Since A New Hope first introduced moviegoers to its iconic universe over four decades ago, Star Wars‘ reach and influence has been felt way beyond the movies and into nearly every facet of entertainment imaginable. That of course includes video games, and if there’s one thing that Star Wars fans know, it’s that the franchise has had a long-running history with games, and even through some of the rocky patches, plenty more games set in the galaxy are on the way.
In celebration of this week’s release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in theaters, the DualShockers staff gathered together to share some of our favorite video games set in everyone’s favorite galaxy far, far away.
Obviously there have been some misfires — we’re looking at you, Masters of Teras Kasi and Star Wars Kinect — but Star Wars has also been a franchise steeped with a rich and diverse library of video games adapted from it, and these are just a few of the games that have made us fall deeper in love with the Star Wars universe.
Noah Buttner, Staff Writer
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
KOTOR II is the single best Star Wars story to date. It may not be canon, but it’s been recognized in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and that’s enough for me. There’s nothing better than a Sith who eats planets.
I’m just hoping that The Last Jedi will utilize more of the Old Republic, but I’ll be satisfied with “Reylo” above all else.
Tomas Franzese, Staff Writer
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005)
As we are talking about Star Wars games, there is no way I couldn’t bring up my favorite game of all time: Star Wars: Battlefront II (the 2005 one, not the new one). Ever since I got it at Christmas for the original Xbox, my brother and I sank countless hours into the title. It is insanely fun to play with friends while also being really easy to pick up and learn control-wise. I spent more time then I’d like to admit in Instant Action and Galactic Conquest as a kid crafting my own stories spanning multiple battles on many different planets.
Personally, I also haven’t seen a Star Wars game since Battlefront II that’s been as dense with content. Outside of the hefty main story and basic multiplayer, Galactic Conquest and Instant Action provided a ton of customizable fun. Even in battle, things were spruced up with more soldiers, heroes, tons of different large maps spread across tons of planets, and my personal favorite part of the game – the space battles.
Star Wars: Battlefront II is a game I have many fond memories of and cherish dearly, and I doubt it can ever be topped as my favorite game ever, in my mind.
Taylor Lyles, Staff Writer
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
I had such a hard time trying to figure out which game to choose for this editorial; between Knights of the Old Republic and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga it came down to which one have I played more, and without a doubt it was LEGO Star Wars.
Combining the first two LEGO Star Wars titles, fans of the sci-fi franchise are able to engage in condensed reimaginings of their favorite films in the form of LEGO. Video games based on movies, more often than not, tend to be awful, but LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga is proof that not every game based on a movie can be complete garbage.
Aside from my favorite characters looking like adorable little LEGO pieces, this compilation offers a ton of replay value and is an easy game for those who are looking to become completionists.
The amount of customization that goes into making your favorite characters is great, and visually I believe that it still holds up for today’s day and age. There’s also the fantastic sense of humor that makes this game a gem that every Star Wars fan must play. Not to mention: it’s pretty hilarious slapping Jar Jar Binks for no apparent reason other than “because you feel like it.”
Scott Meaney, Community Director
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Obsidian’s Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is hands down my favorite Star Wars story. First things first: it’s great because it’s basically just a Qui-Gon Jinn simulator. Unlike all the other “MORAL CHOICE” games, KOTOR II let you be gloriously, fabulously grey.
Think the Sith have some good ideas? Might as well bend the rules when it seems appropriate. Think these Jedi are a little too high and mighty? Nothing a few well-placed Force chokes can’t solve. Kreia, your in-game mentor, actively encouraged “experimenting” with complex morals. Sure, you could be Hitler or an Angel if you wanted to…but you’d have to be pretty daft to not notice that the game clearly wanted you to split the difference.
Add in the fact that PC gamers have “completed” the game with the Restored Content Mod, and you’ve got my absolute favorite Star Wars property.
Besides all that, the Knights of the Old Republic games gave us HK-47: the finest sociopathic droid that a Jedi could ever ask for.
Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Like pretty much everyone else on the face of the planet, I’m a huge fan of Star Wars. To this day, I still remember going to the theater to see the Special Edition of A New Hope when it arrived and that being my first-ever experience with the series I’ve come to know and love in the two decades since then.
Star Wars is so easy to fall in love with because of its rich world and characters, but also because of the epic action and battles that have defined the franchise since the Rebels blew up the Death Star in the battle of Yavin, engaged with the Imperials on Hoth, or took to the forest of Endor in Return of the Jedi‘s amazing climactic battle.
That’s a big reason why to this day, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron on the Nintendo 64 still remains one of the top (if not, my favorite) Star Wars game. While only a few levels replicated the iconic battles from the original trilogy (where Rogue Squadron II was a full-on recreation), Rogue Squadron truly gave me the feeling of being involved in these epic space battles that only Star Wars can bring to life, and the game really brought that to the TV screen…even though at the time it was probably a stupidly-large CRT TV that pales in comparison to what we see today through games like Battlefront II.
While I could name plenty of other Star Wars games I’ve come to know and love over the years like the first two Battlefront titles on PS2, Super Star Wars and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Republic Commando, and Episode I: Racer, Rogue Squadron has still held a special place in my heart even after all these years. Of course, that could just be because I have an unnatural love for Y-Wing, the best starfighter in the series’ history, and Rogue Squadron finally gave me the chance to pilot one of my own.
Logan Moore, Staff Writer
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Growing up, I had always been a fan of Star Wars, but Knights of the Old Republic was where everything changed. After playing through the game and seeing the story of Revan and Malak play out, I found myself even more in love with the universe and began diving deeper into the extended (at the time) canon.
Not only did I love the story that Knights of the Old Republic told, but I loved being able to create my own character and make decisions that carried weight. Star Wars has always largely been about the decisions that the characters within its world make, with it usually being in regards to turning to the light or dark side of the Force. Finally being able to play out this fantasy of choosing between the order of the Jedi or the corruptness of a Sith for myself back in 2003 was an absolute joy because of this.
While I’ll cede that there are other Star Wars games that are more fun to play today, KOTOR is still my personal favorite and still stands as my favorite RPG of all time. Now we just need Rian Johnson’s new trilogy to be based in this era.
Michael Ruiz, Staff Writer
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Let’s be honest: no one cares about lightsabers or the Jedi and Sith who wield them. It’s all about the excellently-designed starfighters. The moment I saw the Death Star explode in A New Hope was the moment I realized I wanted to be an X-Wing pilot.
Obviously, that dream never came to fruition, but Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader let me play out that fantasy in the most exceptional way. Furthermore, it holds a special place in my heart as the first game I played on the GameCube, my favorite Nintendo console.
Now it’s the community’s turn! What Star Wars games are the ones that made you love Star Wars even more? Did Han actually shoot first? Are you planning to see The Last Jedi this weekend? Is that even a question worth asking? Sound off in the comments below!
And, as always, feel free to continue the conversation with the rest of our community here, or on Facebook, Twitter, and our community Discord channel.
