The Best and Worst Star Wars Games - Article

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With last week's announcement of Disney's acquisition of LucasFilm, and the subsequent announcement of a whole new trilogy of Star Wars films, Star Wars is the hot topic on everyone's mind right now. Of course, Star Wars exists far beyond the films, with an extended universe of novels, TV shows, comics, and of course, video games. Much like the original trilogy, many Star Wars video games have taken on a legendary status in the medium. And much like the prequel trilogy, there have been several Star Wars games that have ranged from disappointments to outright failures. Today, we count down the best, and the worst, Star Wars games of all time. 

The Best 

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Despite the numerical title, Jedi Knight II is actually the third game in the Dark Forces series, proceeding directly after Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. And while the first sequel allowed us to wield our very own lightsabers, Jedi Outcast was the first Star Wars game to truly make us feel like a Jedi, predating Knights of the Old Republic and The Force Unleashed. 

Super Star Wars

The first entry of original saga’s SNES trilogy, Super Star Wars applied the tried-and-true platformer formula to Luke Skywalker’s exploits in a galaxy far, far away. Player’s got to experience the best parts of A New Hope first hand, from wielding a lightsaber for the first time to doing the famous Death Star trench run. In the franchise’s long history in games, Super Star Wars can be considered the first truly great Star Wars game. 

Star Wars: Battlefront II

It may have been a Battlefield clone, but sometimes that’s all you need. The original Battlefront may have satisfied gamers who thirsted for galactic warfare, but its sequel completely quenched them with the addition of space combat and battles that stretched both eras of the films. 

Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader

Rogue Leader was the reason many bought a GameCube in the first place. Rogue Squadron II follows all the major battles from the original trilogy, but unlike similar titles such as Star Wars Trilogy Arcade, you were given direct control in the action. The GameCube also saw a Rogue Squadron III, but it just didn’t capture the perfection of the second game. 

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic will forever be at the top of the best Star Wars games of all time, and for good reason. BioWare’s love letter to the franchise not only injected it with new life, lore, and a sense of mystery, but propelled the franchise to new narrative heights that not only blew the prequel trilogy out of the water, but gave the originals a run for their money as well. With one of the most memorable plot twists ever conceived, Knights of the Old Republic isn’t merely the best Star Wars game, it’s one of the best games of all time. 

Honorable mentions: Star Wars Trilogy Arcade, Star Wars: Republic Commando


The Worst

Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi

Who wouldn’t want a Star Wars fighting game? That’s just what LucasArt’s tried to provide with 1997’s Masters of Teras Kasi, a fighting game set between Episodes IV and V. While the game was cool for featuring an original plotline and incorporating many characters from the Extended Universe, its sloppy mechanics and non-existent character balance has made it infamous for being one of the worst fighting games ever. 

Star Wars: Yoda Stories 

There are many Star Wars games that started out with solid beginning but failed in execution. Take Star Wars: Yoda Stories for example: A game that explores the period of Luke’s training with Yoda between Episodes V and VI, documenting Luke’s rise to a Jedi Master. What we got instead, however, was a boring, directionless mini-game-filled adventure with no clear goals to drive the player. 

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

Say what you want about the Star Wars prequels, but one thing is indisputable: Jango Fett was one badass dude. Thus, putting players in his shoes for Star Wars: Bounty Hunter should have been badass game. Turns out, it was just a bad game. 

Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was the biggest film event of the year, and thus it needed the biggest game tie-in. It’s all too fitting then, that like the film, we got a huge disappointment. Jedi Power Battles made you feel like a Jedi, sure, but also offered clunky, repetitive gameplay and poor level design. 

Kinect Star Wars

Already infamous for its dancing minigame, the thing about Kinect Star Wars is that the dancing isn’t even the worst part of the game. With Kinect, LucasArts had its biggest opportunity ever to transport you into the world of Star Wars and squandered it in every possible regard.

Dishonorable mentions: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

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