This week we have a great list for you! We have the one and only Star Wars franchise! This franchise has given us some of the greatest video games! This week we talk about the Top 10 Star Wars video games for home consoles! (We already did Top 10 lists for arcade games in the 1980s and 1990s, and SW was weel represented on both lists.)The Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred computer, video, and board games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on movie material, while others rely heavily on the Star Wars expanded universe. So back, relax and let’s play some of these great games!
Keith “The Empire Strikes Back” [Atari 2600] (1982)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is a scrolling shooter video game published by Parker Brothers in 1982 for the Atari 2600. It was the first licensed Star Wars video game. The game was republished in 1983 for the Mattel Intellivision.
The player must control Luke Skywalker in a snowspeeder to battle against Imperial AT-AT walkers on the planet Hoth. The objective is to hold off the walkers as long as possible before they blow up the power generator at the Rebels’ Echo Base. The difficulty levels included several variables, including the initial speed of the walkers, whether or not the walkers were solid, and whether or not the walkers included a “smart bomb”.
The player can destroy a walker by shooting it repeatedly in the head or torso; shots to the legs are ineffective. As the walker is damaged, it changes colors – transitioning from black (undamaged) through various shades of gray, red, and orange to yellow (critically damaged). The player can also destroy the walkers by shooting a small flashing spot that randomly appears during gameplay. On the Intellivision, the walkers require thirty hits to take down, compared to forty-eight hits on the Atari.
The walkers shoot back at the player, whose speeder also changes colors as it receives damage. The player can land a damaged speeder to repair it. On some game levels, the walkers are solid, meaning that the player can crash into them, damaging them and destroying the player. Other levels include a smart bomb which periodically launches from the flashing port on a walker and follows the player for a time. If the player is hit by the smart bomb his speeder is destroyed. Occasionally, the player is granted the power of The Force. When this happens, the speeder flashes colorfully and becomes invulnerable for a short time.
The game ends when the player’s fifth speeder is destroyed or when the lead walker reaches Echo Base, destroying it. As the game progresses, the walkers move more rapidly, increasing the difficulty level.
David “X-Wing Simulator” [Commodore Amiga] (1993)
“Star Wars: X-Wing” is a space simulation video game, the first of the X-Wing combat flight simulator game series. The player’s character flies starfighters, including the eponymous X-wing, for the Rebel Alliance as part of a narrative that precedes and parallels the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
Designed by Lawrence Holland and Edward Kilham’s Totally Games for LucasArts, X-Wing was one of the first games to use 3D polygon graphics for spaceships and the first non-adventure game to use the iMUSE music system. The game was updated and re-released several times, and was followed by three sequels. X-Wing was a best-seller and received critical acclaim.
Players assume the role of a Rebel pilot fighting the Galactic Empire before and during the climactic battle of the first Star Wars film. The story consists of three tours of duty of 12 to 14 operations each; although the tours can be played out of order, operations within each tour are played linearly. Briefings, cutscenes, and in-flight messages advance the plot. Additionally, a limited edition of the game came packaged with a 96-page novella, The Farlander Papers by Rusel DeMaria, that provides story information. The novella, later made part of Prima Publishing’s strategy guide, presents a pilot name Keyan Farlander as the player’s character for most of the operations.
Progress through the game depends on fulfilling each operation’s primary objectives; if the player fails an operation, he or she can attempt it again. The initial game’s storyline concludes with the player flying as Luke Skywalker in his attack against the Death Star. Two expansion packs extend the story beyond the events in A New Hope, up to the establishment of the Rebel base depicted at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.
Keith “Dark Forces” [multi-platform] (1995)
“Star Wars: Dark Forces” is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for DOS and Apple Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The storyline is set in the Star Wars fictional universe and follows the character Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working on behalf of the Rebel Alliance. He discovers the Empire’s “Dark Trooper Project”, which involves the development of a series of powerful new battle droids and power-armored stormtroopers.
Dark Forces uses the Jedi game engine, which was developed specifically for the game. The engine adds gameplay features to the first-person shooter genre which were uncommon at the time of release, including level designs with multiple floors and the ability to look up and down.
Critics gave very favorable reviews to the DOS and Macintosh versions of Dark Forces, which were praised for the level design and technological advances. The PlayStation version was criticized for having poor graphics and slow frame rates, reducing playability. A sequel to Dark Forces, “Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II”, followed in 1997.
David “Republic Commando” [multi-platform] (2005)
“Star Wars: Republic Commando” is a tactical first-person shooter video game, set in the Star Wars universe, released in 2005. It was developed and published by LucasArts for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows. The game uses Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.As of April 19, 2007, this game is backwards compatible for the Xbox 360 with a downloadable patch.
The game features some gameplay elements that resemble features in other first-person shooters. The heads-up display (HUD) shows the player character’s helmet, with a tactical visor. It is one of the few first person shooters where the protagonist doesn’t single handedly take out the enemy troops.
The squadmate order system allows the player general tactical control over the three non-player characters (NPCs) squadmates that round out the four-man commando team. Many objects in the game environment will highlight when the crosshair is placed over them. The player can then press the use key to issue an order automatically associated with the object; for example, a sealed door may highlight with a synchronized team breach-and-clear command, or a computer console might give have a “slice” (computer hacking) command, while a pile of cargo boxes suitable for a cover position with good vantage may provide a “take up Sniper/Anti-Armor position” command. Where possible, the squadmates will usually take their preferred roles (sniper, demolitions and technical). The player can also order the squad to move to secure any position (wherever the crosshair is pointed), or perform search-and-destroy. Also, there are orders to command the squadmates to group up or spread out according to the player’s discretion for the situation.
In single-player mode, the player and squadmates do not die when they run out of health, but rather are incapacitated. If the player character is downed, the player can order the squad members to attempt to revive the player or to continue with their current orders. Therefore, the game is only truly over when the player and all members of the squad are incapacitated at once or if the player is downed in a position his squadmates cannot reach (such as chasms). While reviving a downed commando restores a small amount of health, bacta charging stations are necessary to fully regain it. Republic Commando maintains a first-person perspective throughout the game, presenting the story from the eyes of Delta 38. Mission information is received via radio commands from a Clone officer (referred to as “Advisor”), and a text-based objective list with a pop-up objective tracker arrow that points the player to the next objective.
Keith– “X-Wing Simulator” [Commodore Amiga] (1993)
“Star Wars: X-Wing” is a space simulation video game, the first of the X-Wing combat flight simulator game series. The player’s character flies starfighters, including the eponymous X-wing, for the Rebel Alliance as part of a narrative that precedes and parallels the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
Designed by Lawrence Holland and Edward Kilham’s Totally Games for LucasArts, X-Wing was one of the first games to use 3D polygon graphics for spaceships and the first non-adventure game to use the iMUSE music system. The game was updated and re-released several times, and was followed by three sequels. X-Wing was a best-seller and received critical acclaim.
Players assume the role of a Rebel pilot fighting the Galactic Empire before and during the climactic battle of the first Star Wars film. The story consists of three tours of duty of 12 to 14 operations each; although the tours can be played out of order, operations within each tour are played linearly. Briefings, cutscenes, and in-flight messages advance the plot. Additionally, a limited edition of the game came packaged with a 96-page novella, The Farlander Papers by Rusel DeMaria, that provides story information. The novella, later made part of Prima Publishing’s strategy guide, presents a pilot name Keyan Farlander as the player’s character for most of the operations.
Progress through the game depends on fulfilling each operation’s primary objectives; if the player fails an operation, he or she can attempt it again. The initial game’s storyline concludes with the player flying as Luke Skywalker in his attack against the Death Star. Two expansion packs extend the story beyond the events in A New Hope, up to the establishment of the Rebel base depicted at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.
David “Rebel Assault II” [multi-platform] (1995)
“Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire” is a 1995 video game developed by LucasArts. It is the sequel of the LucasArts action game Star Wars: Rebel Assault, set in the Star Wars expanded universe.
This part of the series contained mostly original filming with actors and stunts, while the scenery and the space scenes were 3D rendered. According to LucasArts’ magazine “The Adventurer”, this game was the first media to incorporate live-action actors and footage in the Star Wars universe since Return of the Jedi. The stormtrooper armor, weapons, helmets and suits seen to be worn by the actors, were not made for the game, but are the actual props seen in the original trilogy, taken from the archive storage of Lucasfilm.
The game makes use of the INSANE game engine.
Here, the player Rookie One is clearly shown and is a male character. He commands ships not appearing in the previous game, like a YT-1300 Corellian Transport, a B-wing, a Y-wing and encounters new opponents, like TIE Interceptors. The fly videos now seem to move and rotate according to how the player ‘moves’, so that there is an illusion of ‘steering’ the ship (which in reality is following a ‘rail’ in a pre-rendered course).
After the destruction of the first Death Star, Darth Vader has begun a new project for the Galactic Empire. Meanwhile, in the Rebel Alliance, rumors have grown concerning “ghost ships” attacking Rebel patrols.
Rookie One (acted by Jamison Jones in cut scenes, his voice is provided during the “shoot scenes”), while flying with his wingman on patrol near the planet Dreighton, receives a distress call from a YT-1300 transport, the Corellia Star, which is being attacked by TIE fighters. The pilot has crucial information about the Empire’s new project. After fighting off several TIE Fighters, Rookie One’s wingman destroyed by one of the unseen attackers, and Rookie One’s ship is shot down, but he is able to eject himself before the rest of his ship explodes and crash lands on a planet, where the captured transport had been forced to land. Having survived the crash landing, Rookie One follows a tracking scanner to an Imperial station, where the Corellia Star is being held. After fighting stormtroopers, he finds the transport and its information, but the station’s doors close before he can escape, forcing him to fly through mining tunnels. He is able to find another way out and escapes through hyperspace.
Back at Pinnacle Base, Admiral Ackbar (digitally copied from Return of the Jedi and inserted into the game) helps the pilots understand the message from the freighter. The Alliance learns that the Empire has constructed a secret mining facility in the asteroid Belt of Arah, somewhere in the Dreighton Nebula, and Rookie One is sent along with a squadron of X-wings to destroy it. Along the way, they encounter derillium minefields and TIE Interceptors. The facility is not simply mining ore, but is supplying rare metals required to manufacture the new V38 “Phantom” TIE, equipped with a cloaking device invented by Grand Admiral Sarn. After the squadron opens a way into the facility’s reactor core and destroys it, narrowly escaping the blast, squadron leader Ace Merrick is killed along with wingman Ina Rece by an ambush of Phantom TIEs. Rookie One manages to evade the TIEs and escape. At Pinnacle Base, Admiral Ackbar comes up with a plan for two people to infiltrate the facility building the Phantom V38s at Imdaar Alpha.
Keith “Jedi Power Battles” [PlayStation / Dreamcast] (2000)
Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is an action adventure Star Wars video game set during the time frame of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The game was first released for the PlayStation, afterwards for the Dreamcast and the Game Boy Advance (in the last case under the title Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles). The game follows the plot of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Players can choose from one of five prequel-era Jedi and run, jump, slash, and use the Force through the game’s ten levels, starting on the Trade Federation Battleship and ending with the battle against Darth Maul on Naboo. The player’s primary weapon is a lightsaber used to fight through waves of enemies and deflect blaster shots. The lightsaber combat is rather simplified with a system that lets the player lock on to the nearest enemy using the R1 button. Items and the force can also be used for special attacks. On most levels jumping puzzles make up a large portion of the challenge. There are a few segments in which the player can pilot various craft. The single player campaign can also be played in cooperative mode with a second player, while the Dreamcast version has an additional training mode and a two player duel mode.
David “TIE Fighter” [Commodore Amiga] (1994)
“Star Wars: TIE Fighter” is a 1994 space flight simulator and space combat video game, the sequel to Star Wars: X-Wing. It places the player in the role of an Imperial starfighter pilot during events that occur between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Lawrence Holland and Edward Kilham’s Totally Games studio, which released X-Wing the year before, designed TIE Fighter. Based on X-Wing’s game engine, TIE Fighter supports Gouraud shading and adds gameplay features and craft not available in X-Wing. TIE Fighter was updated and re-released several times, and it was a critical success.
The game’s plot begins soon after the Empire’s victory on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. As with X-Wing, the player’s character is unnamed in the game; however, an included novella and Prima Publishing’s strategy guide name the character Maarek Stele and provide a background narrative. In addition to fighting Rebel Alliance forces, the player flies against pirates, combatants in a civil war, and traitorous Imperial forces. The original game ends with the player preventing a coup against Emperor Palpatine and being personally rewarded during a large ceremony. Subsequent expansions focus on Admiral Thrawn’s efforts to stop an Imperial traitor; the final mission of the second expansion concludes just before the climactic battle at the end of Return of the Jedi. Though playing on the side of the Star Wars saga’s villain, the game presents Imperial forces as maintainers of peace and order in a tumultuous galaxy.
The storyline is divided across several battles, each of which has four to eight missions. Although some of the battles can be played out of order, individual missions within each battle are played linearly. Mission briefings and debriefings, cutscenes, and in-flight communication advance the story.
Keith “Bounty Hunter”[multi-platform] (2002)
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (released in Japan as Star Wars: Jango Fett) is a Star Wars video game developed and published by LucasArts for the GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2, released in 2002. The game was re-released on the PlayStation Store on November, 2015. In the game, players play as the bounty hunter Jango Fett, featured in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, to which this game serves as a prequel. Both Temuera Morrison and Leeanna Walsman reprise their roles from the film as Jango Fett and Zam Wesell, respectively.
The main objective of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is to hunt Dark Jedi Komari Vosa. During the game, it is revealed why Jango Fett was chosen as the template for the Grand Army of the Republic, how Boba Fett, his cloned “son” was born, and how Jango acquired Slave I. Players also fight many “bosses”, such as Montross and Longo “Two-Guns”. There are also side objectives, such as collecting secondary bounties, that open special bonus items in the game. When the player beats a chapter, blooper reels – comedic machinima productions – are unlocked.
Composer Jeremy Soule wrote music for the game, including both cut scenes and gameplay. The characters Jango Fett and Komari Vosa have their own leitmotifs.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is played in third person. Jango Fett has access to a wide array of weapons in the game; from his trademark blaster pistols to flamethrowers to jetpack-mounted missiles. In game, Jango can make use of his acrobatic abilities by somersaulting and jumping to the side to backflipping to avoid enemies. There are also many pickups, powerups, and items to help along the way. In every level, there is a primary objective and several secondary objectives, relating to the capture of several bounties; bounties are found and marked using his ID scanner (which switches the game to the first-person perspective). Amassing enough credits unlocks concept art. Each level also has a secret feather, which unlock Wizards of the Coast cards; if all feathers are found, bonus footage is unlocked. After every level, pages of the comic Open Seasons are unlocked for viewing, and after completing chapters, “blooper reels” for the cutscenes in that chapter are unlocked.
David “The Force Unleashed” [multi-platform] (2008)
“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” is an action-adventure video game and part of The Force Unleashed project. It was initially developed for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles and on the iOS, second-generation N-Gage, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Java-equipped mobile phone handhelds.
The game was released in North America on September 16, 2008, in Australia and Southeast Asia on September 17, and in Europe on September 19. LucasArts released downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. An Ultimate Sith Edition of the game, containing new and all previously released expanded content, was released in November 2009, which also came out on Mac OS and Microsoft Windows.
The project bridges the first two Star Wars trilogies, acting as an origin story for both the united Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Civil War depicted in the Original Trilogy. The game introduces a new protagonist, “Starkiller”, as Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, who is tasked with hunting down Jedi while killing rebels and Imperials alike in order to hide his existence from the Emperor, but soon starts to slowly redeem himself to the light side of the Force.
Reviews offered fairly positive response, praising The Force Unleashed for its compelling story, robust physics, impressive art and soundtrack, while some more negative reviews cited frustrating gameplay. Despite this, the game was a bestseller in the United States and Australia, with over one million copies sold its debut month. As of February 2010, the game has sold over seven million copies, and it is the fastest-selling Star Wars video game.A sequel, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, was released in October 2010.
Keith “The Force Unleashed” [multi-platform] (2008)
“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” is an action-adventure video game and part of The Force Unleashed project. It was initially developed for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles and on the iOS, second-generation N-Gage, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Java-equipped mobile phone handhelds.
The game was released in North America on September 16, 2008, in Australia and Southeast Asia on September 17, and in Europe on September 19. LucasArts released downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. An Ultimate Sith Edition of the game, containing new and all previously released expanded content, was released in November 2009, which also came out on Mac OS and Microsoft Windows.
The project bridges the first two Star Wars trilogies, acting as an origin story for both the united Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Civil War depicted in the Original Trilogy. The game introduces a new protagonist, “Starkiller”, as Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, who is tasked with hunting down Jedi while killing rebels and Imperials alike in order to hide his existence from the Emperor, but soon starts to slowly redeem himself to the light side of the Force.
Reviews offered fairly positive response, praising The Force Unleashed for its compelling story, robust physics, impressive art and soundtrack, while some more negative reviews cited frustrating gameplay. Despite this, the game was a bestseller in the United States and Australia, with over one million copies sold its debut month. As of February 2010, the game has sold over seven million copies, and it is the fastest-selling Star Wars video game.A sequel, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, was released in October 2010.
David “Dark Forces” [DOS / Macintosh] (1995)
“Star Wars: Dark Forces” is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for DOS and Apple Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The storyline is set in the Star Wars fictional universe and follows the character Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working on behalf of the Rebel Alliance. He discovers the Empire’s “Dark Trooper Project”, which involves the development of a series of powerful new battle droids and power-armored stormtroopers.
Dark Forces uses the Jedi game engine, which was developed specifically for the game. The engine adds gameplay features to the first-person shooter genre which were uncommon at the time of release, including level designs with multiple floors and the ability to look up and down.
Critics gave very favorable reviews to the DOS and Macintosh versions of Dark Forces, which were praised for the level design and technological advances. The PlayStation version was criticized for having poor graphics and slow frame rates, reducing playability. A sequel to Dark Forces, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, followed in 1997.
Keith “Shadows of the Empire” [Nintendo 64] 1996
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a 1996 third-person shooter video game, developed by LucasArts. It was one of the first games made available for the Nintendo 64, with more than 1 million copies sold as of 1997.A version for Windows 95 was released a year later. Shadows of the Empire was the third top-selling Nintendo 64 game for 1997.
In the game, the player controls the mercenary Dash Rendar in his efforts to help Luke Skywalker and rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor’s hands. It is part of the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire multimedia project and takes place as a backstory between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
The story begins shortly before the battle of Hoth, as Dash Rendar and Leebo, Dashs’ droid co-pilot, arrive in Echo Base to deliver supplies. He briefly talks with Han Solo, who gets him a position in Rogue Squadron. Dash flies in the battle, but returns to Echo Base when the shield generator is destroyed, just as the Millennium Falcon leaves. He makes his way through the base, attempting to return to The Outrider. Dash encounters several wampas on the way, and has to fight an AT-ST, but eventually makes it back to Leebo and The Outrider, and they escape through an asteroid field.
Part 2 begins after the end of The Empire Strikes Back, as Dash searches for Boba Fett, so he can rescue Han Solo. He hunts down and battles IG-88, attempting to repair his ship on Ord Mantell. The droid tells him that Fett is hiding on a moon of the planet Gall. Dash finds Boba Fett, and damages his ship, Slave I, but Fett manages to escape.
Believing that The Emperor will let him take Vader’s place if Skywalker is killed, Prince Xizor orders Jabba the Hutt to kill Luke Skywalker. Jabba sends a group of swoop bikers to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s home, where Luke is practicing his Jedi skills. Dash races them, and ends up eliminating all members of the gang. Luke informs Dash of a secret imperial supercomputer aboard the Imperial Freighter Suprosa. Dash steals the computer, and battles with a cargo droid in a hangar.
The final chapter begins with Luke, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, and Dash infiltrating Xizor’s palace on Coruscant to save Princess Leia, whom Xizor has taken captive. Dash enters the palace through the sewers, and battles an enormous dianoga in the sewer, before entering the palace itself, where he does battle with Xizor’s Gladiator Droid. After defeating the droid, Xizor escapes to his Skyhook space station. Xizor battles the Rebellion before a Star Destroyer arrives. Dash then proceeds to fly into the Skyhook, and destroys it from the inside. Dash is presumably killed in the blast, along with Xizor.
David “Battlefront II” [multi-platform] (2005)
“Star Wars: Battlefront II” is a 2005 first- and third-person shooter video game based on the Star Wars film franchise. Developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts it is a sequel to 2004’s “Star Wars: Battlefront” and the second game in the Battlefront series. The game was released in PAL regions on October 31, 2005, on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable (PSP), Microsoft Windows, and Xbox platforms, and in North America on November 1 of the same year. It was later updated to be backwards compatible for the Xbox 360. It was also released on the PlayStation Store on October 20, 2009, for download on the PSP. The PSP version was developed by Savage Entertainment.
The game features new vehicles, characters, game mechanics, maps, and missions compared to the original Battlefront. Unlike its predecessor, Battlefront II features a more narrative-based campaign, retelling portions of the Star Wars story from the point of view of a veteran Imperial stormtrooper, reminiscing about his tour of duty in service of both the Galactic Republic and as part of the Galactic Empire. Gameplay additions over Battlefront include the use of Jedi, additional game modes such as hero assault, and objective-based space battles.
Battlefront II was well received, with the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions scoring in the mid 80s at aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic. The PC version scored slightly lower at both sites, scoring a 76.60% at GameRankings and 78 at Metacritic. The PSP version was the worst received, scoring 70.93% at GameRankings and 69 at Metacritic. Reviewers generally praised the narrative-based story; however, some felt that the upgrades from the original were not enough to merit the price. Like the original game, it was a commercial success.
GameSpy Technology scheduled a shut-down across all titles using the service for May 31, 2014, which included Star Wars: Battlefront II for PC, PS2, and Xbox. Electronic Arts announced it would extend support for Battlefront II until June 30, 2014. The extended support ended on July 25, 2014, taking all GameSpy online video games across all platforms offline. The Windows version was added to a list of supported games on GameRanger on May 31, 2014, which allows for continued online play.
Battlefront II is fundamentally similar to its predecessor, albeit with the addition of new gameplay mechanics. The general objective in most missions is to eliminate the enemy faction. Like its predecessor Star Wars Battlefront, the game is split into two eras: the Clone Wars, with battles taking place between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and the Galactic Civil War, where battles between the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire take place. Players have the ability to choose between six classes during gameplay. Four class types are common to all factions; infantry, heavy weapon, sniper and engineer. In addition to the four standard classes, each faction has two unique classes which unlock by scoring a predetermined number of points. For the Rebellion faction, the Bothan Spy and the Wookiee; for the Empire, The Officer and The Dark Trooper; for the Republic, the Commander and the Jet Trooper; and for the CIS, the Magnaguard and the Droideka. Battlefront II also features heroes – a special class that allows the player to control iconic characters from the Star Wars universe. Heroes serve as a bonus to players, and are unlocked by meeting certain criteria, such as earning a certain number of points. Differences between Battlefront II and its predecessor include the ability to sprint and the ability to roll forwards. In addition to utilizing heroes in conquest matches, the game also featured a hero assault mode in which heroes were pitted against villains in a team deathmatch format.
Keith “Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi” [PlayStation] (1998)
“Masters of Teräs Käsi” takes place between the Star Wars movies A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. The destruction of the Death Star at the hands of Luke Skywalker has severely crippled the Galactic Empire. The Emperor wants retaliation against him and all of the Rebel Alliance and seeks the services of assassin Arden Lyn to eliminate the Alliance’s key members. Luke and the others find out about the Empire’s plot and challenge Arden, face to face. “Teräs Käsi” refers to a martial art used in the game; both words have been borrowed from Finnish and they literally mean “steel hand”.
• Luke Skywalker
• Darth Vader (must be unlocked)
• Han Solo
• Princess Leia
• Chewbacca
• Arden Lyn, a master of Teräs Käsi hired by the Emperor
• Boba Fett
• Stormtrooper (must be unlocked)
• Hoar, a Tusken Raider
• Thok, a Gamorrean guard
• Princess Leia (in Jabba’s slave outfit)
• Mara Jade
• Jodo Kast
David “Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader” [GameCube] (2001)
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (also known as Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II) is an action game co-developed by Factor 5 and LucasArts The second of three games in the Rogue Squadron series, it was published by LucasArts in North America in Europe version published by Activision and Japanese version published by Electronic Arts and Squaresoft joint venture Electronic Arts Square. and released as a launch title for the GameCube in North American on November 9, 2001 and Europe on May 3, 2002.
Set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, the game spans all three original trilogy Star Wars films. The player controls Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles. As the game progresses, Skywalker, Antilles and the Rebel Alliance fight the Galactic Empire in ten missions across various planets.
Similar to its predecessor, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Rogue Leader is a fast-paced, flight action game. Each of the game’s ten levels introduces mission objectives such as search and destroy or protection that must be completed to progress to the next level. Enemy aircraft are primarily composed of TIE fighters, Imperial shuttles and Star Destroyers. Ground defenses are more varied and include three different walkers, various laser turrets, probe droids and stormtroopers.
The heads-up display features a health meter, a radar, an ammunition count for secondary weapons and the “command cross” that allows the player to give limited instructions to their wingmen. The player can control seven craft in the base game: X-wing, A-wing, Y-wing, B-wing, Snowspeeder, the T-16 Skyhopper and the Millennium Falcon. Each vehicle offers a unique armament arrangement, as well as varying degrees of speed and maneuverability. The game initially restricts the player to a particular craft for each level; however, after a level is completed, it can be replayed with any available craft. Some levels offer the player the option to change craft mid-level. Eleven bonus power-ups are hidden in different levels throughout the game. These bonuses improve a craft’s weapons, durability and targeting computer and are applied to each eligible craft for the remainder of the game.
The player’s performance is measured throughout the game, and performance statistics are checked after each level against three medal benchmarks.Each benchmark contains six categories: completion time, number of enemies destroyed, shot accuracy, number of friendly craft and structures saved, number of lives lost and targeting computer efficiency.If a player’s performance meets or exceeds one of the level’s three benchmarks in all six categories, a medal—bronze, silver or gold—is awarded on completion. Acquiring these medals promotes the player’s rank and helps unlock hidden content.[6] Once the player completes all of the training missions and achieves gold medals on all 15 levels, the opportunity to activate “Ace Mode” is awarded. The player may then achieve one more medal per level by completing them with this mode activated.
Keith “LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy” [multi-platform] (2006)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller’s Tales and published by LucasArts and TT Games Publishing. It was released on 11 September 2006. Part of the Lego Star Wars series, it is based on the Star Wars science fiction media franchise and Lego Group’s Star Wars-themed toy line. It follows the events of the Star Wars films Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The game allows players to assume the roles of over 50 Lego versions of characters from the film series; customized characters can also be created. Camera movement was improved from its predecessor—Lego Star Wars: The Video Game; and the concept of “vehicle levels” was explored more thoroughly. The game was revealed at American International Toy Fair 2006. Promotions for the game were set up at chain stores across the United States.
Lego Star Wars II was critically and commercially successful; it has sold over 8.2 million copies worldwide as of May 2009. Critics praised the game for its comedic and “adorable” portrayal of the film series and for their preference of the original trilogy to the prequel trilogy. However, the game’s low difficulty, and its Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS versions in general, were received more poorly. The game received awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Spike TV, among others. A mobile phone adaptation, Lego Star Wars II Mobile, was later developed by Universomo, published by THQ, and released on 19 December 2006. Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars II were compiled in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, released on 6 November 2007. The OS X version of the game was released in April 2007 by Feral Interactive.
Lego Star Wars II’s gameplay is from a third-person perspective, and takes place in a 3D game world that contains objects, environments and characters designed to resemble Lego pieces. Its gameplay—a combination of the action-adventure, platform, and sometimes puzzle genres—shares elements with that of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005).[4] While Lego Star Wars followed the events of The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), Lego Star Wars II is based on Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). The game comically retells the trilogy’s events using cut scenes without dialogue. The player assumes the roles of the films’ characters, each of which possess specific weapons and abilities. At any time, a second player can join the game by activating a second controller.During game play, players can collect Lego studs–small, disk-shaped objects that serve as the game’s currency. The player has a health meter, which is displayed on the game’s heads-up display. The player’s health is represented by four hearts; when these hearts are depleted the player dies and a small amount of their studs bounce away. However, they instantly respawn and can often recollect the lost studs.
The game’s central location is the Mos Eisley Cantina, a spaceport bar on the planet Tatooine. At the counter, the player may use their Lego studs to purchase characters, vehicles, gameplay hints and extras, or activate cheat codes. In a small area outside the cantina, players may view collected vehicles. The game is broken into levels, which are accessed from the cantina; each film is represented by six levels, representing key locations and scenes in that film. The locations include Hoth, Bespin, Dagobah, Tatooine, the Death Star, and Endor. The game also features bonus levels. During levels, the player defeats enemies, builds objects out of Lego bricks and drives vehicles, Certain levels are played entirely while piloting vehicles, including a TIE fighter, a Snowspeeder, and the Millennium Falcon. Levels must first be played in Story Mode. This unlocks the next level as well as a Free Play mode for the recently completed level. Gameplay is identical in the two modes. However, Story Mode restricts playable characters to those followed in the film scenes the levels are based on, while Free Play offers all those unlocked. Levels can be replayed in either mode to collect studs and secret items.
David “LEGO Star Wars” [multi-platform] (2005)
Lego Star Wars: The Video Game is a Lego-themed, action-adventure video game based on the Lego Star Wars line of toys, and the first game in TT Games’ Lego video game franchise. It was first released on 29 March 2005, and is a video game adaptation of the Star Wars prequel trilogy: The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005), with a bonus segment from A New Hope (1977).
It is the only Lego game from TT Games to be rated E by the ESRB for consoles (the handheld version of TT’s Lego Games may have an E rating) while other Lego games 2005-onward are E-10.
It was developed by Traveller’s Tales for the Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation 2 video game consoles, and Microsoft Windows personal computers, with Griptonite Games developing the Nintendo Game Boy Advance version. These initial versions were published in April 2005. A Mac version, developed by Aspyr, was released in August 2005. A Nintendo GameCube version of the game was released on 26 October 2005. All versions were published by Eidos Interactive and LucasArts.
Gameplay in Lego Star Wars is geared towards family play, and does not feature a game-over scenario. Given a specific set of characters in each scenario, based on a scene from each of the movies, up to two players can control them, using their different abilities. By walking up to another friendly character, the player can switch control over to that character; this interaction is necessary in order to use another character’s abilities to complete certain puzzles. Studs can be collected by finding them, smashing or using the force on certain objects, or defeating enemies. Players lose studs (as opposed to lives) if their character is destroyed. These studs can be spent on unlocking new characters for Free Play mode. Certain segments of the game feature players controlling spaceships flying on a flat plane. There are also several minikit canisters hidden throughout each level that, when collected, combine to form a vehicle.
When the player first starts the game, they must first complete Chapter I of The Phantom Menace (“Negotiations”). However, once that Chapter is completed, the player may choose to play any unlocked levels from the other two movies in their desired order.
Completing all the game’s levels with full stud bars will unlock an additional chapter based on the opening scene of A New Hope, which features a ‘prototype’ Darth Vader, who uses Anakin’s fighting style, and a Stormtrooper whose movements are identical to the Clone Troopers (both of these are remodeled in the next game).
The gameplay music is the same music from the Star Wars movies, but since the game was released before Episode III, music from the original trilogy (1977, 1980 and 1983) was used. For example, the alternate soundtrack for the “Binary Sunset” was used in the second Chapter of Episode III, and “The Battle of Yavin” was used in Chapters I and III. In The Complete Saga, they would become the soundtrack from Episode III itself.
Keith “Battlefront” [multi-platform] (2015)
“Star Wars: Battlefront” is a series of first- and third-person shooter video games based on the Star Wars films. Players take the role of soldiers in either of two opposing armies in different time periods of the Star Wars universe.
The series was launched in 2004 by LucasArts with Star Wars: Battlefront, developed by Pandemic Studios for LucasArts. The game received positive reviews and sold well. In 2005 Pandemic developed a sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront II, which was also critically and commercially successful. The games were followed by Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (2007) and Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (2009) for handheld consoles and Star Wars Battlefront: Mobile Squadrons for mobile devices. LucasArts made several attempts to get a third major Battlefront game off the ground but no projects were released before The Walt Disney Company’s acquisition of LucasArts. Subsequently, EA DICE acquired a license to develop a new game, titled Star Wars Battlefront which was released on November 17, 2015.
At an Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) press conference on June 10, 2013, EA DICE (whose parent company, Electronic Arts, had recently acquired a multi-year license to produce Star Wars video games), unveiled a teaser trailer for a new Star Wars: Battlefront game, built on the Frostbite 3 engine. The teaser showed a first-person view of the Battle of Hoth, including a crashing Snowspeeder and the foot of an AT-AT. DICE showed additional development footage at the 2014 E3 conference. The game’s title was eventually announced as Star Wars Battlefront. In April 2015, EA announced a release date of November 17, 2015 at Star Wars Celebration. The game is a reboot of the series, focusing on capturing the look of the films. At launch, four planets were confirmed – Hoth, Tatooine, Endor, and Sullust. Unlike its predecessors, Star Wars Battlefront will not feature the “Clone Wars” era found in the prequel films, nor will it feature content from The Force Awakens. Free downloadable content (DLC) for Battlefront was released in December 2015, featuring the planet of Jakku with two new maps and a new multiplayer game mode. The game will also feature both first and third-person gameplay perspectives, similar to its predecessors. A gameplay trailer involving the Hoth battle debuted at E3 on June 15, 2015 The game will feature a pseudo-campaign — a cooperative experience allowing player to experience game play with one or two players and computer controlled allies and opponents.
Outer Rim is the second downloadable content for the game, released in March 22, 2016. It adds 4 maps set in Jabba the Hutt’s palace (Palace garage and Jabba’s Palace) in Tatooine and a factory area in Sullust (Sorosuub refinery and Sorosuub pipelines) and a new mode called extraction. The game is available free to players who have purchased the game’s Season Pass. Outer Rim is the first of the four DLC packs planned for Season Pass owners. The second expansion pack is titled Bespin and allows players to fight in the setting of Cloud City, released in September 2016. The third expansion pack, titled Death Star, was released September 2016 as well and marked the debut of the Death Star in the game. The final DLC expansion pack was released on December 6, 2016. It features playable characters Jyn Erso and Orson Krennic. Battles may now be waged on and above the planet of Scarif.
David “Knights of the Old Republic” [multi-platform] (2003)
“Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” is a role-playing video game set in the Star Wars universe. Developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts, the game was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, and for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003. The game was later ported to Mac OS X, iOS, and Android by Aspyr, and it is playable on the Xbox 360 via its backward-compatibility feature.
The story of Knights of the Old Republic takes place almost 4000 years before the formation of the Galactic Empire, where Darth Malak, a Dark Lord of the Sith, has unleashed a Sith armada against the Republic. The player character, as a Jedi, must venture to different planets in the galaxy in order to destroy the Star Forge, Malak’s military resources. Players choose from three character classes and customize their characters at the beginning of the game, and engage in round-based combat against enemies. Through interacting with other characters and making plot decisions, the alignment system will determine whether the player’s character aligns with the light or dark side of the Force.
The game was directed by Casey Hudson, designed by James Ohlen, and written by Drew Karpyshyn. LucasArts proposed developing a game tied to Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, or a game set thousands of years before the prequels. The team chose the latter as they thought that they would have more creative freedom. Ed Asner, Ethan Phillips, and Jennifer Hale were hired to perform voices for the game’s characters, while the soundtrack was composed by Jeremy Soule. Announced in 2000, the game was delayed several times before its release in July 2003.
The game received critical acclaim upon release, with critics applauding the game’s characters, story, and sound. It was nominated for numerous awards, and is considered one of the best games of all time. A sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, developed by Obsidian Entertainment at BioWare’s suggestion, was released in 2004. The series’ story continued with the 2011 release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMORPG developed by BioWare.
Players choose from three basic character classes at the beginning of the game, and later choose from three Jedi subclasses. Beyond class, a character has “skills” stats, tiered “feats”, and later on, tiered Force powers, similar to magic spells in fantasy games. Feats and Force powers are unlocked every level-up, while the player is given skill points to distribute among their skills every level.
Combat is round-based; time is divided into discrete rounds, and combatants attack and react simultaneously, although these actions are presented sequentially on-screen. The number of actions a combatant may perform each round is limited. While each round’s duration is a fixed short interval of real time, the player can configure the combat system to pause at specific events or at the end of each round, or set the combat system to never automatically pause, giving the illusion of real-time combat. Combat actions are calculated using DnD rules. While these are not displayed directly on the screen, the full breakdown for each action (including die rolls and modifiers) are accessible from a menu.
For much of the game, the player can have up to two companions in their party. These companions will participate in combat. They can be manually controlled by the player, or act autonomously if the player does not give them any input. Outside of combat, the companions will randomly engage the player or each other in dialogue, sometimes unlocking additional quests. They will also participate in conversations the player has with other non-player characters.
Non-combat interaction with other characters in the game world is based upon a dialogue menu system. Following each statement, the player can select from a list of menu responses. The dialogue varies based on the gender and skills of the main character.
The alignment system tracks actions and speech—from simple word choices to major plot decisions—to determine whether the player’s character aligns with the light or dark side of the Force. Generosity and altruism lead to the light side, while selfish or violent actions will lead the player’s character to the dark side, which will alter the character’s appearance, turning their eyes yellow and their skin pale.
In addition to the standard role-playing gameplay, there are several minigame events that come up over the course of the game. The player can engage in swoop racing to gain money, and sometimes interplanetary travel will be interrupted by enemy starfighters, which begins a minigame where the player controls a turret to shoot down the opposing starcraft. The player can also engage in a card game known as pazaak, which is similar to the game of blackjack, to gamble money.
How was that list for you? I know after talking about a list like this, I want to dust off one of my old systems and relive some of these great games. What do you think? We would love to hear your thoughts on these games. Want to hear more about this piece? Click on over to podcastunlimited.com, and look through our archives for episode 95, where will discuss this figure and everything about it. To see our list of Honorable Mentions, check out our sister blog. Till the next time this is the engineer signing off!
“May the force be with you!”
-Luke Skywalker
“Oh Star Wars,
Nothing but Star Wars,
Give me those Star Wars,
Don’t let them end.
Oh Star Wars,
If they should bar wars,
Please let these Star Wars
Stay.”
-Nick Winters (a.k.a. Bill Murray)