Given the approaching release of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order we decided to retrace the ancient ways of the videogame Force, which over the years have led us to wear the role of jedi, sith, droids and clones. But of the numerous video games set in the world of Star Wars (we are talking about almost 100 titles, ranging from virtual chess to MMORPGs), which are the titles that have left their mark the most, for better or for worse? This short ranking will try to list those video games that made the journey to a galaxy far, far away unforgettable, trying to find the best (and worst) representatives.
The 5 best games on Star Wars - By Marco Stramondo
Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight & Mysteries of the Sith
Published in 1997 with a strange excess of punctuation, Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 is arguably the best Star Wars shooter there has ever been and, with its expansion, it has one of the most poetic bosses ever. But let's go in order: after the first episode, in which the protagonist Kyle Katarn steal the plans of the Death Star in the tutorial level (at the time it took one man to do the work of a suicide squad apparently), Kyle begins to investigate his father's death. He will discover that he was killed by a dark Jedi, Jerec, in his frenzied search for the Valley of the Jedi, which contains boundless power. The story will see our protagonist evolve from a simple mercenary to a Jedi master, discovering his connection with the Force and leading him to choose the destiny of the entire galaxy. The plot was certainly simple, even for the time, but the gameplay was damn solid, giving the player many tools to face long, complex levels and with dizzying platforming phases. In addition, progressing in some levels unlocked points to spend in the powers of the Force that allowed you to choose the skills on which to invest. But the real gem remains the ending of the expansion, Mysteries of the Sith, which put us in the shoes of Mara Jade intent on finding Kyle and bringing him back to the Light side after his corruption. The final fight, in fact, was precisely against our former protagonist, now transformed into an invincible dark jedi. The only way to resolve the battle was to think as Mara would have done: not as a warrior, but as a friend in search of a loved one. By turning off the lightsaber and refusing to fight, Kyle would eventually come to his senses.
Galactic Battlegrounds
Released in 2001 for PC, Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds is one of the few titles belonging to the RTS genre branded Star Wars. With 6 campaigns available, Battleground allowed us to control different factions (Gungan, Federation of Merchants, Empire and Rebels but also Naboo and Wookie) each with their own units and particular upgrades, retracing the history of the episodes of the classic trilogy and of La Phantom Menace. While not shining for originality, being in fact extremely similar to Age of Empires (with which it shares the graphics engine), Galactic Battlegrounds was a pearl for the time and gave the opportunity to play moments of the saga never told before. It's not the only quality RTS though, because Star Wars: Empire at War, released only 5 years later, it was objectively more solid and original from the point of view of contents. Why not insert it in its place? Well, the Empire at War didn't have a dedicated faction screen, each with its own musical theme, and didn't allow you to command your own droid army led by General OOM-9. And because nostalgia is rogue.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Released in 2008 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (this is the title) put us in the shoes of Darth Vader's secret apprentice, the most powerful Starkiller. The title boasted a number of distinctive features, including well-structured physics, a realistic simulation of different types of materials, and the interpretation of Sam Witwer (at the time, famous for his role as Davis Bloom / Doomsday on Smallville). But what made the game incredible was the enormous power of the protagonist, all at our disposal. Lightning, pushing, levitation, lightsabers: Starkiller was unstoppable and a true force of nature. Our anti-hero faces everything during his journey, from jedi to sith, passing through rebels and imperials and taking him to visit various places, including the planets Raxus Prime and Felucia, developing more and more powers and increasing their destructive potential. All this, inserted in a robust plot that went to tell the birth of the Rebellion, without clashing with the original story (as long as you follow the canonical ending). Unforgettable the scene of the Star Destroyer on Raxus Prime.
Knights of the Old Republic
How not to include the RPG with the most popular character of the entire saga in our list? Released in 2003 for PC and Xbox, KotOR it took us 4.000 years back from the first episode, with the universe devastated by the umpteenth galactic war, with the Jedi and the Sith reinforcing their respective sides. All this was only the background to the events of our protagonist who, continuing in the story, would have discovered his connection with the Force and the truth about his past, apparently lost in oblivion. Accompanying him on his journey are Wookie, assassin droids, Republican and Jedi soldiers, each with their own moral compass and their own troubled history. The role system was based on "Star Wars: The Role Play" of Wizards of Coast, similar to how Neverwinter Nights reprized Dungeon & Dragons. It is no coincidence that both were developed by BioWare, which with this title has carved a place in the hearts of RPG enthusiasts and Star Wars fans with a simply epic story, full of characters and stories of depth. If you've never played it, get it back!
Rogue squadron
For the "Simulators" category, our guest star is a title released in 1998: Star Wars Rogue Squadron. If, like the writer, you grew up with the classic trilogy, there is only one thing that excites you more than a lightsaber: the rebel spaceship par excellence, theX-wing. Armed with proton torpedoes and a trusty astrodroid, Rogue Squadron transformed us into a seasoned pilot struggling with the rebellion against the war machine of the Empire. The missions that the rebel squadron faced ranged from the escort on Tatooine to the destruction of the “World Devastators” on Mon Calamari, using the right spaceship for the right mission. In the initial hangar there were in fact the different ships that could be used to replay the levels already unlocked. Among these, in addition to the famous X-Wing, there were also the Snowspeeder, the Y-Wing and the V-Wing. With the right code, you could then unlock some secrets, including some ships like the Millennium Falcon. The different sequels (Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike) improved the already excellent variety of the game, adding new vehicles (including the AT-ST), missions that resumed the iconic battles of the films ( like the Battle of Endor) and even a co-op mode. But, you know, the first flight on a T-65 is not forgotten and so it is also for the first Rogue Squadron.
The 5 worst games in Star Wars - By Patrizio Coccia
Star Wars: Game Boy
Let's start this list of worst with a bang, since we start with a Star Wars title released on Game Boy. Arrived way back in 1991, the game is essentially based on the plot of "A New Hope". The player initially impersonates Luke Skywalker, who must pilot a landspeeder to the planet Tatooine while rescuing R2-D2 from the clutches of a Sandcrawler, Obi-Wan Kenobi from a cave and Ian Solo from Mos Eisley's bar. It goes without saying that this short narrative opening is the only decent thing you will find in the production. In fact, from the very first moments of the game, it is clear that there is nothing in Star Wars, from the atmosphere to the characters, even the lightsabers are non-existent. It all comes down to jumping and shooting enemies with a blaster, far too little to recall Lucas' imagery. Probably the release of this title was just to get the brand to Nintendo consoles, without a real reason.
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battle
Here too we are really at the festival of the ravine. As you can guess from the title, the game was set in the events of Episode I, and he had to faithfully trace the whole story. Too bad it is clear since - almost - immediately that the narrative is used as a mere outline, serving as an excuse to allow the player to destroy an unlikely sea of enemies. Experience that, even in terms of difficulty, is really badly balanced and also not very evocative in terms of proposed scenarios, woody and not very involving. Just the most hardcore fans of the brand probably had the courage to finish the title, also mixed with a good dose of recklessness. If you are one of them, we offer you our warmest congratulations, but we would like to know after years if your sanity has suffered any repercussions. The problem is that the product at the time of release was covered with votes that are almost all above 7, prompting many people to buy.
Star Wars Master of Teräs Käsi
The question we often ask ourselves when we find ourselves in front of certain productions is "Why?". Here, Star Wars Master of Teras Kasi is no exception. Released in Europe in 1998, it had to plow the famous fighting game road, joining this genre to the famous Star Wars roster. Let me say in no uncertain terms that the end result is something ignoble, really bad and badly done. Leaving aside an excessive imbalance of the characters, the title remains woody and really not very scenic, things that if they are missing within a product of this type are inevitably very heavy defects. I would finish this game here, also because the more I think about it the more I feel the need to play Soulcalibur.
Star Wars: Rebel Assault II
We assume that not even I would have liked to have described this game, and it would have been enough for me to insert a gameplay movie and leave the word to you. To think about Rebel Assault II nothing positive comes out, nothing that saves the production or that can help in telling this title. Guys, seriously, we're talking about something obscene, released in 1995 but thought by a twisted mind that got stuck at least 50 years ago. The game could easily be a carryover of a console cabinet, but with a very bad final result. Anyone who has finished it now hates the brand and takes antidepressants to forget, unfortunately it is difficult for us. However, I want to break a lance in his favor, he can rightfully go down in history as one of the worst games ever.
Star Wars: Episode I Racer
Over the years they have transformed Star Wars in everything, rightly there was the atavistic need to make it also a racing game, obviously on the Sgusci (Pod-Racers). Released in 1999, it does not even find space among driving simulators, given that in those years the genre is undergoing a boom and there are plenty of competitors. Although the roster is very diverse, 4 tournaments are too few to stand out. It will remain a semi-interesting experiment, which perhaps could have had potential, but we will never know. The only certain thing is that the video game came out heavily subdued, almost as a mere excuse to create yet another product dedicated to the brand. Probably bought only by the most avid players, the only point in favor of the game is, in fact, the brand.
