The best Star Wars video games ever made. From the new Star Wars: Jedi Challenges to the nostalgic RPG adventure of Knights of the Old Republic, we take a look at the 8 best Star Wars games ever made.
8. Star Wars: Jedi Challenges
Thanks to our friends over at Lenovo we’ve been given a Star Wars: Jedi Challenges pack to review and see if it ranks among the best Star Wars games ever made.
So what is it? It’s a stand alone augmented reality console created by Lenovo in conjunction with Disney. It comes with a very cool looking lightsaber and headset that you slot your phone into. You have to download the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app from the app store and connect your phone to the headset to play the game.
The games themselves run in an augmented reality so you have to clear a fairly large playing space before you begin. You can still see the world around you, however your periphery is blocked so judging your surroundings can be a little tricky. Because of the augmentation though, you don’t get that sickly feeling you get from full virtual reality because you can still place your bearings within the playing area.
At this stage the system comes with three distinct games: Lightsaber Battle, Strategic Combat and Holochess.
Lightsaber Battle is the standout mode as you get to live our your childhood dreams wielding a lightsaber, deflecting blaster fire and squaring off against Darth Vader in an epic duel.
Combat is really quite refined. The lightsaber at times can feel a little wonky but thankfully there’s a button on the hilt of the saber to re-calibrate in the midst of battle.
Each segment in Lightsaber Battle consists of a wave mode of droids and Storm Troopers. You’re tasked with fending them off with your Jedi-like reflexes. You can deflect lasers back at them or slice and dice when they get too close. Once you get the hang of it, you can really let loose, hacking and slashing through droid after droid, lopping off their legs and arms then skillfully deflecting incoming fire back on distant enemies.
After two wave modes, you can challenge a Sith lord in an epic boss battle. These are slightly different to the waves modes, in that you must align your lightsaber with yellow lines that appear on screen to parry and block incoming blows. Once you successfully block an attack you can counter with your own.
As you advance you must work your way through five Star Wars planets: Naboo, Garel, Lothal, Hoth and Takodana – each getting progressively harder and more complex.
The second game mode, Strategic Combat is a blend of tower defense with real time strategy. It’s an absolute joy to see the battle play out on your living room floor. As it displays in a sort of holographic form in your playing area, you can walk around and assess the battle from various angles. Placing laser turrets, commanding troops and sending a wee little Obi-Wan into battle is a really satisfying experience, as you turn the tides of battle right there in your lounge room.
The third mode is Holochess, based on the chess-like game we see in Episode IV – A New Hope. As the player, you’re put in command of a host of alien creatures with different abilities. Patience goes a long way as you figure our key strategies to defeat your opponent.
So what’s the verdict? As far as I’m concerned there has never been a game that’s made you feel so much like a Jedi Knight. Wielding that lightsaber for the first time is a childhood dream. Sure the price point is a little high for a stand alone system with just three game modes, but if you’re a Star Wars fan like me you’re bound to get a real kick out of Star Wars: Jedi Challenges.
Remember to stick around to the end of the video because we’re giving away a Star Wars: Jedi Challenges pack to one lucky viewer!
7. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS)
While on face value Lego Star Wars may look way too kid friendly to be enjoyed by adults, it’s actually a delightful, well-written romp that can be appreciated by almost anyone.
Released in 2007 across a range of consoles including PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, this cutesy Lego themed action adventure takes players on an adventure spanning the first six Star Wars films.
While gameplay is simple enough, collect gold bricks as you make your way through the plot lines of first six movies, it’s the overall charm of the game that elevates it beyond face value. The levels are varied and engaging, there’s a huge amount of unlockable easter eggs and extras and an amazing list of playable characters.
The art style is a delight; there’s something so heartwarming about seeing iconic Star Wars scenes played out in Lego.
Commercially it was a huge success pushing more than 3.4 million units worldwide. In 2009, The Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition ranked it as the 23rd best video game of all time.
6. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (PC)
This is an absolute childhood gem. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds puts players in control of gigantic armies in all out top-down RTS mayhem.
Released in 2001, Galactic Battlegrounds was a re-skin of Age of Empires 2. It uses the same mechanics and gameplay, however instead of hordes of medieval archers players can command hundreds of Storm Troopers, droids or even Wookies.
Critics gave rather lukewarm reviews, saying it didn’t feel very much like Star Wars, however a strong legion of fans grew to love the game and now look back at it with fond pangs of nostalgia.
If you love real-time strategy games, I highly recommend you take a walk down memory lane and revisit this classic title.
5. Super Star Wars (SNES)
Released in 1992 Super Star Wars, for the SNES, was one of the first Star Wars games that didn’t feel too gimmicky. Sure it took some liberties with the story line but as a whole, it gave players the feeling of being part of the Star Wars universe.
The game is classic early nineties fare, with side scrolling run and gun action and plat form jumping goodness. Players can upgrade their guns and abilities as they make their way through an abridged version of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
The game was critically and commercially a success garnering an award for Best Action/Adventure Game of 1992 by Electronic Gaming Monthly, it even got a nod as Best Movie-to-Game creation that year.
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