Star Wars Games

Summary:

Thanks to the success of DOOM, the world was graced with an onslaught of first-person shooters, some notable ones being Duke Nukem, Heretic and the first FPS set in the Star Wars universe, Dark Forces. Dark Forces followed the exploits of Kyle Katarn, a wayward spacer who stumbles upon the Dark Trooper project: an army of super-stormtroopers who could cut through the Rebels like a hot vibroblade through nerf-butter. Some of the missions acted as preludes to events in the movies, which went a long way in making the game feel very Star Wars. The game was a smash hit, and spawned many sequels and cemented Kyle as one of the most popular Expanded Universe characters. The only thing this game lacked was lightsabers, which didn’t appear until the sequels.

Why We Like It:

We have two words for you: Crix Madine! Say it loud, say it proud, "CRIX MADINE." Crix Madine is the Rebel general in Return of the Jedi who briefs the Endor strike force about the second Death Star and the shield generator. What we find out in Dark Forces, is that Crix was once a high ranking Imperial jerk who defected to the Rebel Alliance. In Dark Forces, Kyle had to rescue Crix and help him get all his knowledge in the hands of Mon Mothma and the rest of the good guys.

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: LucasArts

Platform: Nintendo 64, PC

Genre: Action

Players: 1 Player

ESRB: NA

Summary:

Shadows of the Empire was a multimedia extravaganza of Star Wars goodness. All at once, we got a novel, comic, video game and even a soundtrack chronicling the events that took place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In Shadows, we met Prince Xizor, the leader of the Black Sun crime organization that makes Jabba's little mafia look like a Girl Scout troupe. Xizor is a very ambitious bad guy and tries to make Darth Vader look like a chump in front of the Emperor. Obviously, nobody makes Vader look like a fool, so things don't really go that well for the evil prince. In the game, players assumed the role of Dash Rendar, a charming rogue who just so happened to be in the background of some of the most crucial events in the Star Wars saga. Thanks to Dash's help, Xizor falls on his face and Luke, Leia, Chewie and Lando all get a jump on finding their buddy Han Solo, leading up to the events in Return of the Jedi.

Why We Like It:

This game was in glorious 3D on the Nintendo 64 game system. It featured a kickass re-enactment of the Hoth invasion, which went on to inspire many games afterwards. Flying in a snowspeeder in a 3D icy wasteland was such a thrill. You could try and take the AT-ATs with your guns, but the real trick was tripping them up with your tow-cable. The rest of the game wasn’t all that great, but this Hoth level was truly an inspired moment in video game history.

Summary:

The X-Wing series of flight simulators literally put players in control of some of the most beloved starships in the Rebel Alliance. X-Wing was followed by TIE Fighter, which flipped the switch and had players flying high in the name of Emperor Palpatine. It all came to a head when X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter hit store shelves; it was multiplayer madness where gamers could go head-to-head to see who was the best starfighter pilot in the galaxy.

Why We Like It:

We loved this game because it represented a milestone in Star Wars gaming; the advent of multiplayer. Friends could hook up online and either fight together or against each other in epic dogfights high above planets or between Star Destroyers.

Summary:

The one video game genre that Star Wars was not represented in was the fighting game, and that all changed with the release of Masters of Teras Kasi for the PlayStation. Players picked from a selection of their favorite characters and duked it out, ala Virtua Fighter-style. Not only could you fight as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo or Chewbacca but there were two new characters...a Gamorean Guard named Thok and a Tuskan Raider named Hoar (tee hee).

Why We Like It:

This game may have not been the greatest fighting game to come down the pike, but it certainly was fun for us Star Wars fans. The fighting mechanics were solid and there were lots of unlockable content, most notably was the Boba Fett knock-off Jodo Kast, who real Star Wars geeks know as a character from an obscure Star Wars Role Playing Game module entitled "Tatooine Manhunt." The graphics were decent and there were lots of familiar places to fight, like Endor and the ice fields of Hoth. But most of all, it was fun to play as a Sand Person named Hoar (tee hee).