Who doesn't love Star Wars? Even those hardcore Trekkies have the latest releases of the original trilogy hidden in
their basements. Here are the best, worst, and weirdest video games from the
Star Wars universe.
TOP TEN STAR WARS GAMES
10. Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II
(Gamecube, 2001) - This is a beautiful game that starts with an attack on the
Death Star from Episode IV, and moves on to the battle of Hoth next. It's a
dream for anyone who's wanted to experience the vehicle battles with modern
graphics.
9. Star Wars (NES, 1991) - Released in the same
year as Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario World on (then) next generation
consoles, the NES version of Star Wars flew under the radar. That's unfortunate,
because Lucasarts squeezed every bit of power out of the NES to make a fun
platformer. It is a very difficult game, which was typical of the series during
the 1990s.
8. The Empire Strikes Back (Arcade, 1985) - Atari
followed the formula that made the original Star Wars arcade game such a
success, and that's a good thing. The Battle of Hoth had massive AT-AT walkers
to avoid and AT-STs to take down. The subsequent escape through the Hoth
asteroid field was intense, as you couldn't shoot the asteroids down; you had
to avoid them.
7. TIE Fighter (DOS/MAC, 1994) - PC gamers were
treated to a graphically superior "dog fight" simulator with X-Wing
in 1993, and this sequel put the cherry on top by letting gamers experience
being a TIE fighter pilot. Many PC gamers sunk a lot of cash into new sound and
graphics cards to make this game run in its full graphical, stereo glory.
6. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga - (PS3, Xbox
360, Wii, Nintendo DS, 2007) - Developer Traveler's Tales set the video game
world on fire with their carefully balanced Lego Star Wars games in the mid
'00s. Everyone from hardcore gamers to non-gamer Star Wars fans flocked to play
this fun, massive, hilarious series. I recommend this game to everyone, as
you'd have to be a Scrooge level curmudgeon to dislike it.
5. Super Empire Strikes Back (Super Nintendo,
1993) - The cream of the crop when it comes to old school Star Wars
platformers, SESB utilized the "Tech 7" rendering power of the Super
Nintendo to deliver a Hoth Battle that remains at the top of many enthusiasts'
lists to this day. Again, it's a very difficult game, but at least it included
a password system so you didn't have to start from the beginning every time.
4. Star Wars: Battlefront (PS2, Xbox, PC, Mac,
2004) - I didn't discover this gem until 2007, but I'm glad I did. It's a
wonderful mash up of Real Time Strategy and third person action. You are tasked
with commanding a variety of troops to take out the enemy and secure command
posts. Representing the Empire gave gamers the chance to live a dream, with
help on the Battlefront from Darth Vader. The console releases featured online
battles with up to 32 players, which was a blast. Battlefield 4 developer DICE
has announced a reboot of the franchise for 2015. I can't wait.
3. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (PS3, Xbox
360, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, PSP, 2011) - Despite the inferior source material
compared to the older Lego Star Wars games, this entry gets a higher place on
the list for it's beautiful HD presentation and improved gameplay. The control
is tighter and the action is a bit more difficult, although it won't scare away
any Lego veterans. It's also the funniest entry in the franchise, occasionally
making fun of its movie namesake.
2. Knights of The Old Republic - (Xbox, PC, Mac,
2003) - Lucasarts gave RPG developer Bioware full license to create a video
game set in the Star Wars universe, any way they wanted to. They made a massive
action/RPG that is included in most "greatest video games of all
time" lists, be they Star Wars related or not. It takes place thousands of
years before the movies in the Star Wars timeline, but uses most of the
character types from the movies. The story and action match the movies step for
step. Bioware went on to develop the "Mass Effect" trilogy, using
Knights of The Old Republic as a template.
1. Star Wars: The Arcade Game (1983). First
Person assault on the Death Star. Audio clips from the movie. Released 30 years
ago. Gave me repeated nerdgasms as a nine year old. The best ever.
THE WORST AND WEIRDEST
Star Wars: Rebel Assault (Sega CD, 3DO, 1993) - I
was repeatedly burned by crappy Sega CD games, but I thought things would be
different with a Star Wars release. Holy crap, was I ever wrong. The graphics
were so muddled and pixelated, I still am not sure what was going on in that
game twenty years later. Just Awful.
Star Wars (Famicom in Japan, 1987) - There were
some severe localization issues with this game, none greater than Darth Vader's
ability to transform into various creatures, including a giant scorpion.
Star Wars:
Jar Jar's Journey Adventure Book - It's an educational Star Wars game
featuring Jar Jar Binks. I fart in this game's general direction.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (PS3, Xbox 360,
2010) - Seriously, WHAT in the F#$K were they thinking with this story?
Kinect Star Wars (Xbox 360, 2012) - Microsoft has
been pushing its Kinect motion sensor peripheral onto the public for years now,
and what better way could there be to show off the technology than with a Star
Wars game? Light Sabre fights! Dodging laser fire with your body!Virtually
piloting the Millenium Falcon! Disco dancing as Han Solo! Wait, what!? I only
had a few hours of hands-on time with this Hutt excrement, but it was more than
enough for me to know that it should have been aborted in early development.
The Kinect picked up my movements about 25% of the time, so playing through it
was an exercise in frustration. This is the video game equivalent of the
"Star Wars Holiday Special."
-Tom McDaniel