The Best Star Wars Games So Far
When it comes to video game adaptations of films or licenced properties, the Star Wars franchise is certainly one of the most successful, having maintained a reasonably high standard of games over the years. This is not to say there haven’t been any duds. We are all keenly aware of how bad Force Unleashed 2 was; challenging the prequel trilogy for worst Star Wars idea/execution ever. That being said, there have been some absolutely stunners that recreate the Star Wars universe in magnificent detail and enhance the franchise in every way. Here is a short list of games that will go down in history as the best so far.
Star Wars: Dark Forces
One of the earliest and most revolutionary Star Wars games to take the franchise to where it is now was Dark Forces. This game did a brilliant job of bringing together the Star Wars universe and in a first-person shooter Doom-style action thriller. It may have been a bit rough around the edges, especially on the PS1, but Dark Forces established a game universe that would be the catalyst for many games to come. It was as good as a big casino slots bonus and left many players feeling like they had hit the jackpot.
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
While there were a number of Star Wars games that attempted to capture the epic space battles of the films, Jedi Starfighter was hands down the best of them all. The game allowed players to pilot iconic ships from the prequel trilogy, essentially bringing to life the best parts of the films. While Battlefront would expand on the concept later on, the dogfights and multi-layered battles in Starfighter remain some of the best.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Star Wars Bounty Hunter gave players a break from the usual Jedi battle action. In this game, players stepped into the shoes of a jetpack-wearing antihero. While the game drew a large amount of scepticism, it turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable third-person shooter with an emphasis of mobility and sky attacks. In the end, it was the ability to hunt down bounties and a boosted combat system that made the game an instant classic.
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Building on previous games, Jedi Outcast improved on Force Powers, lightsabre combat and the first-person shooter aspect with the ability to swap between first and third person action during the game. While players had to slowly build up their abilities, the story aspect in Jedi Outcast is far deeper with a much better sense of progression. During the game, players graduate from a simple blaster wielder to a powerful Jedi Master and it is just about the most Star Wars inspired fun you can have online.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005)
Released back in 2005, Battlefront 2 changed the face of Star Wars gaming forever. In this multi-objective game, players were in charge of pitting huge armies against each other in order to complete a series of objectives. The sheer scale and detail of the conflicts was astounding. The class-based system of combat also meant that the gameplay was varied. The way the game moved between infantry warfare, space dogfights and strategy, is something EA has not been able to usefully capture or replicate in the 2015 reboot of the series.