I ran and told my Dad (who beat the game before) and he couldn’t believe it lol. Great memories with this one.
I stood to the side of the shield and shot him to death with a blaster. A proud moment😅
I did this and also you could repeatedly force push Jabba’s beast up against the spikes bones around the edge of the room to kill it
What ?! Is that even possible to kill Darth Maul in a proper duel ?
Or the glitch where he continuing does his death gasp every 5 seconds lol
I know this game wasn’t well received at the time, but I loved it as a kid when I played it. I played it start to finish many times, and the game really shone in the sandbox levels- 6 and 7 on Mos Espa particularly. The love for the Star Wars universe was clear, and the effort in world building in that regard really did pay off. Considering the constraints of a small studio with very limited info, I think being able to make a game that endears itself to Star Wars is a testament to your creativity- and all those little Easter eggs totally made the games!
Very cool to hear the devs reflect on it- and I’m glad you are both proud.
One thing that George Lucas always raised with the phantom menace/ Star Wars was that it was a movie for kids- and of course when your movie critics are all adults there’s going to be a discrepancy. I think the same can be said about these games, I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid who absolutely loved them, even if they didn’t review well.
Thanks both of you guys for your role in making such a big part of my childhood ❤
I look forward to part 2!
In the Mos Espa levels, the game evolves from The Phantom Menace to The Phantom Massacre.
Yeah but then anakin gets pissy and says he won't help a murderer like me.
Gardens of Theed was a great level with many paths and hidden items too.
And that tank was absolutely terrifying. Great stuff.
Sadly though, too many times when the queen dies because you were exploring
@@burnout713 pewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpewpew
Keeps this type of videos coming. You literally became my favorite RUclipsr within a month with your version comparisons and interviews with the devs. Awesome stuff.
Hope these guys read these comments because I'd like to say that this game was amazing! Growing up I have nothing but good memories of playing this growing up, I played through it so many times and ended up buying it a second time when I damaged my first disc. I've recently purchased it again and I've already played through it all as a 27 year old! Amazing part of my childhood.
Oh god, this made my day. Having played this game so much as a kid (my first PC game, gifted to me by my dad!) it's so much fun to finally hear about some of the behind the scenes of its production. Even for all its faults, I still hold it very dear in my heart and not just because of the nostalgia or the love for Star Wars, but also because this was basically a game that kinda shaped my gaming tastes for years to come. My absolute favorite kinds of games will always share the same DNA with The Phantom Menace, and if it's something that specifically combines third person action combat with intricate RPG elements such as dialogue trees and inventory/item puzzles, and also features this sort of free-roam go-nuts kind of mentality to its design, then I'm immediately hooked. And while it's probably a stretch to claim that TPM inspired RPGs such as Knights of The Republic or immersive sims such as Deus Ex or Dishonored, it was definitely THE game that got me interested in all of those other games later in life.
Thanks for putting so much love and effort into it because not only this game was a huge part of my childhood, but I still like to occasionally replay it to this day and still have a good time. And you can bet your ass that I'm gonna show it to my own kids one day.
The Mos Espa levels alone make this game great. I spent so many hours as a kid just messing around trying to figure out the trade puzzles, helping npcs or just going on rampages. To this day some of the npc lines randomly pop into my head. "Better stand back mister cause I'm about to slash... all my prices!"
Same bro
Buy some hydroponic vegetables?
If you resort to violence you'll find I am a formidable opponent.
I am looking for mass coupler. Yes I have a mass coupler but I've heard you only have republic credits.
Wanna buy some fresh dried chokie?
YOU WERE ONLY 8 GUYS ON IT? I loved this game so much.
SW episode 1 is one of my favourite games on the PlayStation. I have been playing it since it came out in 1999 and I feel so nostalgic playing it in 2022! The creators done a wonderful job and it is so great to hear their insights in making this fantastic game! Thanks for the cheat option in the main menu, it came in handy with the Mos Espa level lol
I remember owning this game on PC as a child, as well as a friend of ours, and absolutely loving it! This game played such a huge part in my enjoyment of video games as a child and I can child remember little snippets of it now, even the quotes from npcs are coming back to me while I read through the comments.
I managed to come across a ps1 copy not so long ago and instantly grabbed it and bought it without a single thought other than I need this game back!
I will never not speak highly of this game, and it’s wonderful to see that there is such a large community of players who also enjoyed playing it. A fantastic piece of Star Wars video game history that will never not be remembered with absolute fondness
I remember before this game was released how hyped I was to play it! I wasn’t disappointed, game was a huge part of my childhood. I still enjoy this game more then Jedi power battles.
I’m not much of a gamer but this is favourite game. Endless hours spent playing this when I was a kid. The coruscant escort/rescue mission had us stuck for an entire summer. When me and my mate finally broke through the final landing platform attacker we literally wept with joy, and we still reminisce about it now over 20 years later!
Why are you using "intro music" throughout the entire video? It feels like I'm watching the first minute of the video for 20 minutes.
These guys are awesome!! I love your growing channel and your video topics. Thanks for the clearly passionate output!
The amount of effort and thought and struggle to deliver a movie-tie in game is remarkably impressive.
Avatar cracking me up. "She always did enjoy a good squeeze"
Thank you so much for instigating this interview! The game had such a profound impact on me as a kid. At the time I had such a great time exploring certain parts of the world like Tatooine and even Coruscant (glad they didn't cut it). Or even slaughtering the entire Gungan tribe felt refreshing. I feel that despite its flaws, it's one of my favorite Star Wars games. Also Episode 1 gets too much hate. I saw the premiere of episode 1 in 1999 in Bath and I'll always have fond memories of it. Recently rewatching the first trilogy, it felt like I was watching it for the first time, now being older and a bit more knowledgeable. Nostalgia is important and I'm glad it is. Thank you again for this. Can't wait for part 2!
This is one of my favorite SW games ever. I would love to see this game and Episode 1 Racer remastered with the unreal 5 engine.
This video is just brilliant. I've been ill for the last 3 weeks and unable to get out of bed and your content has been very enjoyable and comforting! I think I've watched your entire output.
Thank you, get better soon!
Been loving your stuff, this interview is so enlightening! I loved this game back in the day, it was very unique. Thanks!
I played this game so many times growing up as a teenager that me and my younger brother still quote this game to this date! "Coruscant has lovely sunsets."
This was such a cool game! Just like the Harry Potter movie tie-in games it felt so amazing to go see the movie in theaters and then come home and play this game on my pc, reliving the story and having the chance to be the Jedi/hero yourself. Although the levels were quite difficult for me, I loved the different atmospheres (Trade Federation Battleship, Swamps of Naboo, Otoh Gunga, Gardens/City of Theed, Mos Espa & Coruscant) and voice acting (due to which I even grew more attached to the characters from the movie (especially the game leads Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Queen Amidala & Captain Panaka)). Finally, working your way towards Viceroy Gunray/Darth Maul and fighting the latter in the last level really felt epic! All in all, this game provided me with many fond memories and I will be forever grateful to the team (of only 8 people?!) making it.
Holy crow! This is awesome! Thank you, Mike and Ray, for creating one of my favorite Star Wars games as a kid. I've replayed The Phantom Menace more than I've replayed Knights of the Old Republic II and the number of hours I've spent exploring the levels and finding ways to break the game are some of my favorite memories!
Great Video! Absolutely love hearing from the developers and how they felt about their work here. There's always so much focus on interviewing for just the "big stuff" that people forget how interesting the stories other developers have to tell.
In many cases, they're much more interesting.
Back when movie games were actually worth playing. Loved this game
Movie games literally don't happen any more so I'm not sure why you think modern ones are bad.
Most movie tie-in games are generally bad. That's always been the case since they started.
Obviously there are standouts that actually end up being fun.
only in regards to star wars. movie games always sucked. even back then. few exceptions
@@blondafro4112 star wars, Harry potter, the thing, scarface, the warriors, 007, LOTR, AvP, The Great Escape, Star Trek, Riddick, Spider-Man. To name a couple
@@couldbebetter7187 The good AvP games were released before the movies.
Like so many others, I have very fond memories of this game and I've replayed it many times over the years. Thank you for this fantastic content!
"Carve your own story"
*carves way threw entire gungan population*
needs a new remaster and one of my favourite classic games on ps1 and on pc
No, it doesnt
I mostly remember murdering everyone on the Tatooine level. Fun to know that option was intentional lol
"You're a NO GOOD KILLER!"
"Stop pushing me!"
And many, many other lines of dialogue that will be forever lodged in my head. Thank you!
Easily one of my favorite games of all time, holds such a special place in my heart.
@Flandrew - please tell the guys that, even though it had issues and faults, I still enjoyed and replayed both the PC and PS1 versions a lot and it certainly for me delivered an authentic star wars experience (despite the faults). So thank you for making my childhood. The cheats made it bareable too haha.
Seriously been in my Top 5 all my life! So many exceptional memories with this one, and I have been back to it numerous times over the last decade and always find myself really getting back into it and completing it each time!
when i was a kid i would go around as qui gon and kill every single person i could, and that camel looking merchant guy would keep talking after you killed him, and the kids would say hey that hurts while the died, the jawas would go crazy and bring out a huge laser gun, and padme would say there is a maniac going around killing everyone, and it was so funny because it was different form any other game, still have the game to this day
Star Wars Episode 1 the game was actually the very first video game that I ever played. It's where I learned how to use a controller, so this game will always have a place in my heart.
What to say? This was actually my introduction to the Star Wars universe, I played this on my first PC when I was six years old. It entertained me infinetely, it scared me, it made me want to explore the world, made me fascinated for lightsabers and exotic creatures, it was the first game where I had to make choices and strategies through dialogue with character that really felt like real people to me. It was definetely an experience that opened a whole new world to me and I love these guys for that.
On a different note, I think the Coruscant level is completely brilliant. You go from the highest point in the social hierarchy, being side by side with Jedis, a Queen and the Supreme Chancellor of that whole planet-city to its lowest dephts, interacting with beggars, criminals and assasins in the end. It's amazing and something not a single movie touched upon. Really, the atmosphere in this game was off the rails!
I loved the Mos Espa level so much as a kid, that I didn't mind playing the game from the start every single time after I lost my memory card, just to get to that level, lol. Because of this, I know the game inside out up until Mos Espa.
Now I'm surprised how accurately the game catches Episode I's unique atmosphere despite the developers knowing so little about the movie. In retrospect, it's probably mainly because of this game, Episode I Racer and Battle for Naboo why Episode I will always have a special place in my heart.
Edit: If one of the devs happens to read this comment, thank you so much for enriching my childhood with this gem of a game! I used to play the game with my dad and one of my friends and we sometimes still laugh about certain lines from NPCs.
we didn't have memory cards, we had to start from the begging each time, we memorized the dialog and we didn't even speak english, me and my sisters loved it.
"I don't like sandbox RPGs. They're coarse and rough, and the controls let you go everywhere. Not like linear gameplay. Linear gameplay is warm and smooth."
My strongest memory of this game is falling in the giant fans of the first level and seeing every member of Obi Wan being... Well... Dismembered. I was pretty shocked!
So uncivilized...
Thank you. I poured a lot of time into playing this game back in the day and it's great to see an interview like this. Really good stuff.
"BETTER STAND BACK MR 'CAUSE I'M ABOUT TO SLASH..." is a quote me and my friends still use to this day. Thanks for the insight.
I grew up with both the PC and the PSX version and I had no idea it was made by only 8 people. That excauses alot, I think. I still have no clue how they came up with that gatling machine gun or why the jumping was so utterly bad but I have nothing but love for this game. It's always a blast to boot up that Mos Espa level every few years.
This doesn’t have as many views as it should tbh. Flandrew, your audience is kinda small (for now), but please never stop putting out content. Even if your song only gets 15 listeners, it’s still 15 lives you’ve changed and had an impact on. Much love fam ❤️
This game is the first video game I ever have memory of playing. Playing it periodically over the years to just recapture that feeling of nostalgia. Thank you guys for creating memories!
Very insightful. I actually prefer diversions from the movie, so long as all the key scenes are covered. Like I loved exploring Coruscant because the film suggested there was so much more going on. The podrace was anticlimactic though, but can't blame them for not trying.
No wonder Mos Espa is my favourite level, it was the first level to be made and worked on extensively than others. And it feels very homey and relaxed.
Nah, that guy whose house you clear out of thugs, and he has no gratitude about him, it just ruins the vibe.
So cool to hear about how this game was put together. I used to spend hours just wandering around Mos Espa, seeing what I could find.
I’ve loved and played this game so much!!! Thanks for this awesome interview! It brought back some awesome memories❤️
Been planning a replay of this recently! Didn't know you did interviews? This is rad!!! Props to the devs.
Great interview! I remember playing a demo of this at costco back in 1999 and in the same summer i got the PC version as a bday present. Spent the summer messing around the Mos Espa and the Theed palace and just exploring the world. Earlier this summer I bought the PS1 copy at a retro store and did a replay. To the Devs, thank you for making a fun game that I remember fondly to this day
This was my first PS1 game, I hold it in fond memory. Never finished it though as I struggled to find the way to Darth Maul & Qui Gon
I remember attempting to play this game with my friend on their crappy PC. Never got out of the tradeship. Ran at like 10 FPS. A couple years later, was finally able to get my own laptop and finished the game. What a fun interview and a nostalgia trip. I spent so much time raging why Obi-wan wasn't deflecting every blaster bolt when he was supposed to be a Jedi.
I remember years ago coming across a message board thread with one of the developers on this game who discussed this game at length.
It was fascinating and I wish I still had access to it.
I wonder if one of these guys was that poster.
Thank you so much for doing these interviews, they're freakin' great!
Its just like the early Harry potter games. The devs were given hardly any information to go off making the game. Yet that's what gives these games their charm, it forced it to become a game following the phantoms menace story not a strict adaptation of the movie. Sometimes the best adaptations between different media types are the looser ones that let each media do what its best at.
since I was a kid I was fascinated about how this game had a lot of branch dialogues and options like a RPG, most of them on the Mos Espa and Tatooine levels. A lot of gameplay problems but definetly a remarkable game.
A beloved classic from when I was a kid. Some of the story choices in this were far superior to the movie (such as how Qui-Gon meets Anakin for the first time). We need a re-release for modern systems!
Taiwan have just rated this game for PS4 and PS5. Expect a release soon.
Another memory I have is the beginning of the escort the queen level had some large and empty rooms off to the side which were unused.
I wish the source code, or at least some dev tools from this game were released. A source port for this game would be amazing too btw, not only to facilitate it running on newer systems, but also to facilitate the implementation of modern graphical goodies (global illumination) and proper skyboxes. Having fan levels built with this as a base would also be amazing, considering it allows for action but also adventure with NPC interaction and dialogue trees
Thank you for this! It's one of my childhood games and I was really curious about what the mindset of the developers was.
I love the mos espa level.
Great interview!!
This is amazing stuff thank you for creating this and can't wait for the second part.
This game was great. Certainly imperfect, but a lot of (sometimes frustrating) fun. I greatly prefer this to a lot of AAA highly polished games today because it doesn't hold your hand. You feel like YOU are playing a game, with all of its challenges, intended and unintended. Modern story-focused games often make it feel like the games is halfway to playing itself and you're just along for the ride. Not yucking another person's yum, I think it's just something that the industry has had to do in order to make games more broadly appealing to capture a group of customers who wouldn't push past the frustration of working out old-school games (understandably). Miss this era in games.
Looking at this game and then the Revenge of the Sith game shows how much more the developers were given and knew while producing it.
This interview makes me appreciate the game way than I already did. The game is clunky but fun!
It is incredible to finally to watch what the authors say about the best game of my childhood and the best game ever made. It has everything, action, adventure, RPG elements, you could freely explore. Really beyond it's time. You can view my channel where I tried to reveal all the secrets and easter eggs for each level. I was hoping will you ever create a game like this for all the rest of the episodes (I would definately play it). I love you and thank you so much for making this game. It has changed my life forever. Thank you!!!
If the devs are reading this, I have some of my best gaming memories playing this with my dad! I still have my original PC copy!
You guys made some gold! I will always appreciate you!
Great video!
Awesome content! Thanks for the upload!
Of note if you own the PC version...there are several cheat codes that enhance the game play. For example "first person" and higher resolution views that makes many levels more cinematic! Still enjoy digging this out and playing it from time to time!
I've been wanting to replay this game. I have such fond memories of it (though those Naboo levels are hell).
Yoo, I remember Ray West (Zanzibar) from the LucasForums, sharing all kinds of secrets and modding help on the game. Great times.
Ah yes, Gungan Genocide Simulator, great game
I played this game on my ps2 without a ps1 memory card to save my progress, and every time I played the game, I started in the first level which I knew all the secrets perfectly; my record without a memory card was the level of the queen until one day I decided to complete the game and I was playing during 24 hours (I went to sleep with the ps2 working in pause). I finished the game, and it was a really fantastic experience. I have to say that I played the game without a memory card a lot of time because the game was entertaining for me. A funny fact was that one year after completing the game on my ps2, I discovered that I could play on my ps3 and save the progress!!!!!! (I think I enjoyed the game more without the possibility of saving my progress; it was more exciting). Now, I am playing the pc version with better graphics.
I freaking LOVE this game! And boy, oh boy... I was alone. I had only a leaked and buggy BETA version of the PS1 game (third world problems) for a long time, until be able to get the full game and had A BLAST! A game of my first Star Wars movie... And it had JAR-JAR!!!
Do you still have the beta? You could be rich
@@HistoryandReviews It was a pirated copy (the way to play in Brazil). With the upcoming movie, even a beta version of the game would sell a lot, and I was a unadvertised kid, at the time, about these type of thing.
Love your videos man, amazing, this game is...very funny, and a chunk of my childhood
Okay but… Senate Bumper-Cars. That sounds fun. You could choose from a massive variety of races and Senators, maybe different ones have unique abilities?
I remember playing this game quite extensively as a kid and enjoying it. Of course I didn't know at the time that it was done by a team of 8 people, with very limited reference material and strict time constraints, to me it was simply the phantom menace game!
Looking back now, yes it was janky and had some significant issues, but that is true for many great PS1 games. Kids power through that stuff regardless and have a lot of fun doing it. I didn't just play a game through as intended back then, I would try to break them in crazy ways and TPM absolutely let me do that, but it also wasn't a broken mess that meant you'd break it accidently. The team should be very proud of what they achieved.
A large part of my PC gaming childhood, wish I could find it today. I still have the cd rom, I'm just not computer savvy to make it work 😂
I love this game, especially the Mos Espa levels :D So happy to learn more about the game, thanks so much for the interview!
All this game needs is a hack/cheat that allows the camera to point at a lower angle instead of the awkward hybrid top-down-ish angle. Would that be a possibility in PS1 emulators? I think the PC version has a cheat code for that.
Thank you so much for this interview! I never would have thought that there are other people who care that much about this game. I love all the little details and side stuff they added, especially in the Tatooine levels. It really feels like a game made by fans who were passionate about it and not just "doing their job".
This game was incredible, I will never forget it
One of favs growing up, Keep up the videos on Star Wars games
Big shout out to all developers and staff involved in the making of this game! It was such a big influence in my childhood. I had a very slow computer with 32mb of GPU, played it at barely 15fps, but I still loved every second of the game, and had explored every area from start to finish.
Today as a software developer I understand and appreciate the work you guys made even more :D
I was like 10 and the movie had just came out, i rented this game and it was the greatest game ever to me, it let me dive deeper into the story of the phantom menace, i bought it a month later
The gungan level aside but what's way the hell more crazy is that you can slaughter kids in this game.
Wait wait wait. The game was made by only 8 people? Thats a baffling achievement.
Hell yeah. Great interview, always very interesting to hear the behind the scenes stories by the devs themselves. Thanks, man!
Am impressive at this game interview great stuff :D
I unironically love this game. I loved it back in the day and I still love it now.
Is the Source Code still available?
I have kept only a handful of PS1 games. And this game is one of them.
Until this channel I didn’t even know this was a PS1 game. I grew up with the PC version and still have it.
This video deserves more views, thank you so much for having these people interviewed! I'm a great fan of the PS1 version since I was a child. Greetings from Chile c:
Awesome content! Congrats and thanks :)
Wow, not a thing I expected to ever see followed up on anywhere! That game feels like such a lost treasure at this point - and it was before the internet really blew up, I feel, so following devs and where they went/what they thought after the fact is super hard. I appreciate you putting it together! I still love the charming, janky game that they made, and despite all their obstacles and deviations from what the movie became, I always liked TPM stuff better because of their game, too, so yeah! Super cool, great vid, Positive Vibes!
I hope these guys know how many childhood memories they made! Never mind the reviews - the streets love this game haha