May is practically the month for all things Star Wars. With the obvious May 4th, the conclusion of Bad Batch season 3 and George Lucas’ birthday coming up on the 14th of May, it felt right to continue the Star Wars discussion.
I want to look at my top five Star Wars video games to celebrate George Lucas’s upcoming birthday! This is in no particular order, as I love them all. I live and breathe Star Wars and love so many of the games, so you can imagine this list was difficult to curate.
Keep in mind that this is my list! It’s by no means the “right” list or the be-all-end-all of Star Wars lists. This list will avoid some obvious classic games such as Fallen Order, Dark Forces, Kotor and Force Unleashed. I know what you’re thinking right now, and I’ll be honest…You’re giving off Anakin vibes when he’s not granted the rank of master. Either that, or you’re straight-up mimicking Padme right now!
Jokes aside, I love all of those games and each one is the G.O.A.T in its own right. This is more of a list to give some underdogs of the Star Wars gaming medium the time of day!
Here are my top five underrated and, albeit untypical, Star Wars gems I love.
Star Wars Episode 3 (Xbox, PS2)
Perhaps one of the best Star Wars video game-movie-tie-ins. Not only did Episode 3 have smooth gameplay, but it had excellent lightsaber combat. Being able to play through one of the best Star Wars films (yep, I stand by that) is undoubtedly cool. This game secures its place on this list not only for its story and gameplay but also for its 1v1 mode, which is fantastic. Here, players will find themselves facing off against each other or AI, and they can choose from a plethora of characters in the films. Also, did I mention the alternate ending in this game? Anakin kills Obi-Wan and then reunites with Emperor Palpatine. Anakin then kills the Emperor and claims the Empire for his own. It was an amazing “what if?” Scenario!
Battlefront 2 (2017)
Let’s address the Bantha in the room; this game had a rough start. Plagued with negative reviews, focusing on microtransactions and pay-to-win nonsense, it had fans mumbling “Karabast.” However, much like Vader at the end of Episode 6, this game redeemed itself. This is maybe one of the best online Star Wars PVP experiences I have had in recent memory, with Heroes vs Villains being my go-to game mode. There are plenty of game modes to play here, from Extraction and Galactic Assault to Ewok Hunt and more! It’s quite a shame that EA decided to pull the plug on this and is no longer supporting it. However, there is still a small but active community of players here, and it is still awesome! Not only does this game excel in multiplayer, but it nails all the sounds and graphics. Every time I play this game, it makes me want to watch the films again because it is so faithful to them.
Bounty Hunter
Star Wars Bounty Hunter was my childhood! This is perhaps the game I played most on this list! Taking place a decade before Attack of the Clones, we play as Jango Fett, voiced by the man himself, Temuera Morrison. Here, we are hired to capture a deranged dark Jedi. We travel to some pretty seedy places in the galaxy here, but they are impressive nonetheless. Honestly, for the time this game came out in (2002), the graphics still hold up today. Blaster-play here is super fun, locking onto enemies and mashing the fire button until they are no longer. Using Jango’s jetpack was terrific and felt truly unique at the time back in 2002. This game gives you lots of different weapons to play with, and it also lets you see through Fett’s visor to scan civilians to see if any of them have bounties. In that case, you can capture them for credits. If my memory serves me correctly, the Bando Gora mission was super tricky here.
Republic Commando
This game doesn’t do anything new for the first-person genre, nor does it stand out in this regard. However, it stands out because of its tactical decision-making, allowing you to lead Delta Squad, which consists of four clone commandos. Taking the role of clone Sergeant Boss, we lead Fixer, Sev and Scorch through intense missions throughout the Clone Wars. Here, we see just how efficient these clone commandos are and how superior they are compared to regular clone troopers. Make no mistake, this game can be quite difficult, so be ready to keep reviving your squad and sending them to get some Bacta. While this game is no longer canon, the characters here are, with Scorch being seen in the Bad Batch series.
Vader Immortal (VR)
Honestly, I was conflicted about having this on my list because there are so many amazing Star Wars games. However, I realized this game is among my favorites because of how immersive it is. Now, this is a rather short game, coming in at maybe three hours and divided into three episodes, which makes me believe it is more of an experience than a game. However, it is every Star Wars fan’s dream come true. You play as a smuggler who operates near Mustafar. You get captured by the Empire, and Vader makes you open an ancient device. The graphics and cinematics here are awe-inspiring. Seeing Vader himself in your face or having Stormtroopers shooting at you. It feels like you are literally exploring Vader’s fortress. The lightsaber combat lends itself so well to the VR medium in ways that feel natural and make you feel like you’re a real Jedi. Vader is terrifying in VR because he is right up in your face and super intimidating. If you have a VR, do yourself a favor and pick this up.
So, that’s my list of Star Wars games I love right now. I know what you’re thinking… You noticed I haven’t included classics like Knights of the Old Republic and are thinking…”It’s treason then,”… but hey, every other list has those games, and I wanted to look at different games more suited to me. Could this list look different in the future? Absolutely! But for now, these are my go-to Star Wars experiences.
