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The Great Star Wars Video Games Feature And Review Round-Up
It's May 4, which means today offers a slightly better reason than any other day to celebrate everything Star Wars. To commemorate the occasion, I have put together a round-up of reviews and features covering Star Wars video games as they have appeared on our website and in the magazine over many years.
First off, are our Star Wars features.
Gaming’s Best And Worst Star Wars Characters
The title says it all. Here, you will find a list of our favorite and least favorite original characters that have appeared in the Star Wars video games.
Six Games We Don’t Mind Seeing Ejected From Star Wars Canon
The announcement of Star Wars' Expanded Universe no longer being considered canon was troubling as it meant some of our favorite games would no longer be considered truly part of the main Star Wars universe. These are the games we are more than happy to see no longer be considered canon.
Opinion – Why Losing The Star Wars Expanded Universe Isn’t Bad
Not everyone was upset about the Expanded Universe announcement as it relates to Star Wars canon, and Joe Juba presented his opinion on why it's not a bad thing.
Fall Of The Empire: How Inner Turmoil Brought Down LucasArts
This is Andrew Reiner's large piece on the recent fall of LucasArts. Head here if you want to learn all about why LucasArts fell apart.
Remembering LucasArts
When the announcement was made of LucasArts' closure, all of us editors came together to share memories of our favorite Star Wars and LucasArts games.
Video From The Darth Maul Game You'll Never Get To Play
We may never get a chance to play this potentially cool Darth Maul game, but you can see a little bit of its early gameplay and animation in action.
Art From The Darth Maul Game You'll Never Get To Play
If you prefer your images still and not in motion, but equally cool, you can check out this feature showcasing some of the cancelled Darth Maul game's unused concept art.
If George Lucas Created Mass Effect 3
Perhaps not directly related to Star Wars, but pertinent none-the-less. Jeff Marchiafava took a stab at what Mass Effect might have looked like had Star Wars creator George Lucas took control.
Top Of The Table – Star Wars: Edge Of The Empire
In this feature, Matt Miller takes a look at a recent Star Wars tabletop game, Edge of the Empire.
Star Wars: Battlefront III Wish List
This piece was written before it was announced that DICE would be taking over Star Wars: Battlefront duties, but it doesn't mean Matt Miller's hopes for the sequel have changed.
The End Of Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies gave the Star Wars MMORPG a real shot, but it couldn't quite pull it off. In this video feature, a handful of Game Informer editors, and one Star Wars Galaxies developer sat down and chatted about the game's closure and legacy.
Head to page two for a round-up of (nearly) all of out Star Wars video game reviews.
Below you will find an alphabetized list of nearly every review score we have ever given to a Star Wars game. I can't call the list comprehensive, because there are missing entries for reviews which are more difficult to track down, but there is a lit here. As it turns out, there are a lot of Star Wars video games. I've added links and review quotes where applicable.
Angry Birds Star Wars (mobile) - 8.5
"I’ve played through all of the Angry Birds games, and had the most fun with this Star Wars-themed version. And that’s not just because it’s Star Wars. This game shows Rovio is at the top of its game, using a beloved license to deliver the series’ most creative levels to date."
Angry Birds Star Wars II (mobile) - 8
"Even without much in terms of difficulty, Angry Birds Star Wars II is still moderately fun, but more in that “Wow, I didn’t expect that shot to level the entire playing field” kind of way than the “How on Earth am I going to get all of those pigs with just three birds?” formula we’ve seen in past iterations."
Kinect Star Wars - 5.5
"Kinect Star Wars is a bad game. If you go into it knowing that you are getting full-on camp like The Star Wars Holiday Special rather than a legitimate Star Wars experience, it can be fun, but you do have to tolerate faulty Kinect recognition the whole time. Ever since Nintendo introduced the Wii, I’ve been hoping LucasArts would deliver a great motion-based lightsaber experience, but Kinect Star Wars left me wanting a controller again."
Lego Star Wars - 7.5
"Although it can be completed in a measly four
to five hours, this is one of those games that you’re going to want to
keep around to pop in from time to time or show to your friends and
family. In a sense, it’s the perfect party game for nerds."
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - 8
"In the end, I had a blast
with this second go into the world of LEGO Star Wars. This entire game
is held up by the comedy that it delivers, and as a result, I don’t
think I’ve laughed this hard in years. After finishing the game, the
first thing that I wanted to do was run out and purchase every Star Wars
LEGO set that I could find. It’s good to be a kid again."
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars - 8.5
"Even with so much of the gameplay clinging to the formula Traveller’s Tales created for its first LEGO game, The Clone Wars offers a vastly different experience that captures the best of both of the LEGO and Star Wars licenses. It’s easily the best LEGO game to date."
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (DS, 3DS, PSP) - 6.5
Star Wars (GameGear) - 9
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (PSP) - 6.75
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - 5.75
"Without question, the only suitable home for this game is in a molten river on Mustafar right next to Anakin’s legs and arm."
Star Wars: Flight go the Falcon (Game Boy Advance) - 2.25
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords - 9.25
"It’s
almost impossible to deny the charms that emerge from this title’s
expertly crafted story and unbound freedom. The Sith Lords is a crowning
accomplishment for video games and one of the finest Star Wars stories
ever told."
Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force - 8
"Balance of the Force isn't quite as strong as the first Star Wars Pinball pack, but it still offers plenty of variety and replay value to fans. After playing countless hours across dozens of tables, I'm still not tired of Zen Studios' pinball formula, and these new tables are sure to tide me over until the next offering."
Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GameCube) - 6.5
Star Wars Starfighter: Special Edition (Xbox) - 8
Star Wars Super Bombad Racing (PlayStation 2) - 2.5
Star Wars Trilogy (Arcades) - 6
Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force (Game Boy Advance) - 6
Head to the third and final page for the rest our collected Star Wars video game reviews.
Star Wars: Battlefront (Xbox) - 8
Star Wars: Battlefront II - 8.5
"As George Lucas swims through his
mountains of money and dreams up what Jar Jar’s cousins might be like,
developers like Pandemic are creating some of the most memorable Star
Wars experiences to date. The movies may be done, but with games like
Battlefront II, I have a feeling that the best in Star Wars is yet to
come."
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (GameCube, PlayStation 2) - 5, 5.75 respectively
Star Wars: Demolition (PlayStation, Dreamcast) - 7
Star Wars: Episode I – Battle for Naboo (N64) - 8.5
Star Wars: Episode I – Obi-Wan's Adventures (Game Boy Color) - 8
Star Wars: Episode I – Racer (N64, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color) - 9, 8.75, 8.25 respectively
Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (Game Boy Advance) - 1
Star Wars: Jedi Academy (Xbox) - 8
Star Wars: Jedi Outcast (Xbox, GameCube) - 9, 8.75 respectively
Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles (Dreamcast, PlayStation) - 8
Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles (Game Boy Advance) - 6.25
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (Xbox, PlayStation 2) - 8.5
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox) - 9.5
Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi (PlayStation) - 6.75
Star Wars: Obi-Wan (Xbox) - 6.25
Star Wars: Racer Revenge (PlayStation 2) - 6.5
Star Wars: Rebel Assault (3DO) - 6
Star Wars: Republic Commando - 8.25
"No lightsabers? No problem. A Star Wars game without Jedi may seem like a Jar Jar-sized disaster, but I don’t think even Master Yoda could dodge a nicely placed sniper shot by this incredible Republic Commando unit."
Star Wars: Rogue Leader (GameCube) - 9.5
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64) - 8.75
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64) - 9.25
Star Wars: Starfighter (PlayStation 2) - 9.25
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube) - 8.5, 7.75, 8.25 respectively
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - 8.75
"The Force Unleashed isn't the ultimate Star Wars game - KOTOR is still king in my book. But, as advertised, it amplifies this mystical power in new ways to delivers exciting gameplay and unforgettable Star Wars moments. It'll leave you wanting more, but take my word for it, it's worth playing just to see Vader Force-throw wookiees."
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - 7.75
"In a similar vein to the Starkiller clone’s role, The Force Unleashed II is a shadow of its former self. The graceful gameplay offers a higher level of excitement, but the plot and characterization – two large components from which I expect great things from any Star Wars journey – makes this experience one of 2010’s biggest disappointments."
Star Wars: The New Droid Army (Game Boy Advance) - 6
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (PlayStation) - 7.25
Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Super Nintendo, Game Gear) - 8.25, 7 respectively
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