10) Star Wars Starfighter
When it launched back in 2001, Starfighter may not quite have had the cinematic presentation of Rogue Squadron II, but the gameplay was as tight as Hans Solo and Chewbacca’s bromance. Anakin’s adventures aboard an N1 Starfighter in the actual Episode 1 movie bordered on the ridiculous, but Starfighter gave players the chance to light up enemy starships in a glorious blaze that definitely felt cool. Unlike that largely underwhelming prequel trilogy, this is one Star Wars experience we won’t be trying to forget in a hurry.
9) Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
There weren’t many good things to come out of The Phantom Menace, but that totally awesome pod racing scene was definitely one of them. As it turns out, speeding across obstacle-ladened courses in all manner of whacky hovering vehicles also made for a pretty sweet video game too. So sweet, in fact, that it went on to become the best-selling sci-fi racer of all time, recording a whopping 3 million units sold.
Yet, Racer’s success wasn’t just because of Star Wars hysteria — it’s a very good racing game, sporting gameplay as smooth as a baby Rancor’s bottom. Additionally, several tracks spread across Tatooine and beyond, in combination with the ability to play as characters other than Anakin, meant Racer was brimming with content.
8) Super Star Wars
Super Star Wars turns the movies’ iconic locations into living nightmares in which everyone and everything is determined to kill young Skywalker. Well, that’s run and gun games for you… slightly nonsensical but a total hoot to play. Pretty much following the 1977 movie’s plot beat for beat via abbreviated story segments in between levels, Super Star Wars has players blasting their way from Tatooine to the Death Star’s famous trench run. It is an often overlooked entry to the SNES’s library but undoubtedly accomplished enough to stand next to some of the system’s best games.
7) Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds
It would be all too easy to assume that Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds was merely Age of Empires with a fancy skin. After all, it was developed by Ensemble Studios, the same team that worked on that iconic franchise. Yet, SWGB does more than enough to stand on its own two feet, despite its familiar mechanics. In fact, there’s enough content here to sink an Allegiance-class Battlecruiser, with six playable civilizations that all feel totally different to play and each with their own separate single player story-driven campaigns to enjoy.
Even playing as the Gungans is a good fun, allowing one to trample scores of federation robots under the paws of enormous, shield-equipped dinosaurs. SWGB might look dated aesthetically, but it’s still the best strategy game series based on the series to this day.
6) Lego Star Wars The Force Awakens
We couldn’t possibly write this list without including a Star Wars Lego game. There have been several Lego spin-off games, but the most recent is the series high watermark. Remember, Lego isn’t just for kids (see box description — ages 4-99), and neither are Lego Star Wars games! Trust us, The Force Awakens boasts gameplay that is as entertaining and satisfying as any of the more thematically mature video game renditions of Star Wars. To cap it off, the game features a compelling plot, stellar voice acting, and an endearing set of characters that would give even the most cutesy studio Ghibli characters a run for their money. Surely, a must-play for fans of Star Wars and Lego alike.
5) Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Outcast
Jedi Knight innovated a sweet first-person/third-person mashup that balances accomplished Quake III’ engine shooter combat and dazzling-for-the-time third-person lightsaber duelling. Outcast expands on this same gameplay formula, and thanks to the ability to switch between light and dark sides of the force, it makes you feel like a total Jedi badass… or Sith, if you’re that sort of person. The excellent plot set eight years after the events of Return of the Jedi concludes Kyle Kataran’s story and feels suitably consistent with the movies.
The Force Unleashed – a modern third-person Star Wars entry featuring lightsaber combat – might catch the eye with more up-to-date visuals but Outcast is still the better overall package.
4) Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Star Wars universe always felt ripe as a premise for an MMORPG, and in 2011’s The Old Republic, BioWare made a very solid game within that genre. If the developer’s signature branching dialogue, narrative, and hyper levels of customization get your metachlorians tingling, then The Old Republic is probably the adventure for you. Complemented by top notch voice acting and an enormous galaxy to explore, The Old Republic is about as immersive as it gets for those who feel the calling of the Force.The servers still remain populated to this day, with several expansions fleshing out an already massive universe.
3) Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Rogue Squadron II is still the best way to experience the thrill of X-Wing combat. Boasting what were mind-boggling visuals in its day thanks to Gamecube hardware, the sequel title perfectly captured the exhilaration of destroying the Death Star via running the iconic trench run and felling an AT-AT by lassoing its gangly legs on Hoth’s icy expanse. Our love for Rogue Squadron really isn’t just out of nostalgia for a beloved system and a period of Star Wars-fever — holding it in such high regard is a testament to a truly stunning space-shooter that everyone should play.
2) Star Wars Battlefront 2
Massive 64 player online multiplayer spanning epic space battles and Star Wars’ most iconic locations, with a solid single player campaign to boot; the second installation in the Battlefront series was an absolute masterstroke. The bar was set so high that even the glitz of EA’s ultra slick Frostbite engine hasn’t been enough to distract fans from the disappointment of the latest entry’s comparative lack of content. Battlefront 2 improved on everything in the original game, adding new vehicles, maps, and a better story. Essentially, it moved the series forward where the modern Battlefront has felt somewhat like a stifled step backwards.
Here’s hoping that by introducing a campaign and a greater scope to combat, the upcoming game will find success echoing similar improvements made by the 2005 title.
1) Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that Knights of the Old Republic sits atop our list, though we’ve opted to give the second title the nod ahead of the original. While critical reception for the first game averages higher on aggregation sites such as Metacritic, we would argue that The Sith Lords streamlined the experience to produce an even better game and is quite simply the most accomplished Star Wars title ever made.
OK, so the first game’s branching dialogue options and narrative essentially put BioWare on the map, but developer Obsidian one-upped them, producing an even more compelling story. Obsidian might not have altered the pausable action role-playing gameplay much from the original, either, but that’s probably because they figured what isn’t broken is probably best left alone, and they were spot on. Add to the mix several entertaining mini-games and a cool influence system between party members, and you have one epic Star Wars title that remains the benchmark for the franchise within the gaming medium.
