Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)

Prototype Info

Debug Mode#

This game has an unusually complicated Debug Mode to activate which makes the one in Zanac look like a piece of cake. There are quite a few interesting options available for experimenting if you do manage to unlock it, however.

Start a game on the Medium difficulty setting, using "_Wampa__Stompa" as your entry name (note that there is one space before Wampa and two spaces before Stompa).

After that, begin the game on any level and pause the game. Now, hold C-Up + C-Right + C-Down + C-Left + L + R + Z + D-Pad Left. While holding all those buttons, move the Control Stick halfway to the left, and hold until you hear a sound effect, then move the Control Stick halfway to the right until you hear the sound effect again. Repeat this, holding the control stick halfway to the left, then the right, and finally the left again. If done correctly, you should see some purple text appear at the top of the screen with some info below it (see screenshot).

This is the debug menu. While the menu is active, you can use the L and R buttons to move forward or backward through the options and Up or Down on the control stick to change whatever values are enabled at that time. To activate an option, press A while it is on-screen; the game will un-pause, and the option will activate. To re-enter the debug menu, input the button code as before, but instead of moving the Control Stick five times you only need to move it to the side once.

NOTE: Some debug options are not available in all versions.

Regional Differences#

In the US and European versions, there are 14 letter slots, necessary for activating the debug mode with the name "_Wampa__Stompa". However, in the Japanese version, there are only 11 slots, which may mean one of three things: you cannot access the debug mode through an in-game trick, there's another way to do it, or perhaps it was removed entirely for some reason.

Another noticeable change to this part of the game is the way the cursor moves about the letters. In the US/European version, the cursor glides over the entire selection of letters freely in a very fluid motion. When you stop moving the cursor, it snaps to the nearest letter. In the Japanese version, the cursor has a more rigid motion, so it can only be directly over the letters and not over the spaces in between the letters. The lack of rigid placement in the American/European versions also explains the lack of sound effect that the Japanese version has when the cursor moves from letter to letter.

The Japanese version uses cheats of _R_Testers, Credits, _Wolfy, _Wampa__St and _WIPE_ALL according to RAM. Although untested as to whether it can be activated the normal way, the debug menu can be activated by GameShark cheats of 800DE087 0001 (Activate debug menu) and 800DE083 0001 (Activate pink menu). The options are the same.

The Japanese version also features a better ammo route and different challenge point locations in Gall Spaceport and Mos Eisley. Both gravity and jump power are increased. The player can fall further before receiving damage or dying.

Text Differences#

Japanese has unique messages when weapons are collected for the first time. The original, generic message (You found a new weapon! Switch weapons to use it, but be careful to conserve your ammunition.) is left untranslated. Instead, a short explanation of what each weapon does is displayed.
船長、それはシーカー・ミサイルです。トゥルーパーや偵察ドロイドを追尾して一撃で倒します。
船長、それはフレーム・ウェポンです。射程は短いですが、戚力はあるので箱を壊すには、最適です。
船長、それはパルス・ウェポンです。近距離用の武器ですが、レーザーよりは戚力があります。
船長、それはスタナーです。暫くの間、トゥルーパーを硬直させます。
それはディスラプターです。破壊力がものすごいので、爆風に巻き込まれないようにして下さい。
When a Challenge Point is collected for the first time a message is displayed explaining what it is, followed by a message that collecting all of them in every stage unlocks a game secret.
それはチャレンジ・ポイントです。ステージに設置された数の、半分以上を取れば、ライフが増えます。
全てのステージでチャレンジ・ポイントを全部集めると、「ゲームの秘密」がもらえます！
Between stages in certain levels a message is displayed indicating you're now in a new area. In Hoth Base, after entering the elevator to the generator room:
ジェネレーター中心部に潜入成功！
In Gall Spaceport, before the start of the jetpack section:
格納ベイ・エリアに侵入成功！
At Freighter stage 1 end, leading into the engine room:
ここより先、貨物船機関室
At Freighter stage 2 end, leading into the cargo room puzzle:
貨物倉庫に到着！
In the Palace, the door at end of the second drawbridge:
宮殿の奥へ潜入中！

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: Find out which of the three possibilities mentioned above is the case for the Japanese version's debug menu.

This page or section needs more images. There's a whole lotta words here, but not enough pictures. Please fix this. Specifically: Also, replace the videos with clean screenshots.

Filename Cheats#

Entering your name as _Wolfy in any region game adds a third line to Mark Blattel's credit. "Programmer/Lycanthrope" "Mark Blattel" "-For who could ever learn to love a beast?"

Entering _WIPE_ALL_DATA (_WIPE_ALL in Japanese) erases all saved game data.

Entering _Credits displays some alternate credits such as "(My sister was bitten by a wampa once)" , "(No, really!)", "(It was pining for the fjords)", and "(Actually they make good pets. If you find one, you can love it and pet it and take it home and give it cheese)". Selecting the first stage will automatically play the extended credits.

Entering R_Testers_ROCK (_R_Testers in Japanese) runs a function that unlocks all stages on certain difficulties. This can be used as a one-time effect before renaming your file and likely should. Filename cheats are constantly tested each game loop and this one will play a sound effect when unlocked, every single game loop, when not paused.

Entering _Wampa__Stompa (_Wampa__St in Japanese) makes it possible to enable the debug menu as described in the previous section.

Hidden Text#

This space is intentionally left blank. If you can read this, you need to get a life. Elf needs food... Badly.
If found, drop in any mailbox. Postage is pre-paid. Do not submerge or take internally. No user-serviceable parts inside.
Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. This end up. Do not stack more than four high.
Dry clean only. One size fits all. and (sic) Weena Merkatur as The Hopping Woman. Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby
Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby
Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby
Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby
Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby
Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby Wampas! Baby
Wampas! Baby Wampas!

The above message, repeated 12 times in the American ROM, is located at BFCAD0. The European ROM begins the message at BFDDF0 and repeats it seven times, while in the Japanese ROM it starts at BFCB10 and is repeated 11 times.

Developer Text#

US version
800E8DBC

time %02d:%02d:%02d
dl time %d usec
rsp time %d usec
rdp time %d usec
frm time %d usec
frm rate % 0f Hz
%dx%d %d Hz %c
pos % 0f,% 0f, % 0f
sector %d
~cturtle %d %c
~c%c
~c%c
~c%c

Japanese version
800DFF10

This file is LucasArts Proprietary and Confidential
If you can read
If you can read
If you can read
this, you need to get a life.