My Top 5 Star Wars Games.
by Andy Clarke
Rogue One is, in my opinion, the best Star Wars film since the originals. After my third viewing my Star Wars obsession was at peak level and I felt compelled to raid Steam and Good Old Games for all the Star Wars games that I have played and loved over the last 25 years.
In doing so I've decided to list my current top 5 favourite Star Wars games. This is not a top 5 "best" Star Wars games, just the my current favourites that I'm enjoying at this time. Ask me again in a few months and the list would probably be completely different.
So here goes.
This was always one of my favourites and the follow up "Jedi Academy" wasn't too bad either. The first game I can think of where you get the true Jedi experience and wield a lightsaber in real time combat.
When I play it now I am impressed with how well the graphics still hold up, however it does have some curious enemy AI with Stormtroopers than run around in seemingly random patterns.
This is at number 5 as I have played it to death and the only real enjoyment I get from it now is to apply cheats, including the cheat that turns on realistic lightsaber combat - hello dismemberments. I then go on a force choking, lighting wielding, decapitating rampage as a morally questionable Kyle Katarn.
The Old Republic was a OK I guess but as someone who isn't a fan of the MMORPG and simply prefers an RPG, as a single player experience it just didn't hit the mark for me.
Enter Star Wars: Battlefront. I was immediately sceptical as it was an MMO. Where is the single player game I've been waiting for since Jedi Academy? Not only that, it's an MMO with no story or character development - boo! I flat out refused to fork out the £50 price tag for a game that had content that would certainly run out of variety to keep me engaged.
Then the price came down in the post Christmas sale and I decided to take the plunge, and I was pleasantly surprised. I still play Battlefront regularly as it is genuinely fun. It's lack of story or campaign based gaming is a downside but the sound and visual design make you truly feel like you are in Star Wars proper. I can easily burn hours playing this game as it is incredibly addictive, with Capture the Pod and Blast being my favourite game modes.
Eventually, as I predicted, the novelty does wear off and I get bored of doing the same repetitive things and it'll be shelved for a few weeks/months, but I always find myself going back to it eventually.
Normally I don't really get on well turn based combat RPGs and prefer real time combat. However Knights of the Old Republic is the exception. Normally this game would have been number one in this list, however at this time it isn't one I've been enjoying as much as others. This is probably down to the number of times I've already played it so therefore have overplayed it. That being said KOTOR is one of the most immersive and engaging Star Wars games there is. It has everything I love, rich story, full character development and Lightsabers. It's brilliant, take my word for it.
I have always loved real time strategy games ever since I first played Command & Conquer. For some years there were seemingly endless attempts to create a Star Wars RTS with results that were hit and miss. From the playable but underwhelming Rebellion, to the appalling Force Commander and the not so bad but still "meh" Galactic Battlegrounds.
Then Empire at War came along and put right what once went wrong. It didn't try to much to emulate the other RTS games that were popular at the time and went it's own way. With strategy based on a galaxy wide scale, you have to plan the distribution of your forces across the many planets you control. As you conquer more and more worlds your forces are stretched thinner and you must choose which systems to leave undefended and which forces to send into battle as you try to gain more ground. You plan around fixed routes from planet to planet so if you get it right you can happily leave planets completely free of defences as you know the enemy will have to pass through one or two other worlds to get to them.
Not only is Empire at War a good "Star Wars" RTS, it is a brilliant RTS full stop.
I always knew I'd end up enjoying one of the X-Wing games more than any other, but I must admit to surprising myself with this one as I always considered Alliance to be the weaker of the X-Wing series. However having spent the last few weeks jumping between X-Wing, X-Wing vs Tie Fighter & Alliance, the one that kept my attention and made me want to keep going back for more was Alliance.
I enjoyed replaying the original X-Wing (the 1998 version with upgraded graphics from the 1993 edition) however, although I'll always say looks aren't everything, the dated graphics felt messy, or maybe it was more the 4:3 aspect ratio which can't be adjusted (without modding) and meant my widescreen monitor wasn't being put to good use. The lack of support for my joystick meant my rudder controls and other features were going to waste which annoyed me more than it probably should. One thing I found bugging me more than anything else though, was the game's (semi) perma-death mechanic. If you die in combat your character profile gets a "KIA" status meaning you either create a new profile and start from scratch, or "revive" your existing profile at the expense of your points total. Okay you get to pick up where you left off, but you do lose a portion of your achievement. Maybe I'm over reacting but it rubbed me up the wrong way.
X-Wing vs Tie Fighter was an improvement, widescreen ratios supported but still no full functionality from my joystick, along graphics that weren't as clean as my old struggling eyes would like. With its design being geared mainly toward networked multiplayer play, what it gained in improved specs it lost in single player story based gaming.
So that left Alliance. The key reasons as to why I'm enjoying Alliance more, well firstly it is probably the most story based of the X-Wing series, and these days I find myself craving a more story based gaming experience.
You also get to fly the Millennium Falcon. Okay, so it not the Millennium Falcon but it is the same class Correllian YT1300 light freighter, so it's close. I'm always disappointed a bit when you progress and are upgraded to the "better" YT2000.
The graphics, although dated, are much improved and still hold up despite the game being released in 1999. High DPI options and widescreen support without any extreme modding result in a more high definition experience.
Every function and button of my joystick works with the game, including force feedback vibrations. However the vibrations do cause stutters in game performance so I do have to switch that off.
More than anything though X-Wing Alliance is a much more immersive experience. Travelling through hyperspace doesn't just trigger a cut scene, you actually do it in game giving a real sense of travelling across a vast galaxy.
It has a story that gives a real sense of investment in the cause against the Empire, that makes it feel more personal. That of a family business the ends up on the wrong side of the Empire causing you to flee your home and take refuge with the Rebellion. There your character signs up as a pilot, and in between flying missions for the Rebels you go off on personal missions trying to restore what left of the family and their business. All this set against the backdrop of the time between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Rogue One is, in my opinion, the best Star Wars film since the originals. After my third viewing my Star Wars obsession was at peak level and I felt compelled to raid Steam and Good Old Games for all the Star Wars games that I have played and loved over the last 25 years.
In doing so I've decided to list my current top 5 favourite Star Wars games. This is not a top 5 "best" Star Wars games, just the my current favourites that I'm enjoying at this time. Ask me again in a few months and the list would probably be completely different.
So here goes.
5: Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
When I play it now I am impressed with how well the graphics still hold up, however it does have some curious enemy AI with Stormtroopers than run around in seemingly random patterns.
This is at number 5 as I have played it to death and the only real enjoyment I get from it now is to apply cheats, including the cheat that turns on realistic lightsaber combat - hello dismemberments. I then go on a force choking, lighting wielding, decapitating rampage as a morally questionable Kyle Katarn.
4: Battlefront
Boy has it been a long time since a we've had a decent Star Wars video game. Everything since Empire at War has been a disappointing flop.
The Old Republic was a OK I guess but as someone who isn't a fan of the MMORPG and simply prefers an RPG, as a single player experience it just didn't hit the mark for me.
Enter Star Wars: Battlefront. I was immediately sceptical as it was an MMO. Where is the single player game I've been waiting for since Jedi Academy? Not only that, it's an MMO with no story or character development - boo! I flat out refused to fork out the £50 price tag for a game that had content that would certainly run out of variety to keep me engaged.
Then the price came down in the post Christmas sale and I decided to take the plunge, and I was pleasantly surprised. I still play Battlefront regularly as it is genuinely fun. It's lack of story or campaign based gaming is a downside but the sound and visual design make you truly feel like you are in Star Wars proper. I can easily burn hours playing this game as it is incredibly addictive, with Capture the Pod and Blast being my favourite game modes.
Eventually, as I predicted, the novelty does wear off and I get bored of doing the same repetitive things and it'll be shelved for a few weeks/months, but I always find myself going back to it eventually.
3: Knights of the Old Republic
2: Empire at War
Then Empire at War came along and put right what once went wrong. It didn't try to much to emulate the other RTS games that were popular at the time and went it's own way. With strategy based on a galaxy wide scale, you have to plan the distribution of your forces across the many planets you control. As you conquer more and more worlds your forces are stretched thinner and you must choose which systems to leave undefended and which forces to send into battle as you try to gain more ground. You plan around fixed routes from planet to planet so if you get it right you can happily leave planets completely free of defences as you know the enemy will have to pass through one or two other worlds to get to them.
Not only is Empire at War a good "Star Wars" RTS, it is a brilliant RTS full stop.
1: X-Wing: Alliance
I enjoyed replaying the original X-Wing (the 1998 version with upgraded graphics from the 1993 edition) however, although I'll always say looks aren't everything, the dated graphics felt messy, or maybe it was more the 4:3 aspect ratio which can't be adjusted (without modding) and meant my widescreen monitor wasn't being put to good use. The lack of support for my joystick meant my rudder controls and other features were going to waste which annoyed me more than it probably should. One thing I found bugging me more than anything else though, was the game's (semi) perma-death mechanic. If you die in combat your character profile gets a "KIA" status meaning you either create a new profile and start from scratch, or "revive" your existing profile at the expense of your points total. Okay you get to pick up where you left off, but you do lose a portion of your achievement. Maybe I'm over reacting but it rubbed me up the wrong way.
X-Wing vs Tie Fighter was an improvement, widescreen ratios supported but still no full functionality from my joystick, along graphics that weren't as clean as my old struggling eyes would like. With its design being geared mainly toward networked multiplayer play, what it gained in improved specs it lost in single player story based gaming.
So that left Alliance. The key reasons as to why I'm enjoying Alliance more, well firstly it is probably the most story based of the X-Wing series, and these days I find myself craving a more story based gaming experience.
You also get to fly the Millennium Falcon. Okay, so it not the Millennium Falcon but it is the same class Correllian YT1300 light freighter, so it's close. I'm always disappointed a bit when you progress and are upgraded to the "better" YT2000.
The graphics, although dated, are much improved and still hold up despite the game being released in 1999. High DPI options and widescreen support without any extreme modding result in a more high definition experience.
Every function and button of my joystick works with the game, including force feedback vibrations. However the vibrations do cause stutters in game performance so I do have to switch that off.
More than anything though X-Wing Alliance is a much more immersive experience. Travelling through hyperspace doesn't just trigger a cut scene, you actually do it in game giving a real sense of travelling across a vast galaxy.
It has a story that gives a real sense of investment in the cause against the Empire, that makes it feel more personal. That of a family business the ends up on the wrong side of the Empire causing you to flee your home and take refuge with the Rebellion. There your character signs up as a pilot, and in between flying missions for the Rebels you go off on personal missions trying to restore what left of the family and their business. All this set against the backdrop of the time between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
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