Electronic Gaming Monthly's Top 49 Star Wars Games

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (Game Boy Advance)

#49

“This little sucker should thank its lucky damn stars Mortal Kombat Advance is around to take some of the heat directed at slopped-together Game Boy Advance games. It's like the enemies, controls and graphics were all conceived in three separate lesser-developed nations. Simple abilities are totally absent. And everyone's apparently out to get you – you'll get shot at by training droids, punched by robots and kicked by fighter-pilot-looking aliens who probably just saw all the commotion and wanted in. It's one of the worst games I've ever played.” (2.2 out of 10)

Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing (PlayStation 2)

#48

“Cool, super-deformed characters in a kart racing game on the PS2? What could possibly go wrong? Apparently, almost everything. Once the novelty of the Star Wars license wears off, it becomes painfully obvious that this game is a total waste of time. It looks like nothing more than a high-res PS1 game with some major clipping problems. And the slowdown! Man, some of it's just painful to watch.” (3.7 out of 10)

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Nintendo DS)

#47

“Revenge returns to the time-honored tradition of so many Star Wars games: It's not fun, and it makes you question your original high opinion of the franchise as a whole. My biggest gripe is the controls. Perhaps they work OK on GBA SP, but the DS is big enough that having to rely so much on the shoulder buttons to block the (truly endless) hordes of cheap baddies is hand-crampingly burdensome. Then there's the last-generation gameplay -- it's predictable, repetitive, and makes no real use of the DS touch screen. The game is not offensively bad -- actually enjoyed figuring out how to beat certain bosses. But even regular bad crap like this makes me want to plot my revenge.” (4.2 out of 10)

Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (PlayStation)

#46

“It would've been one thing if the game was either strictly a platformer or a side-scrolling beat ‘em up. But the developers tried to do both, creating a frustrating mix, suffering from shoddy-looking graphics and loose control. Forget about being able to pull off quick jumps and blocks. Seems as if the levels were designed with more attention to accuracy within the Star Wars universe than making them fun.” (4.2 out of 10)

Star Wars: Obi-Wan (Xbox)

#45

“If Obi-Wan knew his Jedi training was going to be like this, chances are he would've gone into the more exciting career of pod-racer repair. I had more fun forcing the young Padawan to perform continuous handsprings and cartwheels than I did actually fighting enemies. Part of the frustration is the clumsy control, but mostly it's just poorly executed, unoriginal concepts. You dive into a gaggle of lame enemies and start hacking away with your saber until they eventually fall. Wash, rinse, repeat. The crisp graphics are swell, but they come at the expense of bland backgrounds and loading times that would age an Ewan McGregor into an Alec Guinness.” (4.2 out of 10)

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (NES)

#44

“Take a moment to visualize this game. It never really takes the form of a high action video game or a rock steady RPG. It gets buried somewhere in between and slows down right in the middle. While the graphics are excellent for 8-bit, and the storyline is great, the gameplay leaves something to be desired ... fun!” (4.75 out of 10)

Star Wars: Lethal Alliance (PSP)

#43

“Even if you're a Jedi-loving junkie, don't force yourself to play this cheapo Star Wars adventure. [The other critics were] totally spot-on when it comes to the slippery controls. In fact, I was my own worst enemy – I met my death more from stupidly falling off ledges than I ddi by the blaster of any baddie. And too bad the auto-targeting is way more harmful than it is helpful – accidentally shooting exploding barrels sure is a dumb way to die.” (4.8 out of 10)

Star Wars: Dark Forces (PlayStation)

#42

“Sorry, LucasArts, your valuable Star Wars license isn't going to save this game. First off, Doom games disgust me, as I've seen way too many of them. Dark Forces should've been one of the better ones, but it isn't. It's very choppy, and that's one thing that will kill a game in this genre. It's almost as though the designers were in a hurry to port Dark Forces to the PlayStation, which can definitely do 3D better than this. Oh well, I wouldn't be crazy about this game even if it were done well. It is simply an unoriginal, uninspiring attempt to milk Doom's popularity.” (4.9 out of 10)

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Xbox)

#41

“You can always make a great game .. on paper. But what happens when a bantha takes a big crap on that paper? You get Academy: All the right ideas, none of the execution. A Jedi-in-training with upgradeable skills, an intriguing story based on the good trilogy, Force powers, lightsabers ... what can go wrong? Let me tell you. First off, Academy looks and plays like a first-person shooter from a long, long time ago with flat graphics and zero IQ enemies. The controls are horrid. If you were looking forward to this, do yourself a favor and play Halo again – while humming the Star Wars theme.” (5.2 out of 10)

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (PS2 & Xbox)

#40

“Like any Star Wars game, Revenge of the Sith gets a Force push from its production values alone. Heck – even a game starring insurance adjusters would pump me up if it were set to Star Wars music. But look past the gloss and it's clear that Sith runs out of fun Jedi tricks. Too many levels center on mindless droid hacking. Cool lightsaber boss battles step things up, but half the time I felt like I was winning through luck rather than skill.” (5.3 out of 10)

Star Wars Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire (PlayStation)

#39

“OK, being a big Star Wars fan, I must admit that the Star Wars theme is what saved this game from an even lower score. But at its heart, the game is complete nonsense. You run or fly through full-motion video sequences, or prerendered backgrounds, shooting at objects that are not part of the scenery. Yawn. The other areas involve you maneuvering your craft around various obstacles. Snore. To make matters worse, the control of these crafts is worthless.” (5.5 out of 10)

Star Wars: Starfighter - Special Edition (Xbox)

#38

“When this game first came out on the PlayStation 2, I was wowed by Starfighter's graphics. What a difference a year makes. Now the bar has been raised, and this ‘Special Edition' can't quite clear it. It's not that it's ugly, but compared to most Xbox games, it looks like the boring girl next door and makes the GameCube's Rogue Leader seem like Pamela Anderson.” (5.5 out of 10)

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (PlayStation)

#37

“Episode One lacks the special something you except from a game based on such an incredible universe, but it's still cool walking around and kicking ass as a Jedi. But let's step back a bit and pretend the thing isn't associated with Star Wars – that it's just some generic action/adventure game. As such, it's only average. It has decent gameplay and incredible music and dialogue, but not much else. Some levels are pretty tedious.” (5.6 out of 10)

Star Wars: Rebel Assault (Sega CD)

#36

“Even though Rebel Assault is loaded with full-motion flight and battle renderings, I just didn't find this game all that exciting. For one thing, the lack of colors really hinders gameplay and at times, you couldn't tell where your ship was going, resulting in a crash. Flight controls also need to be improved because the ship moves awkwardly and sometimes feels unresponsive. It just doesn't do Star Wars justice.” (5.75 out of 10)

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (PlayStation 2)

#35

“I'll give 50,000 credits to anyone who brings me those responsible for Bounty Hunter – dead or alive. Well, actually, bring them alive, ‘cause I want to ask them what went wrong with this potentially cool game. The generic, repetitive combat and drab graphics are the very definition of mediocrity, while the jittery movement anytime your view swings around is so jarring it literally gave me a headache.” (6 out of 10)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360)

#34

“I'm conflicted about The Force Unleashed. On one hand, it's easy to see the effort that the developers put into things like the story, the ambitious graphical detail, and the significant use of the actual Force; it all makes The Force Unleashed seem like a game deserving of the Star Wars name. On the other hand, it's hard to overlook the rough execution. The levels are so huge that they border on sprawling – but in that bad way that makes you wish the level would just end already. An ambitious – yet ultimately dissatisfying – effort.” (C+ out of A+)

Star Wars (NES)

#33

“The movie set standards the industry is still trying to equal; the company can perform magic; the game unfortunately does neither and is very flat and ordinary. Not enough variety, the action never gets intense, and it just doesn't have the Star Wars excitement. A big disappointment.” (6.25 out of 10)

Star Wars Arcade (32X)

#32

“Being a big fan of the movie and action games, I was expecting a little bit more. The scrolling is really good, but the missions just got too repetitive and boring. The two-player simultaneous mode is a great addition, but there wasn't enough to do – just shoot TIE Fighters over and over. The graphics are decent but could have used a bit more texture mapping. Star Wars fans may get into it, but I don't enjoy flight sims.” (6.25 out of 10)

Star Wars: Demolition (PlayStation)

#31

“I think we've seen enough variations on the theme. What's next ... Star Wars Tennis? Yeah, it's getting ridiculous, but I can't knock it because I'm sick of the license – especially when the game itself is decent. It's similar to Vigilante 8, but I don't remember the graphics in V8 looking as sparse as these. It almost looks like certain elements are just plopped right on the background without any blending. The structures look flimsy as well. Still, even with the ugly stuff, if it's vehicle combat you crave, you could do worse.” (6.3 out of 10)

Star Wars: Battlefront II (PSP)

#30

“Oh man, I was all ready to totally dig this game. A faithful translation of the home console version, plus extra missions where you kill Ewoks and Gungans? The revised control scheme is a pretty good substitute (once you learn to use the D-pad for target lock on). Even the quirky space combat is easy to adapt to. Except what blows a Death Star-sized hole into the whole experience is the utterly terrible slowdown in multiplayer, which is the primary reason most people would want to buy this game.” (6.3 out of 10)

Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (PSP)

#29

“Just like you know how every Star Wars movie starts with the iconic text crawl, you'll know right away that Renegade Squadron offers merely a modest update of the previous two Battlefront games. But that doesn't mean this game reeks of rancor poo. In fact, the online play is definitely worth picking up a blaster for. But while multiplayer rocks, the appeal of the campaign and character customization lasts about as long as Darth Maul's screen time.” (6.3 out of 10)

Star Wars (Game Boy)

#28

“Game Boy, go hibernate, will ya? I hope that the programmers of Star Wars are preparing to create a full-color portable version when Nintendo wakes up and creates the color Game Boy system! In color, with stable graphics support, Star Wars would be exciting and challenging, but as it is, nah.” (6.75 out of 10)

Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi (PlayStation)

#27

“I'm really disappointed with Teras Kasi. The game is such a marvel to look at – the backgrounds are fantastic and the character animation is top-notch. The ability to take control of so many different Star Wars characters is totally cool, but unfortunately, the gameplay just doesn't cut it. The control is poor and the combo system is more about memorization than actual skill. It's too bad, because this game really could've been a classic.” (6.75 out of 10)

Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo (Nintendo 64)

#26

“I'm all for mindless battling, especially when it involves Episode 1 theme. Seriously, if you liked Rogue Squadron, it's a good bet you'll like Naboo even more. The missions are manageable and for the most part, really fun. The targeting system is a little touchy though, it takes a precise hit to destroy the baddies. Aside from the lack of save option, Naboo is a decent game.” (6.8 out of 10)

Star Wars Racer Revenge (PlayStation 2)

#25

“After playing this game, I know why nine out of 10 Jedis recommend using the Force to win pod races. How else could you win a race at speeds of 500 mph while Vaseline is smeared across your windshield? Well, the blurry graphics make it look like it is whenever you hit the turbo; a handful of dark tracks even gave me a headache, but luckily, those are the exception. Most of the courses are bright enough to navigate well, and ramming fellow racers into the walls while careening down them is pretty damn intense.” (6.8 out of 10)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Xbox)

#24

“Here are some definitive Clone Wars moments: 1) When yappy wing-woman Luminara finally shuts her advice-spewing Jedi pie hole. 2) When Obi-Wan got stuck on the side of a building during a speederbike chase. 3) Any of the 50-plus times I piloted a ship and blew up endless waves of boring foes. Yes, solo missions are a drag, but not all is wrong with the Force. Thank the midichlorians for the wonderful online modes that go beyond the simply ‘kill ‘em all and let George Lucas sort ‘em out.' It's a solid choice for avid Xbox Live players.” (6.8 out of 10)

Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (PlayStation 2)

#23

“LucasArts' ads tout this game as being ‘Force Powered,' and after playing it, I've figured out those are codewords for ‘same ol' shit.' How many times do we need to dogfight brainless enemy ships in the same tired way? I hoped the new Force Powers would spice things up, but it's hard to get excited over another trite Matrix time freeze or erecting a shield. If that's what Yoda taught Luke, we'd fall asleep in the theater. At least the weapons on non-Jedi ships are flashier, and co-op play makes the ho-hum missions better. It's not enough to justify buying this rehash, but if you own a Darth Vader helmet or X-Wing model, maybe it's worth a rental.” (7 out of 10)

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Super NES)

#22

“I think my problem was my hopes were too high. Yes, the game follows the film's story with excellent cinematic displays and the music is well-orchestrated, but the game play totally blows! Moving Luke and the other Star Wars characters turned out to be a struggle. What's worse is you are totally bombarded with enemies that seem to take an infinite number of hits before they finally die. It's a disappointing cart.” (7 out of 10)

Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GameCube)

#21

“Like the two previous Rogue Squadron games, Rebel Strike gives you the chance to live out your greatest Star Wars starfighter-combat fantasies. But this trip around the galaxy also features an alternative itinerary, as now you're periodically forced to face action outside the cockpit. Although I wish more flight missions found their way into the final product, those included are reason enough to try out Rebel Strike. If you're expecting the ultimate all-encompassing Star Wars game, then you might want to move along, move along.” (7.2 out of 10)

LEGO Star Wars (PlayStation 2 & Xbox)

#20

“Finally, some blatant product placement I can really get behind. Lega Star Wars may be a simple action/platformer with a crappy camera you'll curse ... but Lego Jar Jar! Lego Samuel L. Jackson and Darth Maul! For me at least, this is one of those rare times when cool characters and visuals can make up for sometimes flawed gameplay. The game's short length, infinite continues and co-op mode make it an excellent rental for older folks, while kids will be happy to replay the levels to death and track down every last secret.” (7.2 out of 10)

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2 & Xbox 360)

#19

“You have to give credit to the brilliant blockhead who forced this awesome yet fundamentally bizarro idea on LucasArts. Sure, this sequel is every bit as ridiculous as the original, but that's what gives it its playful charm. Witnessing Gamorrean guards rock out, air-guitar style, is the type of hilarious hijinks you won't see ?? an ‘adult' Star Wars game, but for Lego Star Wars it actually makes sense. Plus, it's just more fun to play in levels based on the original trilogy. If only the spastic new ship battles weren't a complete mess to control. And, if you're a completist, may the patience be with you – it will take a good week or two before you blow your blaster on all the secret goodies.” (7.3 out of 10)

Star Wars: Starfighter (PlayStation 2)

#18

“Starfighter isn't the PS2 killer app I was hoping for. The visuals, although slick, get choppy and mission design here is nothing special. Later sorties suffer from that chronic flaw of the space combat genre: They start out easy, last too long, become impossibly hard near the end, and thus force you to repeat them over and over. It's tedious. Still, this game does plenty right. It tosses an enormous amount of enemies at you; you really feel like you're part of a battle that's true to the epic scale of the films.” (7.3 out of 10)

Star Wars: Republic Commando (Xbox)

#17

“As the leader of super-soldier quadruplets, I'm glad that my brothers are fairly smart, even if I do have to take the lead when the Federation droids and Trandoshan slavers get a little rough – because I know that when I charge into battle against all odds and catch one too many blaster shots, the boys will jolt me back to life. Well, assuming they don't all get wiped out. Commando's squad control aspects aren't particularly complex, but they work well enough. And the single-player campaign is short but action-packed, spanning the gap between Episodes II and III.” (7.3 out of 10)

Star Wars: Demolition (Dreamcast)

#16

“We are at the point where just about every type of game has been Star Wars-ized now that the license has been attached to this vehicle destruction game. Created by veteran developers, Luxoflux, it's not surprise that Demolition plays a lot like Vigilante 8, the big-name game that put them on the map. If you've played that, you'll more or less be familiar with this one. I like Demolition, but it left me wondering how good it could have been if Luxoflux had really taken advantage of the Dreamcast.” (7.5 out of 10)

Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (Xbox)

#15

“Call me cuckoo, but if someone was searing my backside with lasers, I'd think about scooching out of the way. It's a concept that never occurs to the big baddie ships in Jedi Starfighter. They just sit there and take it until they go boom. The fun here comes from all the stuff thrown at you: Swarms of enemy ships, capital craft and planetside structures bristling with bits to blow up, even scurrying little clone troopers. Missions are so hectic that a few got confusing. But it all hangs together as a satisfying, if not exactly deep experience.” (7.5 out of 10)

Star Wars (Game Gear)

#14

“For a translation of what was originally a very good game for a superior system, Star Wars for the Game Gear comes off rather well! Even with the lower graphics and sound, fans of the 16- and 8-bit versions of the blockbuster science fiction trilogy will be right at home with this one! The game does change the movie around some, but hey – that's half the surprise! This one sports good control, too.” (7.75 out of 10)

Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (Xbox)

#13

“Raven Software went with a ‘toss everything into a pot and stir' strategy while developing Outcast, and the end result is a surprisingly strong brew. Part first-person shooter, part third-person adventure, the game gives players a giant world to explore and overwhelming number of skills to master. The title's biggest strength is that it envelops you in the Star Wars universe: While playing, you really feel like you're a badass Jedi. But the downside is that the game is nearly impossible to beat without having a walk-through strategy in hand.” (7.8 out of 10)

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)

#12

“After all the hoopla surrounding Shadows, I was expecting a lot more than what was presented here. Essentially what you get is a poor first-person shooter on top of an awesome Hoth battle sequence. Let's just say the first four stages are to die for. After that, you get a mish-mash of first-person, racing and skeet shooting. Probably the most irritating thing about the first-person portion is the horrid control. Dash Rendar is a clumsy beast, for sure. He doesn't side-step, his boots need traction and other than the Doom-style view, the views are blocked by Dash's body. Too bad this happens in over half the game.” (7.9 out of 10)

Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (Dreamcast)

#11

“In the past year, the Dreamcast has hosted its fair share of PlayStation ports, some good, most bad. Jedi Power Battles falls into the former category, providing Star Wars fans with a game that is light-years ahead of the PS original. The graphics are breathtaking: Characters animate well and are sharply detailed; environments are comprised of lush, nearly photorealistic textures. The narrative follows the film closely, making the action all the more engaging. A few minor flaws keep the title a stone's throw away from brilliance.” (8 out of 10)

Star Wars Episode I: Racer (Dreamcast)

#10

“Ah, finally a game that restores my belief that The Force can exist in a good video game. Racers are a dime a dozen these days, but I have to say that this is a unique racing game with its own merits outside of the Star Wars license. Sure, it helps to have ‘Duel of the Fates' trumpeting melodramatically as you scream down tunnels, but it's only icing on the cake.” (8 out of 10)

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Super NES)

#9

“The latest installment in the Star Wars saga is more like Jedi in that you can't just run through the levels: You will definitely have to take your time and carefully move through the levels. Excellent graphics and nice Mode 7.” (8 out of 10)

Star Wars: Battlefront II (Xbox & PlayStation 2)

#8

“Battlefront II seems like what the first Battlefront should have been to begin with. There's so much that's familiar and repurposed that your copy of the first game has been rendered irrelevant. The best thing about Battlefront is how it's not overly complex – if you can see it, you can shoot it, capture it or pilot it. Horray for accessibility.” (8.2 out of 10)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lord (Xbox)

#7

“This game has its share of short-comings, with the most glaring one being its pitiful story. Nothing really happens or is explained during the first 20 hours of play, and just when the developers finally decide to turn it up a notch, here comes a ho-hum finale. Not good. Overall, don't expect to be wowed like with the original.” (8.2 out of 10)

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (Nintendo 64)

#6

“It makes sense – take the best part of Shadows of the Empire and make an entire game out of that style of gameplay. Ah, but in addition to this, Rogue Squadron has incredible hi-res graphics, tons of voice and an overall solid feel. On the downside, some of the missions get a bit repetitive, but luckily others have more interesting objectives that help to get things moving again.” (8.25 out of 10)

Star Wars: Battlefront (PlayStation 2 & Xbox)

#5

“Someone made a video game out of all those Star Wars toys and imaginary battles you had as a kid. It's a dream come true for any Wars geek, old or new – that is, if you can handle the choppy action that looks like someone is stop-motion-capturing plastic Darth Vader action figures. Still, fun I had, from blasting battle droids on Naboo to taking down lumbering AT-Ats with tow cables. It helps a lot that the fields are littered with dumb computer-controlled bots – they provide lots of cannon fodder and illusion that the battles are huge and epic, straight from the films.” (8.3 out of 10)

Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GameCube)

#4

“It's rather ironic. The best Star Wars game I've ever played is one that simply follows the movies as closely as possible. Rogue Leader does just that, and it's aided by some of the most incredible graphics, sound effects and music you've ever seen/heard. Sure, this stuff ain't original – it's ripped straight from the films. But no Star Wars game has ever combined all of the elements so well. This is THE reason to own a GameCube, not Luigi's Mansion.” (9 out of 10)

Star Wars Episode 1: Racer (Nintendo 64)

#3

“Even though Racer is based on what is easily the most-anticipated movie of all time, you don't have to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy it. Racer is one of the fastest-paced games I've ever seen on any system, immersing you completely in the Star Wars universe. You'll actually be afraid to close your eyes while playing. The only thing missing from this game is a story mode, but the graphics and gameplay more than make up for it.” (9 out of 10)

Super Star Wars (Super NES)

#2

“This is a dream come true for Star Wars fans. The game is so well done that you can't help getting hooked. The graphics are great, the music is absolutely phenomenal and the gameplay is fast and action-packed from beginning to end. This is the best movie-to-game translation that I've ever seen! Encore please. Empire Strikes Back!!!” (9 out of 10)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox)

#1

“Both PC role-playing fans and console gamers weaned on less hardcore fare can sit back and bask in Knights of the Old Republic's magnificence. This is an RPG like no other, either on PC or console. KOTOR is like the movie we all hoped Episode 1 would be – enthralling plot, marvelous visuals and voice acting, deep immersion in the galaxy's many worlds, with all that noble Jedi malarkey lightened up by old-school Episode 4-style humor. But the genius is the light- and dark-side choice you're forced to make throughout. Add to all this a bounty of side quests, tons of cool gear, and nice touches like the well-designed map system, quest logs and inventory management, and this is an RPG revolution every console gamer should experience.” (9.5 out of 10)