For those interested in the evolution of video games, how they influence cinema and are influenced by the seventh art, few franchises are as rich as Star Wars games. The series created by George Lucas has followed players since the beginning of the gaming industry, and games based on this saga are living research material on how this form of entertainment has been shaped over the past 30 years.
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These were humble beginnings for the games in the franchise. A long time ago, on a very, very distant island …
Today it may seem like the most natural thing in the world – would you know how to count in your head how many Lego games were made for the SW franchise? But before the agreement between George Lucas and Fox, there was no culture of licensing films for other products.
Star Wars became a merchandising phenomenon at the very beginning of the first video game fever, which is why the two have been together since the beginning. “A new hope” was released in 1977 and the first licensed electronic game in the saga appeared in 1979.
In the years that followed, the gaming industry exploded and the number of Star Wars games followed suit. The franchise won several titles for Atari, NES and, already in the 90s, set the style of action in the excellent Super Star Wars, for SNES, and Dark Forces, for PC.
For many people of that generation, who didn’t watch the movies, this game was the gateway to the Star Wars universe.
Video games started looking for new airs in the late 90s and developers found in Star Wars a universe to explore. Simple fights between Tie-Fighters and X-Wings no longer satisfied gamers, who did not want games recounting the plot of the original films again – after all, there was much to be told in this universe, perhaps the richest of modern entertainment. As expected, the franchise became the basis for important developments in the gaming industry. The Jedi Knight series opened its doors, but the great watershed was Knights of the Old Republic.
Telling a story about the Republic long before the original trilogy, this title showed the potential of the expanded universe beyond books and became the reference point for BioWare to create other classics like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. The game is so important that it continues being played until today, can still be found on Steam and with a version for smartphones.
From then on, Star Wars games began to explore characters and scenarios that enriched the fans’ imagination, always betting on well-told stories and a world-building placing the player among the Jedi.
It’s impossible to talk about the franchise’s games without mentioning Force Unleashed and the MMORPG The Old Republic. Both, in their own way, made gamers around the world have a more immersive first impression of what it meant to use the Force. The game has brought many new features to the franchise’s games since its revelation at E3 2015.
A new gaming empire
Just like the main series of films, which has returned in full force in recent years, games in the franchise are always renewing themselves and bringing new and incredible experiences to players. Star Wars Battlefront was a breath of newness in an old format for the series, but movie fans wanted more: a good story. After all, it is the saga of such iconic characters in this spectacular universe that keeps us coming back for more.
In 2017, Battlefront II brought a great focus to its single player campaign, telling the story of Iden Versio, an imperial soldier during the events that lead to the “Awakening of the Force”.
In addition to being a full plate for fans of the series, Star Wars games are a living document of the evolution of video games, in addition to demonstrating how new technologies and new gamers have changed (and still do) this story. This evolution is almost comparable to the evolution in the online gambling game industry, as displayed by https://www.echtgeld-casinos.net. For those who want to pursue a career in the industry, it is very worthwhile to go back in time and revisit the titles of the franchise.