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Level: Lara at the Movies - Star Wars Episode 1 back home search
Author(s): EssGee
total rating:9.32 Gameplay &
Puzzles		 Enemies,
Objects &
Secrets		 Atmosphere,
Sound &
Cameras		 Lighting &
Textures
Blue43 8 10 10 10
Brigidsgirl 9 10 10 10
CC 10 10 10 9
Deekman 10 10 10 10
Dimpfelmoser 8 9 8 8
Duncan 8 9 9 8
eRIC 6 10 8 8
eTux 8 10 10 9
G.Croft 10 10 10 10
Gerty 8 10 9 8
gfd 7 10 8 10
Horus 8 10 10 8
Jay 9 10 10 9
Jorge22 10 10 10 10
Jose 8 10 9 9
Josi 9 9 9 9
Juan Carlos 10 10 10 10
Kristina 10 10 10 10
Loupar 9 10 10 10
Magnus 8 9 8 8
manarch2 8 10 9 8
MichaelP 8 10 8 8
Mman 9 10 10 9
MrJavi94 8 9 9 10
Obig 10 10 10 10
Phil 10 10 10 10
QRS 10 10 9 8
Ravenwen 10 9 10 10
Ruediger 9 10 9 10
Scottie 10 10 9 9
Shandroid 8 9 9 9
Soul 8 10 10 8
Staticon 8 10 10 9
Sutekh 8 10 9 8
TombRaiderFan 10 10 10 10
Torry 10 10 10 10
Treeble 9 10 10 10
uvavoo 10 10 10 10
Whistle 9 9 10 9
category averages
(39 reviews)		 8.85 9.79 9.46 9.18

Reviewer's comments

"OK. Here we have a very good effort from Scott. All that work to buil the enemies, the objects, the sounds to apply from the film is very very grateful. This is a set of three levels very worth to play; seriously. The gameplay is not very good 'cause of the big areas to explore (really a good ambience) and the (sometimes) backtracking; but for the players who have seen the film, it's highly recommended. It's a pain that in several parts of the first and second levels they can find some very though timed runs... Even so the levels are very entertaining and worth to play. Good environment. Recommended." - Jose (12-Oct-2012)

"Star Wars - Tatooine: ( 8/10/9/9) Lara starts her journey in Tatooine, and with the help of the robot R2D2 she does her tasks throughout the level. The gampleay is not a good piece from this level, but it's quite good. My favourite part is when you have to get the two republican credits that once combined it becomes into the Jabba's Dribe which you'll use to start its challegnes. At the end of the level, Lara must find and collect the pass that guarantees her way to the Podrace. Star Wars - Podrace: (7/9/7/9): This was the level I less enjoyed, cause its timed runs to get each one of the three submit cards. I really needed a good amount of time to realise of those timed runs and I was wondering why the doors closed just in front of me. The gameplay basically consists in accessing the to the Battlecruiser by passing successfully the race and get each three Submit cards. The lighting and textures are great in my opinion, and the same happens for the atmosphere and enemies. Star Wars - Battlecruiser: (9/10/10/10). This level is my favourite out of all the three. Lara starts closed in a spaceship and there're many funny puzzles to pass throughout the level. All the categories are perfect for me exceot the gameplay, but it almost reaches what I call the absolute perfection. Overall rating: (8/9/9/10). This has been a very enjoyable adventure for me, so it's a highly recommended one: Very good job, Scott" - MrJavi94 (16-Apr-2012)

"This 3-levelset is another great part of the series and so far it's also the part with the biggest reference to the movie. Lara starts her journey in Tatooine, but despite the many great objects, such as the Troopers, the Ewoks or Jabba, that look just like in the movies (clearly shows EssGees passion for detail) it wasn't the best start for me, as the whole city seemed rushed. There were loads of squished/ stretched/ wallpapered textures, a bad room connection (when Lara jumped straight in the area with the huge stone, some parts of the city just disappeared), loads of cracks in lighting and overall a rather uninspired architecture, where it was easily possible to access the end of the world. Of course Tatooine also had its nice touches - the underground disco is a real highlight and some puzzles were pretty nice - but all in all it was a bit boring for me, maybe also because I found it extremely hard to find the right path in the city-area and thus couldn't even enjoy all the timeruns, I normally love. Thankfully the first level ended just at the time, where exploration was about to be a bit too much to still be fun and thus the second level, a Pod-Race was a perfect change in my opinion. I simply loved how each of the three routes that has to be taken during this race were interconnected - It must've taken quite some planning to make the racetrack both complex but still not too confusing...Kudos for that! The racetrack then finally leads Lara to the Battlecruiser where the third level takes place - finally a change of setting! Just like the ship in Codo's "Alien: Resurrection" the Battlecruiser is real eye candy and technically a big contrast to Tatooine: Hardly any distorted textures, not a single visible crack, an intriguing, authentic architecture, great lighting and of course loads of new objects (including a cute Darth Maul ;D) are turning the third level into a fantastic experience. Only gameplay didn't stand out too much again, even if there was one amazing puzzle involving some pushable blocks, but that doesn't matter, as I thoroughly enjoyed exploring every metre of this setting. If the first level wasn't part of this game, I would have rated it higher, maybe even with 10's in each category - Highly recommended!" - Soul (13-Apr-2012)

"I've already played the enhanced director's cut version of this pack, so going back to the older version seems odd, but there's not really anything that can be done about that. This is a three level set, although the second map is relatively short if you don't get stuck. The Star Wars atmosphere is conveyed very well with lots of new models and nice usage of textures to convey the Tatooine (and Battlecruiser) atmosphere, although some of the old textures don't fit especially well. There are also some nice ideas like a disco. This also sticks out for feeling very authentic to the movie(s) despite taking it's own direction, unlike some other LATM entries.
The gameplay is mainly based around exploring, with a lot sneaky crawlspaces and similar to find, they aren't too bad if you keep a lookout, although some things are a bit obscure (such as certain shootables, and one pushable puzzle in a large room on the third level), and a couple of block puzzles were a bit long (although one was quite creative). There's also an above average number of timed runs, with some being pretty challenging. The second level apparently gave many people problems, but, despite normally finding driving areas quite frustrating it didn't give me much trouble at all. I did have a problem with one secret not seeming to register after I loaded a save before getting it, but that doesn't affect anything. Despite a superior verison already existing this set puts LATM right back at top quality again." - Mman (25-Jan-2012)

"There are ideas who quickly fall into oblivion. And there are ideas who are not realizable, all the same what one tries. And there are ideas from which one believes as a player that they are impossible to be realise. Though I have learnt in the meantime, that is nearly for everything possible in the CL-Universe, but still today I am astonished at the fact that there is really such a project. Now it is not in such a way that LatM is absolutely unknown to me, because I have played this level package already about 5 years ago. But at that time I have played it just for the fun of it without bother myself about how much work must be behind. Now, in the meantime, I can roughly imagine, how big the amount of work must have been. This already starts with letting look the different level in such a way that they are more or less similar to the suitable movie. Above all the black-and-white-movies might have been a big challenge. And then still comes that somebody must co- ordinate the whole project. And it needs a common superstructure because to jump simply thus from movie to movie would be dull. So much to my general thoughts about this mammoth's project.
Star Wars: Nowadays the word "Cult" is too often used. This or that movie is cult. Or this or that series is cult. It annoys the heck out of me! A movie or a series will already the word Cult foisted if one does not know at all, whether it is perhaps just a pile of junk. There are basically only 3 movies/series, who real cult character have. These are the Godzilla movies from Japan, Star Trek and Star Wars. Unfortunately, there is stil no level from Star Trek and Godzilla ( wouldn't it be amusing to trudge as Godzilla through small Tokyo??), but there is this Star Wars-Level by EssGee. And by the way, there are a few good Stargate-Levels in the Level universe.
The background sound does not fit. This is because the background sound of the dock level in TR2 where Lara had "found" the seaplane. Moreover, the weapons do not fit to the subject. The revolver is there the only exception. Apart from the fact everything is in it what the inclined fan knows and likes. Including storm troops and Jabba the Hutt. Even the monster which Jabba holds as his household pet and which is killed in part 6 (Return of the Jedi) by Luke. In the second level I really drive with a Podcar a Podrace! However, this is quite difficult. Because on the one hand the time is scarcely calculated for the 4 partial distances and on the other hand the course is sometimes so winding which it is difficult not to get stuck with the Pod on every corner. In part 3 was Lara really and truly on an Imperial Star Destroyer. And here one could see almost everything what one had already seen in the movies. Storm Troops, Robots, TIE's and Darth Maul. Even his Highness Darth Sidious gave himself the honour and wanted to convert Lara to the dark side.
Summary: As a fan of the movies one has of course doubts whether a level builder can build something to the subject Star Wars. But here every doubt is cleared. Apart from the inappropriate background sound I had a lot of fun, thus I will play the Directors cut of EssGee at the next opportunity." - Scottie (02-Jul-2011)

"Tatooine (7-10-9-8) This level started rather interesting, with R2D2 cruising around and two newly created enemies fighting against each other. Right from the start the textures in this level were good, but not really strong and beautiful. Thereon, the level grew into a boring key- searching in a way too huge area, where you easily can get lost in. The first real highlight was the well arranged timed run to the cross, with Lara dying when you're too late. But afterwards it gets on as tedious as it was. It only got few of these highlights, like in the disco with the well arranged lights, or the room near the end with few tricky jumps on the safe tiles, or Jabba, of course. I don't think this level is a masterpiece, but objects were really well made.
Podrace (10-9-9-8) Only containing a run through some tunnels, with four very tightly timed doors, this level still was great fun. The pod was really well made, but textures were as good or bad as in the last level. The final elevator ride into the battleship was nice, but a little bit tedious. Battlecruiser (8-10-9-9) Gameplay is, I am sorry, not much better than in Tatooine. Pushing tons of buttons and access cards here is not really fun. But I see, exspecially at the end, that the builder has done a great job with this level, for example with the clever block puzzle with many activating and also deactivating tiles, or the brilliant finale with Dark Sidious and the masked Mauls, the explosives and the escape from the ship. I liked the idea of one of the secrets, hidden behind some shelves. I can't really throttle the rating so that it only gets a 7 here, just because of the great efforts it had when regarding it's from 2004. Every floor lever is a different object here. All ideas are very clever and the huge exploration part is not too linear and not too non-linear.
For me, this is not a Hall of Fame game, but I can understand why this attracts people so much - still today. Enemies were totally new and the bribes were really clever done, I don't remember an enemy that behaved like this one in the original games. If there only was a better texturing, and more gameplay elements, which only can be found particularly in this levelpack, I think this would enter the all-time top 10, but unfortunately not for me as it is now. Maybe the remastered version? I'll write it on my to-play list..." - manarch2 (03-Feb-2011)

"This is a rather long and challenging three-part game considering itself is part of a series. The three main areas are the areas of the planet Tatooine, the Pod Race and the final level, which takes place inside the Battle Cruiser. I had a hard time with the game play here, as there are several timed runs and some of them were timed very tightly. The same thing can be said for the pod race. As fun as it was at first it became a bit frustrating when the all important checkpoint door closed a 1/100 of a second before you can reach it. I was glad when that entire timed stuff was behind me and I did enjoy the battle cruise part the most after that. The atmosphere is really nice with good choice of sounds, well hidden secrets (some timed) and there were a lot of interesting never before seen objects to look at. Enemies were plenty and were mainly androids and troopers and flying spheres, other than that I remember a T Rex and some Darth Mauls. The little Ewoks also came after Lara and had to be eliminated which surprised me, because I always though they were friendly :) There isn’t much else to say other than the texturing and lighting was perfectly done and looked absolutely professional. It’s definitely an awesome game and highly recommend it (if you like tight timed runs). Personally I would have preferred half the timed runs and I could have done without the whole Pod Race segment.." - Blue43 (02-Dec-2010)

"I really love the Star Wars movies and I thought this was a fun Episode I inspired level. I liked seeing the droids the best. I didn't give the gameplay a higher score because the level was a teensy bit boring and the pod race was really tough and frustrating. My son is excited to play this one again, so I downloaded to his computer!" - Shandroid (27-Oct-2008)

"I've been a fan of Star Wars, so playing this level was a great enjoyment, moreover because it's a brilliant work with many memorable moments and several ingenious puzzles. The atmosphere is particularly starwar-ish, from the very beginning, and the use of convenient texturing and sounds adds greatly to that. I enjoyed the timed cage puzzle, as well as the incredible pod race, and entering the Battlecruiser for the second part was a nice change of environment. Great work!" - Ravenwen (02-Sep-2007)

"One can’t help but question the author’s decision to base his Star Wars level on what’s considered the worst film in the two trilogies. Then again, the lower the expectations, the greater the chance of the players being pleasantly surprised. I actually played the official game based on the film, and, well… suffice to say that I enjoyed this level a whole lot more for various reasons. The first part takes place on the planet (or city?) Tatooine, where Lara has to find a way to enter the podrace arena. This was actually my least favourite part in the official game, due to the huge area you were in, the lack of instructions about where to go, and a bug which made it possible to do things out of order and get stuck. Thankfully, the area you’re in in this level is a lot smaller, and while I was lost a couple of times, it was usually clear where to go. More confusing, though, was the actual podrace, but I blame myself for that more than the author, as I had no problems the second time I played the level. It’s not too challenging, but makes a nice break from the exploration in the first part. The third and final part takes place on a spaceship, and this is the part that feels the most like Star Wars. The excessive amount of enemies gets a bit tiresome, but I assume the author wanted to stay true to the action present in the films. The gameplay in all three parts is entertaining, with a good mix of action and puzzles. The new objects look great (though the light sabre seems to be there mostly for the sake of it), and I especially liked the hostile robots. The texturing is a bit boring in places, but overall reflects the films well. In the end, this is a highly entertaining 85-minute level, whether you’re a Star Wars fan or not. It’s certainly better than a lot of the Star Wars games LucasArts release all the time." - Magnus (15-Oct-2006)

"Well, as some of you may be aware, I am a fan of Science Fiction levels. As I am a fan of Star Wars I was especially looking forward to this one in the Gold series. I am happy to say it did not disappoint. Great level building throughout with Scott's trademark attention to detail. As I am not a particularly good player, some of the timed runs buggered me up, had to get the help of the missus for the electric squares/maze run. Tatooine felt like tatooine with some nice exteriors and a good sense of place. I liked the interlude with the pod racer, which was tricky (for me) but addictive. i loved this game and Lara fits very comfortably in Sci Fi levels (well I would say that!). So if you are tired of musty smelling old Tombs, try this level, I would highly recommend it. As soon as I have a little time I will also try the 'Director's cut" as well. Cheers Mr Ginn. – Uvavoo" - uvavoo (12-Apr-2006)

"Excellent level! I really enjoyed playing this level a lot, it has all different kind of puzzles, new enemies a lot of work creating them. One trap against time that was a real challenge. Lovely cam scenes. Congratulations and thanks for letting me play this kind of levels. Just one thing I didn't like, in a big area where Lara has to move a block, it is impossible to know that you have to move it to the square where there is a very small light, without this part, I would finish the level without looking for the solution." - Juan Carlos (06-Nov-2005)

"WOW! What a lovely peice of nostalgic raiding this is! Pod racing (pot raiding?) puzzles at the sanddunes and the final showdown in the ship. Scott knows how to make everything look and sound like you are in the movie for real. Everything is really realistic. Especially the Siths near the end! And what?!? A lasersword-revolver!! The objects are a peice of art my themself. I can imagine all the hard work to get them all in the game. Even the ugly Jabba appears during the first level :) One of the finest sequenses in a tombraider game also happens in the adventure. Lara "swims" in the vacum and dies if you drop of the ship in the beginning of stage 3!! Great stuff. 2005-10-08" - QRS (09-Oct-2005)

"A large level in three parts. The first, Tatooine has some clever bits, such as bribing Jabba, but involves a lot of back and forth in narrow places. I thought it was poorly designed to give Lara a light saber that was sticking into the roof a great deal of the time. The disco was fun. The second, Podrace, is just that, with having to make four laps on a difficult track. The vehicle looks high tech, but handles more like an old truck, and that is appealing. The laps are challenging, but also a bit monotonous. The last part, battle cruiser, in my opinion, has the best design and the best enemies. The setting is worthy of the original films, and the gameplay is interesting. Fans of the film will enjoy this one." - Duncan (06-Jun-2005)

"This one surely had the best 'movie-feeling' to it. I'm not that fond of Star Wars but I really liked the movies and this set of level really absorbed me into the Star Wars world. Its start on a desert-like planet called Tatooine with some Dark Troopers and cute small monsters (what a pity you actually have to kill them) and some bigger monsters that looked quite scary. Anyway - everything fitted so well together and all the work that the author put into it could be seen - there are countless of wonderful details worth slobbering over like the phenomenal atmosphere through all the levels. I liked meeting Jabba and some R2D2s and even some other very nice robots. The objective here is to get a validation card for the Podrace which is the main part of the second level. There are three not too easy timed runs to be driven in a very interesting vehicle. The only thing I missed was some bluish flames coming out of the turbines, but it was really great fun anyway. The three tracks are getting ever more difficult to master but they're surely not too frustrating because riding around in that great thing always keeps you in a very entertained and diverted mood. One might say this is the highlight of the game but better wait until you arrived in the next level in the Battlecruiser - I was really overwhelmed by the intense influence from the movies and /or games that I was just so purely amazed and fascinated - there are some very detailed and awesome robots (and of course more Dark Troopers), and even some Jedis, which were so particularly brilliant. You also get to meet Darth Vader in person (though I really missed something like 'Lara, I'm your father....krcchh') and eventually blow up the place and escape in a spaceship." - Horus (16-Apr-2005)

"Do you like timed-run? Well, I hope so, because there's a LOT of them here, and not the easy type, trust me on this. This is a three-parts episode, taking place in the famous Lucas' universe, and in that regard it is a total success. From Lara's outfit to C3PO, R2D2, Jabba and even some Ewoks (although those ones are neither cute nor nice), this is Star Wars indeed. Perhaps the most faithful of the whole series when it comes to rendition. I myself am not an afficionado, but I could only but bow to the creativity and accuracy this level shows. There are so many details, so many nice touches, so many allusions that I can't mention them all, lest this review turns into a three-pages enumeration. On the raiding side, the three levels are pretty different from one another. The first one is heavy on research, as you explore Anakin's hometown on Tatooine, with one particular Timed-Run From Hell. The second is comprised of 3 timed races of increasing difficulty. The third, aboard a battlecruiser, was my favorite. Many good puzzles, some serious jumping and a little conversation with a Star War VIP to put some icing on the cake. A top-quality masterpiece." - Sutekh (07-Feb-2005)

"I have mixed feelings about this difficult set of levels. Firstly, they are technically excellent, with brilliant new enemies and lots of nice new textures. I also loved the Rancor (remodeled T-Rex) and the pod race in level 2. It must be said that these good things were slightly spoiled by some bad: it can be a bit boring running around large, confusing (yet somewhat empty) areas wondering what to do, where to go and what to do when you get there. There was also a confusing block-puzzle which I just couldn't figure out. All in all, these maps took me a long hard 3 ½ hours, but I managed to lay my hands on no less than 6 secrets." - gfd (05-Feb-2005)

“I can't stress enough how much I loved playing this level. I was leery about it but the author did such a fabulous job with the textures enemies and layout of the game I was just blown away (my hubby was even impressed with Darth Maul and he's a total Star Wars freak for life). The podrace was VERY challenging (in fact I had to resort to help with the third race...thanks Scott!) but also the most fun I've had in a TR vehicle in a long time. Fabulous level!” – Brigidsgirl (19-Jan-2005)

“If you are a Star Wars-fan this is definitely a level you must play. Starting on Tatooine you have to find levers keys and something to bribe Jabba the Hut not very difficult mostly but the dancefloor had me puzzled I had no clue what to do and needed help on that. The timed runs are not my favorite time-passing but they are doable. The second part of the level is about finding three 'checkpoint' cards to gain access to the battlecruiser and you'll have to learn to drive a pod so you can race against the clock to get those cards. Once in the battlecruiser (my favorite part of the level) it's about finding explosives so you can destroy it. The troopers are not hostile so I didn't shoot them at first but you have to shoot them because some are carrying access-cards you will need. I enjoyed the box-puzzle although it took me some time to figure it out. Another very good and enjoyable level in the Gold-series so have fun with it! 23-10-2004” – Josi (10-Jan-2005)

“Start by watching the two Storm Troupers splat an alien then you splat them and get the goodies. Off then into a large area of the city to explore. A largish level with lots to investigate and work out. Once you have found your way to the pod garage and worked out how to release the pod then your troubles start as you lap the course to open up the final gate and onto the battlecruiser. Enemies are the Storm Troupers flying spheres and Aliens of various kinds. Puzzles apart from trying to work out your route avoiding breakable tiles and a ‘gate area’ in the first section I suppose the whole of the podrace is a puzzle and there is a block puzzle in the battle cruiser all can be accomplished with care and several attempts. The graphics/textures are good and fit the mood in each area. The motion of the pod is realistic of a maglev vehicle. Sound again fits in with the sections. After the last level it is good to get back to quality.” – Whistle (09-Dec-2004)

“A perfectly fine melding of Star Wars and Tomb Raider. Plenty of droids robots and aliens. Plenty to see do and figure out. Three levels - all completely different - Tatooine - a Pod Race - and an adventure aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer. Oh joy what fun! One of my favorites in the Lara at the Movies series. And don't forget that cool light saber!” – Deekman (09-Dec-2004)

“Tatooine: On this level we can really feel like we were on the location of Star Wars. Perfect textures perfect location. Like we were Luke Skywalker. :) The enemies can be killed easily mainly if we do it from a distance. Unfortunately the small Ewoks will hurt us so we have to kill them too. :) In addition to pushing boxes sometimes we also have some more difficult timed runs whiches can be nerve-racking but the surrounding will make it up to us. We can meet Jabba too. On the whole I enjoyed this level very much with the difficulties too. The secrets can be found easily they are all on the way. Noone should ignore it this level is a great adventure. :) Podrace: This level is interesting. In fact we take part in a pod-race. Although we are racing alone and only the time is our enemy. Three races three tracks. Every track is a little bit different different doors open so changes the race. I advice to look round first kill the gunmen and pick up everything we can and mostly this way we can explore which direction we have to go. With this completing the races on time won't be hard. Of course we can always start it from the beginning if we fail. I liked the realisation of the pod the textures are also great. Battlecruiser: This is a good level. Full of challenges and puzzles. And of course in the meantime we have to fight gunmen and droids too. We have to collect four explosives with them we can explode the base. For getting on we'll need also the keys. The level has really that Star Wars feeling the textures are great the feeling of the level is fantastic everywhere. There are no real difficulties at the most pushing the boxes take more time. On the level we can see the starships droids and flying balls of the movie. At the end we have to defeat the bodyguards of the dark evil but the force is with us so they won't be hard for a Jedi knight. :) You can find a Hungarian walkthrough (as we don't have English version) savegames and pictures here: http://www.freeweb.hu/treditor/12/lara_at_the_movies.htm ” – Obig (08-Dec-2004)

“This is a massive and on the whole excellent adaptation of the film. I am not a huge fan of the Star Wars series but the first part of this adventure was most enjoyable despite containing two examples of my most hated TR puzzles - Timed Runs. As an eternal beginner with the hand-eye co-ordination of a Mammoth frozen in a glacier and the same sense of direction as a Kentucky Fried Chicken these pushed my ability to the absolute limit. But after many reloads I prevailed and went on to the Pod Race. My heart sank when I found that I had to do three very tightly timed runs to progress from this part. Lap one took me a half day of real time to complete but after a full day of endless attempts at lap two I had to admit defeat. Fotunately G Croft came to my rescue with a gamesave which saved my sanity. Thanks Gunilla. Part three restored my good humour as it had sliding-blocks - my all time favourite puzzles. The atmosphere lighting and custom objects all conspire to give you a genuine Star Wars experience and even though I hated the pod race special mention must be made of the pod racer. I was also impressed by the track design - how by using different combinations of gate positions various tunnels could be re-used. Very clever. Just a second or two more on the timer and I might just have managed this section unaided. The author deserves a pat on the back for the sheer size and scope of this segment. Well done.” - Staticon (27-Nov-2004)

“Tatooine: I've never actually watched any of the Star Wars movies until the end so I am not sure I ever saw Tatooine before but I enjoyed it immensely here. A huge city with several areas to cover lots of items to pick up and lots of Star Wars stuff here. I particularly loved those Star Troopers. The textures were all great and gameplay was fast going which I liked. Gameplay is rather obvious and in a map of a size like this that's a plus for me. In this second time I am playing through Lara At The Movies I found a minor sound glitch (Jabba bribed and laughed two times in a row?) but I believe the reason for that is my own computer. 60 minutes 4 secrets. Podrace: A racing level Lara steals one of those pod flying machines and takes on a three lap contest she's the only runner though. The prize is a Dark Side invitation. This level actually has the shapes of a maze but I was glad it was rather easy following the paths here. Driving the pod is also a nice change to the levels so far. 15 minutes 1 secret. Battlecruiser: The hardest of this level set set inside Darth Maul's ship. You actually get to meet him too in the level for some quick light saber fighting. I had quite some trouble reaching that pole had to try several times and it ought to be the first time ever a three-step running jump didn't work on its own. It had to be a ‘running running jump’ to reach it. Later there also was one tricky movable blocks puzzle and finally we'd explode the battlecruiser and escape with the rescuing pod. 60 minutes 5 secrets. Bottomline: These levels are truly enjoyable set in different places of the galaxy and they really give you a feeling of completeness when you escape. I don't think anything should have been changed at all. Recommended. 11/04” – Treeble (13-Nov-2004)

“This is a very well made set of 3 levels with plenty of new enemies and objects. But I was a bit bored the gameplay is not very exciting there is not many jumps and the ride with the new vehicle was too hard and frustrating. Really not my cup of tea but it is a good work nevertheless!” – eRIC (18-Oct-2004)

“It's good that the storm troopers and the monster at the beginning attack each other instead of Lara because I needed some time to look around first. The desert planet Tatooine is recreated awesomely here with the yellowish light and the massive architecture of the low houses built to withstand a sandstorm. The enemies (and Lara's friend R2D2) are true to the movie. The Tatooine level mostly consists of finding keys for the doors but with an interesting twist when Lara meets Jabba who asks her to get him some money but when she gives it to him he pushes her into a cave with a horrible T-Rex! One thing I definitely didn't enjoy though was the timed run to get the Holy Gem. That timed run took me so many tries it was no fun anymore I seriously thought about going into another cinema instead. I think level builders should take into consideration that not everyone who plays TR is as experienced as their beta testers and add a second or two. Even if an experienced player finds it a trifle less challenging then that's a small price to pay compared to quite a few players stopping to play that game. I liked the cage better where Lara is set on fire if stepping on the wrong tiles. That was something that required patience and care but it wasn't too hard. The second level Podrace is of course about racing with the little glider which reminded me of playing ‘Wipeout’ on the Playstation in the 90s. Three different courses to race through and with some practicing the timing is manageable. The third level takes us to an Imperial Battlecruiser. Lara always has to have her lightsword (revolver) ready for the many enemies who are lurking somewhere. So much attention is paid to detail even for the things you're not supposed to do! Did anyone try to jump into space from the deck with the 4 spaceships? I thought there was a glass wall but you really can dive into space only Lara burns after a few seconds of swimming. This trilogy really is an amazing world to explore with good design and a lot of surprises. In between the action of the 3rd level there is a pushing block puzzle and a quest for explosives which you will need later to blow up the enemy ship. Darth Maul (a retextured ninja with lasersword) will try to stop Lara in vain as a rescue ship arrives to pick her up. A must-play for SF fans.” – Rüdiger (10-Oct-2004)

“Great adaptation and very funny to play. Lara starts in Tatooine and has to find the entrance to the second level. In her travel we can see different parts of the village as we saw in the fourth movie of the series. The podrace is difficult but necessary for the remake and the battlecruiser is full of familiar objects of the movie. The only thing I hated were the ‘timing secrets’... frustrating.” – Loupar (23-Sep-2004)

“I spent the better part of a weekend with this delightful three-parter. Since I'm not adept at timed runs I was prepared to give a scathing review before I had finished the first segment. However I stuck with it and made it to the second installment where you have to negotiate three (no four) timed laps on the race pod in order to qualify for the third leg. Elvis has provided a thorough and lucid walkthrough which was invaluable to me. The third part was rather routine raiding in a spaceship setting but the special effects of the first two parts were so invigorating that it would be a crime to award anything less than top marks to this tour de force. Getting back to the timed runs I was tearing my hair out (what little of it is left) for a while there. However mindful of the chastisement I had received recently in the forum on the topic of cheating I doggedly kept at it until I had conquered the clock. And even though I was thoroughly frustrated at times I found that mastering the moves made it all worthwhile. Although I certainly can't speak from experience I imagine it's something like the pain of childbirth. Anyway finding myself able to move on erased all ill will that had been building up while I was reloading again and again. The races in the second level have to be experienced first hand; there's no way to do them justice by trying to describe them verbally. I found the first one to be fairly easy but the second and third tested my limited resources to the limit. I echo George's advice: save regularly in different slots as you approach the checkpoints. (And I discovered a bit of Gamers' Revenge: After negotiating the third race track drive your racepod through the exit gate and park so that one of the pod engines is poking through the open secret passage. This keeps the door from closing so you can take your time getting out and claiming that secret.) As far as the retextured enemies go I can only marvel at whatever creative genius was involved in giving us R2D2 C3PO the star troopers the droids and flying spheres that behaved like nothing I've encountered in a custom level. I try not to gush on and on like this when I write my reviews but this is a gaming experience not to be missed. So far it's my favorite in the TR Gold production but I've got a few more yet to play. Send in your generous contribution to TRLE.NET if you haven't already done so.” – Phil (13-Sep-2004)

“As a Star Wars fan I love these levels! Wow! The outfit the light sabre R2-D2 helping to open up doors the disco Jabba the Hut the flying robot enemies. The pod race! (Hard but couldn't be without it!) The Battleship! (Try jumping out into space and see what happens!) Lara has to find explosives to blow it up and then she's being rescued by Skywalker himself (at least that's what I like to think!)” – G.Croft (09-Sep-2004)

“Now these are just outstanding levels. There's no words to describe the detail and in-depth things Scott has done here. The objects that have been placed have nearly all been edited or created from scratch. It really gives the feel of and adventurous and star wars type series of levels. All of the enemies have been created or edited by one way or another. The thing I really loved was the incredible instrumental audio. The background music is amazing! Really spooky and base type audio. The outfit is nicely done and fits well with the environments. Like I said before the enemies are really well created. I've never seen them before. Really cool! R2D2 is amongst the friendly and helpful characters that help Lara on the way. His animations are really neat too. Star Wars - Episode 1 is one of my all time favourites. It's amongst there at the top. 2 hour plus gameplay! Stunning!” – TombRaiderFan (04-Aug-2004)

“First time ever I saw Tatooine in a game and that was way back. The game was called Star Quest from Sierra. I can't remember much but I though the band in the disco was a hoot then. This can't be anything but different and it sure does look a lot like in the movie. The enemies are the real thing there went some thought into the puzzles and the timed runs in the first level are bloody awful. Couldn't make the first one (thanks Andre and Bert) but did the second myself. And because of this save game swapping we found out that the download and the CD saved games are not interchangeable even if it is your own saved game so now we know. The second level I didn't like as I am not into racing at all so again thanks Bert. The third however is also very well done. Here you have to find your way in the cruiser and solve more puzzles. All the enemies in here are really well done from Jabba the Hut to the Storm Troopers from Ewoks to Darth Maul and everything that showed his nose in this game. 09-07-2004” – Gerty (26-Jul-2004)

“Wow what an authentic feel this has. R2D2 storm troopers Ewoks Jabba - marvellous - and I just LOVED the light sabre. There are some nicely appropriate objects to find also one of which involves a complete beast of a timed run through cages full of doors. There are also three timed drives in the middle section - your vehicle being a podracer and very well done it is too. You really do need to be precise with your driving as the routes are not easy and the timings are really tight (or at least I certainly thought so). The third section is set on a battle cruiser and it’s huge. Have fun exploring and shooting storm troopers and droids. I really did rather waste revolver ammo but I just couldn’t stop using that wonderful light sabre. The hunt is on for sufficient explosives to complete your mission and finding them involves amongst other things a really good block puzzle and fighting not one but four Darth Mauls. This is most entertaining and it really does capture the feel of the Star Wars films beautifully.” – Jay (25-Jul-2004)

“Funny thing when I tested this I thought the first part was rather boring because there was so much running to and fro the second part I considered as frustrating because it took me so many tries to complete the three laps of the Podrace and the third part had me so confused that I had the feeling of being completely lost. (Well to tell the truth Nadine finished the last part for me on the Hamburg TR Meeting cause playing Codo’s Alien Level seemed so much more enticing). Anyway replaying this now I think it's dead good. As I had a pretty good idea where I had to go in Tatooine I could actually concentrate on the diversity of the gameplay and noticed that there are quite a few clever puzzles and challenging tasks involved that got overshadowed by the endless backtracking the first time around. The podrace was a snitch on the second go. It wasn't so much that I could visually remember the racetrack but my fingers knew instinctively where and how to turn the vehicle. Well that gives you some idea how often I tried it while testing this. And the Battlecruiser doesn't seem that huge and endless the second time around; all the more cause you know that it is not as non-linear as it seems and I could remember the few occasions where I (or Nadine for that matter) was briefly stuck. But all things considered it's still not my favourite kind of gameplay nor environment. While apparently faithful to the setting as seen in the film Tatooine did very little to lighten my spirits and the Battleship itself reminded me more than once of the dreaded base levels of yesteryear. The podrace while being a fine idea and reasonably well executed lived out its welcome and once again made it clear that Tomb Raider is not a Race Game. All the same I really admired the many references to the Star Wars Saga and unlike some of the other levels of the Gold project this trilogy is rather close to its cinematographic inspiration. Being it the retextured enemies (you will also meet R2D2 on various occasions and even get all chummy with him/it at one point) Lara's outfit the storyline or the different areas. Scott actually manages to make this a true Star Wars experience from start to finish and I think that this is quite an achievement. But then again I've never been a big fan of Star Wars myself so I would actually have preferred if he had strayed from the original concept and put a bit more non-Star Wars gameplay and atmosphere in. Ahhh but you can't please everyone all the time. A must play for the enemies.” – Dimpfelmoser (21-Jul-2004)

“One game. Three levels. Three very different types of mission on planet Tatooine which is under the control of the Dark Side. That's one thing I liked about this game: its intelligent variety while keeping the whole as something homogeneous. First you're inside some kind of fortress surrounded by mountains and by the desert and you must find several keys solve a couple of timed puzzles visit the different houses (including the disco that made me think of the disco in AoD) find a way to bribe Jabba the Hutt but of course you must be aware that Jabba loves to play (by the way there's an interesting retextured dinosaur down there) and find your way to the second level. That's Podrace... It's all about being able to drive a fantastic vehicle along sandy cave corridors and being able to finish three different laps just in time. Easy? No. But certainly fun. Finally you end up inside the dark Force's battle cruiser fight a number of soldiers solve a number of puzzles meet the Sith Lord in person (good use of the ghost figure from Ireland in TR5) and eventually bomb the ship so you can escape. All in all this leaves you with a very good impression of design ingenuity and imagination. The revolver turned into a light sabre was fantastic! Now could it be because EssGee is an Australian?... Globally this reminded me a lot of Mad Max. The only problem I found was that sometimes in the first level Lara could get to places she wasn't supposed to go and became totally stuck there - thank God for savegames! I suppose that's one of the editor's limitations though... I had a lot of fun playing this game and I know you will too. My congratulations to EssGee! By the way did you know EssGee (SG) is a Portuguese cigarette brand my brand in fact? Isn't that politically incorrect these days? ;)” – Jorge22 (19-Jul-2004)

“The Star Wars movie is in fact a Tomb Raider Trilogy with three hefty levels thrown in for your raiding pleasure. The author has done so much graphically in this level that on that basis alone he deserves top scores. The androids the light sabre Jabba the Hut the Dark Side star fighters in the hangers the Pod Racer that you actually are able to race with the little attack droids an elevator that works and on and on it goes. Absolutely stunning. There are tricky switches to find puzzling boxes to move timed runs that will have you screaming in frustration because they are very finely timed with no room for error. Some switches beep and the ones that are on timers actually beep over and over giving the player and good hint as to what lies ahead. I liked that. There were too many keys to find in the first level though. One or two less may have been a better option. I also enjoyed the background music especially the Rhona Mitra song although Scott cut it short before the lady actually started singing. Nice touch. The pod race itself was a triple event and again times were very fine indeed. I found the first two easy enough but the third had me cussing and slapping the desk and calling the author all sorts of names preceded by extremely colourful adjectives. There is no easy way here I'm afraid. You simply cannot run aground and must cut all those corners cleanly to make it to the finish gate in time. All in all a marvelous adaptation of the Dark Side’s attempt to infiltrate Lara’s world. Well done mate.” – Torry (12-Jul-2004)

“In my opinion this is the best level from the ones with the alien theme out of the TRLE Gold project. Everything is well designed the retextured enemies the ships the timed runs are very challenging as well. The disco area was brilliant at the first level in which our heroine is searching for keys. The second level is an entire timed run level in which you must complete three laps and acquire the three cards. It’s not easy because you must be an excellent driver and learn the route before you can make it through the gate before it closes. The second lap was the one that gave me some trouble since the ground in front of the gate is inclined and Lara can’t get out of her vehicle everywhere. In the third level Lara is searching for access keys and four sets of explosives at the last level. She has to fight aliens and confront some of the Star Wars heroes. There are a couple of not so well placed texture tiles at the room where the robot helps with the door but it doesn’t look terrible or anything. I found ten secrets and one with the help of the author. Well done Scott great work.” – Kristina (09-Jul-2004)

“Tatooine - the desert planet as you know it from the movie well maybe not the whole planet but a small part of it is left to you to explore. At first this really didn't 'click' with me all that well especially I didn't care much for the texturing some things were left to wish for in that sector but overall it works well giving you the feeling of being there and that is the great achievement here. The gameplay from the trio here is the best as it varies quite a lot from timed runs to pushable block puzzles to clever lasersight puzzles and nastily hidden objects (who would've thought the relatively big Watto's key'd fit into such a small vase?) and the high and low crawlspaces - for whom the author is renowned for. Podrace - do you love timed runs? Well if you do this is the perfect level for you. While actually it isn't all that long you have to master 3 timed runs for checkpoint cards (and an optional one for the secret) to earn your dark side invitation. It isn't very difficult yet still takes a few tries to get it done right. Of course one can't expect the riveting scenes from the original film and tomb raider hasn't been a race game as such to give too many exciting vehicle rides but it works well and the author has done a very good job with this little race level I imagine especially the tracks must've taken a lot of effort so kudos to that! Battlecruiser - a linear level though doesn't feel like one due to clever design. The gameplay doesn't really have too many innovative tasks here and mainly consists of lever and button pushing but there's one very clever movable block puzzle that might take a few tries to get right. The level is the highest in visual quality from the trio though and has some very nice fly-bys with R2D2 working with a computer and a neat cutscene near the end. Overall a very successful movie adaptation in my opinion - captures the mood of the movie completely in the sections it shows and is fun to play while it lasts.” – eTux (06-Jul-2004)

“Three terrific levels in this blockbuster of a film adaptation. TATOOINE. I only remember this from the tv and I haven’t seen the latest film(s) but from what I remember this level captures the atmosphere of being in an almost desert like place on another planet with the sand/cave like restaurant/drinking place with disco stone houses a strange church-type place where you place a ‘holy’(!) item. Somehow holy and alien planet doesn’t go together. There are some interesting pushing blocks puzzles. The lighting system in the disco is really cool to watch and very useful too. This first area is the village and there’s lots to do in the buildings and around the ‘market’ area. The very start doesn’t look great but wait until you’ve moved on and you’ll be really surprised. I thought those white fellows were my friends at first as Lara is in white too but soon realised they weren’t. We have R2D2 here great looking flying robots creepy little aliens large clawed ugly aliens and a cool laser sabre with great sound. There’s one particularly nasty timed run over electric squares in a barred maze-type room that took a long time for me to get right but it is a continuous run in and out and eventually with shaving off corners and sprinting I made it. There are other really good timed runs. All this first part with finding keys and using switch is to open up a way to an underground area below an ugly fat slob of an alien king. I’m glad I didn’t know what would happen as I ran into this underground place as a magnificent retextured TRex came thundering towards me. What a shocker! PODRACE. We open another outdoor area and find a terrific looking machine to ride in called the Pod. I haven’t a clue how this was created but it’s a wow to see. It floats on the ground and has two engines either side. I paid a lot of attention to the machine itself for a while but soon had to get down to business. This part is called Podrace and there are three races one after the other. You must do these to move on it’s not an option. You must get to the final door each time before it closes so the races are timed. The first and third were ok but the second one was very tight indeed. Each timed door has a checkpoint card and these you swop for an access card that operates a lift up into a brilliant spaceship parked waiting to take off. BATTLECRUISER. In the ship those flying robots are there and this time the white guards shoot them and leave you alone. Unfortunately you have to shoot these white fellows to get the master card. Here we also see those famous one-man starwars spacecraft. Brilliant. Keep a sharp lookout for crawlspaces and shootable grates in front of them. There are some excellent block pushing puzzles and very good little timed runs. These white soldiers also kill brilliant looking aliens with long noses but again you have to get rid of them too. What a shame! The main idea here is for you to find 4 lots of explosives and blow up the mothership. While you see these explosions you also see a terrific flyby of your rescue ship coming in to dock. Absolutely brilliant level and even if it wasn’t part of this Gold Project it is still an outstanding level.” – CC (01-Jul-2004)

“Tatooine (7/10/8/7): A rather non-linear level which can cause you a lot of running around if you are unlucky and do not keep a good sense of orientation. I did not like the textures and lighting all that much but it IS truly faithful to a setting in Tatooine and via a whole variety of very cool custom enemies and objects you really get a feeling of being in the movie. Several keys to find two interesting timed sequences and a few pushable blocks spice up the gameplay. The disco is a great highlight and the Ewoks are really almost too cute to shoot them. Podrace (8/9/8/7): TombRaider really does not lend itself to be a racing game but this particular interlude is both smartly designed and rather challenging which does turn it into a lot of fun. While the net gaming time is only in the 15-20 minutes range I would be surprised if anybody makes the four timed sequences on the first go right away so you are bound to spend quite a while on the race tracks. The podracer itself is awesome and it is just a pity that the collision problem could technically not be resolved but this is a minor gripe and does not actually interfere with the actual gameplay experience. Battlecruiser (8/10/9/9): My favourite level of the set. The change in setting to the Cruiser environment nicely carries the storyline along and the textures are great and the lighting is very well done. It also features my favourite of all the new custom enemies - the battle druid. You get to explore the cruiser left right and center to find the four explosives that help you blow up the reactor room and then you make a quick escape. Although it does not actually feel like it this is a rather linear hour of gameplay rather fast paced with a good amount of shoot-outs and one remarkable room with a push/raising block puzzle. Overall a great mini-series very true to the original movie and great fun to play.” – Michael (28-Jun-2004)
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