Ten Best Star Wars Games (Part 5)

1. Star Wars: Galaxies

All right! Put down the pitch forks and torches, this is an opinion! However, let me at least try and convince you while I make an argument for this choice as number one. 

Star Wars: Galaxies was truly a one-of-a-kind video game in regards to the Star Wars brand. This game had all the elements in one game. For the combat, it could be first person or third person. In space, the combat felt like TIE Fighter mixed with elements of an RPG – but with more types of ships to choose from, and more customization of those ships. For adventure, this game was wonderful, because you could truly choose your own.  There were a million different things that a player could do in this game, action-oriented and not.

A person so inclined could join the Imperial Army or the Rebel Alliance as a common soldier – helping to battle across contested worlds. You could hunt bounties and become a feared bounty hunter – and those bounties included hunting human players who got a little too big for their britches. If you’d rather go off adventuring with your buddies, there were tons of quests that ended up with challenging bosses that couldn’t be defeated by a lone player. These bosses would, of course, drop awesome loot for a player so inclined.

When fighting on the ground isn’t your style, or gets boring, you could join one of the galactic navies and fly your own ship. There were regular events in which large space battles took place. For a different experience, you could get a gunship and crew, and join the battle on an assault ship, just make sure all the guns are manned and that you have a competent engineer on board to fix the ship’s subsystems when you take a bad hit! Imagine an experience where you are sitting aboard an Imperial gunship, sitting at your station while you unload on rebel fighters, watching them fall like leaves in autumn - only each of those ships is controlled by a human player!

If you wanted to play a game for an experience other than combat, there were a million other things you could do. For one, you could just pick an alternate profession, and spend your days making food for hungry adventurers, among other things. Food was useful in that it provided buffs and bonuses, so some of the wealthiest people I knew in the game were chefs. Don’t want to be a chef? Try your hand at being a politician, a droid engineer, or a weapon smith. Politicians were necessary to build player cities – something this game supported. Yes, there were entire colonies built by players – with roads, stores, police forces, and regular elections. Some of the people involved in the infrastructure of these towns made their entire living governing these cities. There were players who owned their own cantinas. Some of these players became ludicrously wealthy by symbiotic arrangements with all the artisans in their area, making that cantina owner a merchant mogul.

Perhaps you want to do something a little more entrepreneurial like the cantina owner mentioned above? Why not start your own surveyor business where you mine the finest resources for the artisans of the galaxy. You could spend your days mining on the ground with surveying equipment, or you could hire a crew, buy a mining ship, and fly through space mining asteroids (beware the pirates coming to steal your cargo!). Mining was actually a tricky profession, because the resources were not infinite, and would rotate regularly. This made buying in bulk usually a wise investment.

Speaking of buying in bulk, some players became merchants and had businesses as wholesalers, buying resources or items in bulk from suppliers and parceling these items out to the customers for a profit. People could hold those goods until the market changed, or buy enough of the goods to corner the market and affect the price point, making themselves quite wealthy. A person with sufficient time and energy could do the market research and choose the best time to sell their bulk items at a premium. Players could build entire enterprises around this type of business – a business that ultimately needed multiple holdings on multiple worlds. In some cases, needing their own security forces to prevent thieves and robbers from taking whatever they wished and destroying their commercial assets.

Many other things were possible in this game. Players would pay other players to decorate their houses… yes, Star Wars interior decorators. My favorite thing: interior decorating could also be done on your space ship. You could fly your luxury space yacht to the scene of a battle, park at a safe distance, and drink brandy from the lounge area as a space ballet unfolded before you. Interior decorating was so popular that many of the servers had player-run decorating competitions. To put it into perspective, WoW doesn’t even let you own a house. In the majority of games where you can own a house, you can't decorate them in the slightest.

All of this stuff with crafting, starships, houses, and consumable items was thanks to the player base. In fact, the economy would not work without players who were making the items to be used by the other players. This game featured an almost entirely player-run economy, with all the ups and downs that you see in reality. There were genuine feelings of frustration and loss when one of the more well-known weapon manufacturers decided to call it quits. Player-driven economies in games are very highly regarded, and it can be easy to see why. Each person can get a custom-made item that is actually good. Maybe you don’t want to spend 5 hours raiding for one item that the other 5 people in your party also want. Instead, go buy a custom rifle from an artisan weapon smith that only uses the best materials and methods.

It’s true that the game had issues. There was server lag, problems with mobs teleporting, and sometimes the quests wouldn’t spawn correctly - all to be found in every game. Not to mention, there were players that ruined the immersion of the game by doing all sorts of bizarre things. Some things were mundane, like naming themselves “Jewbacca,” or “Furry Face" as a wookiee, but others were less so… there were some seriously awful names. Despite these things, if you want a game that gives you the best Star Wars experience, this one is easily the best choice. Truly, this game is as close to you can get to actually playing/living in the Star Wars universe without having to resort to the pen and paper RPG. Indeed, the game was so good at giving this experience that it persists to this day, despite being officially shut down in 2011. There are a few groups that are currently building their own clones of this game, keeping the dream alive. It’s really remarkable what work that has been put into making this emulation of the game a real thing, and it goes to show notable and remarkable this game truly was.

For a similar gaming experience: There really isn’t a game that will scratch this itch in existence anymore, Star Wars related or otherwise. I’ve spent a LOT of time looking, and I haven’t been able to find anything even close, but SOE says their next MMO is for SWG fans... let's see what they come up with!

That's it for this list, I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be going back to "single issues" for my next article, stay tuned. As always, comments are welcome!

-Jack

Ten Best Star Wars Games (Part 4)

2.      Knights of the Old Republic

Returning to the roots of the Star Wars franchise, Knights of the Old Republic gave players a unique story in an era previously unknown to the franchise. If a Star Wars adventure RPG is what you’re looking for, this is the best of them all. Finally giving Star Wars gamers something original, this game set a very high standard for future games. When you put both of these games together, an epic tale is told where the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance. Similar to the original movie trilogy, these games tell a story that takes us through both sides of the conflict. Again the conflict is between an empire and a republic, but this time we’re introduced to new worlds, new characters, and new stories. What makes this game even more special is that much of the story is done with spoken dialogue.

 

Characters from KOTOR I

Darths Revan and Malak

One thing that truly sets this game apart is the fleshing out of worlds that had, previously, never been visited. Before this game’s release, we had never been to Dantooine to see the “rebel base” to which they referred in Episode IV. We were also introduced to a more intimate look at who the Sith are and what they really stand for. In KOTOR, we get to see one of the most popular Star Wars characters who ends up being significantly misunderstood for the vast majority of the game – it sets up an excellent twist. There was character customization in a time where this hadn’t really become a staple. These kinds of details set the stage for a very impressive and immersive adventure experience. Influence from this game can be found in many others that followed.

The KOTOR franchise also gave us a much more intimate look at the Force and the organization of the Jedi/Sith Order. Things like Jedi Consular and Jedi Guardian didn’t really exist prior to this game, but they have become a standard in Star Wars games and stories. In the second installment, we were introduced to lightsaber combat in a way that was unheard of. Now there are formal styles, like any martial art. This gave more depth to characters that were on the verge of becoming stale.

I’m one of the few people who will tell you that KOTOR II is better than KOTOR I. This game was the first to really expand the understanding of the force. More importantly, we weren’t given obvious choices which was good and which was evil. On the one hand, you have a decision that seems right, but ultimately results in something that is almost universally considered negative. The decision making has consequences. As gaming ages, there seems to be fewer and fewer games that truly do give the players consequences. In KOTOR II, we’re introduced to decisions that question the abstract… maybe Sith lords aren’t actually evil. Maybe a Sith Lord is someone who uses the Force to advance their own agenda, not just to do evil acts. I picture a Sith Lord could be someone who exerts his power to manipulate a situation the way he wants, not only to cause misery. Maybe a Sith Lord is someone for whom the means are just a way to an end?

By throwing in a system of influence, the makers of KOTOR II added a degree of complexity that was far beyond anything that was needed... but it makes sense. You can elicit the aid of, or get nothing but derision from, the people around you depending on what decisions you make. In so doing, these characters will either aid you or they won't - it all depends on if they think you're doing the right thing. Adding an influence system like this adds depth to the characters and the story, making this game one of the deepest games I've ever played. Rather than just fighting for a cause, we’re given a look at what makes each character tick. Now we are expanding on who is who and why they have chosen a their paths. This is very appealing in a universe that is typically a simple tale of good vs. evil. Maybe the lines aren’t actually so clear…

For a similar gaming experience: Look at “The Old Republic” - a spiritual successor to this franchise. It’s an MMO set a few hundred years later, and has many of the same gameplay features that made the KOTOR franchise so great.

Thanks for reading!

-Jack

Ten Best Star Wars Games (Part 3)

Continuing the top ten best Star Wars video games from before, I'd like to present to you number three on the list: Tie Fighter

3.      TIE Fighter

When it comes to the Star Warsflight simulators, TIE Fighter is easily the best of the bunch. This game offered us a much more expansive look into the Star Wars Universe, but for the first time offered it from a different perspective. Now you’re not just the Rebel Alliance fighting for good, you’re actually an Imperial Pilot fighting for the Empire in a time when games rarely ventured into "bad guy" territory. Similar to X-wing (its predecessor), this game places the player in the cockpit of a fighter. However this game exceeds its predecessor in both gameplay and story.

 

This > X-Wing

When you begin playing this game, you’re a rookie pilot flying a standard, unshielded TIE Fighter. Let me tell you, the feeling of actually getting to fly one of these craft for the first time is incredible after seeing it in the movies for so long. Once you fly a TIE Interceptor for the first time, you never want to go back to the X-wing… As your piloting skills improve, you are given access to more powerful fighters, eventually being able to fly shielded craft. The roster of craft available becomes a massive library into which you could delve between missions.

The game takes you through some regular, non-sequined mission in the beginning, but ultimately

takes you through a grand tale of betrayal and heroics. Through the game’s briefings, a few different stories unfold. You begin with helping hunt down the Rebels after the Battle of Endor, switch to pirate duty in the Outer Rim, and eventually help capture traitors to the Empire. At one point, you even help development of new experimental starships; foremost among these craft, the TIE Defender. But your tale doesn’t end here, there’s a subplot of inquisition and secret missions for the Emperor that you’re allowed to take. This game opened up a broader underworld of Star Wars black-ops that had never really been dealt with before… and it was thrilling! 

Entering a secret order of the Empire is pretty cool

So successful was the original TIE Fighter game that there were two expansions – called mission packs. The first of these mission packs, called Defender of the Empire, contained 3 new “Battles” which are really full campaigns. The three campaigns in this first expansion were about fighting a traitorous admiral, and eventually defeating his splinter group. In the second expansion, called Enemies of the Empire, there were 3 battles in which to participate. This expansion wasn’t a stand-alone product like the other, but came as part of the Collector’s CD. These battles started with the traitor admiral from the first expansion and ended up revolving around the construction of the second Death Star. Everything that the player got to do in this game was all from the perspective of what was thought to be the enemy…

We also got to see one of the coolest EU characters

This is really where this game was separate from its original Star Wars brothers. The game had a mature take on the Star Wars universe, which is something that isn’t visited too often – especially with the death of games like 1313. Perhaps most importantly was the gray area that this game introduced. Before all the RPGs that have since been released, was there a Star Wars game that dealt with the details of the universe beyond “Good fighting Evil?” For example, can you still be a hero while working to preserve and fight for the Empire? It’s something to consider, comments below would be greatly appreciated.

In the running for the coolest throne room ever...

More accolades for TIE Fighter

Convenient to the release of this article, it looks like GOG has released TIE Fighter for download. You bet your booty that I'm downloading this gem!

For a similar gaming experience: Look at X-wing Alliance – a space combat simulator that still works on today’s computers. This puts you firmly on the side of the rebellion, but it was a lot of fun to play even still. Who doesn’t want to pilot the Millenium Falcon sometimes?

Ten Best Star Wars Games (Part 1)

 Greetings and salutations! I had hoped to finish this article last month because of Star Wars month, but it took me another month on account of moving apartments (internet down for 15 days) and then travelling out of state. Now, finally, the article is finished. I present to you: Part One of the Top Ten Star Wars Games of all time.


What qualifies as a good Star Wars games is one that's both fun, but also gives a unique glimpse into the Star Wars Universe. The games on this list each tell stories and are games that immerse ourselves in some aspect of Star Wars, much like if we were  to live in that Universe. Before we begin, there are two games I'd like to mention that didn't make the list, but are excellent examples of the Star Wars experience:

Honorable Mentions:

Episode I Racer - One of the best Star Wars games to not make the list, Racer was a lot of fun to play. Played on the N64, it’s a bit of an older game, but that hasn’t diminished any of its charm. This is one of the few games that has managed to stand the test of time – even with the limited processing power of the N64. It’s one of the most enjoyable things to have come out of Episode I, and a recommendation for any retro gamer.

Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II - This game was arguably the best launch title for the Game Cube. It immediately called to mind the old rail shooter on which it was based. Only this game was bigger, better, and with more gameplay. It’s been said that this game did the battle of Hoth better than any other Star Wars game – and that’s a lot of games. Many of the battles are those seen in the films, and often times clips from the movies themselves are provided. A fun game to play, with a feel like you’re actually playing through the movies, makes this game an excellent Star Wars game.

 10. Empire at War

There is something satisfying about playing an RTS Game in the Star Wars Universe. In this game, you can choose to be either the Empire or the Rebellion, and it’s an amazing feeling building a massive fleet from scratch. If you enjoy RTS Games, give this game a try. From massive fleet engagements, the game lets players go all the way down to battles on a planet’s surface, covering a wide variety of gameplay.

One thing that separates the Star Wars universe from other franchises is the giant battles that take place. This game lets you control those battles both in space and on the ground. The sound and the music help call to mind the grandiose feel of Star Wars that we grew up watching. Even more, we can actually control a fleet of starships as they make war on an enemy world – always something enjoyable.

For a similar gaming experience: Look at Star Wars: Rebellion which is basically the predecessor to this game. Rebellion featured a bigger galaxy but lacked ground battles. Your fleets could be much larger, which is always fun to see.

  

9. The Force Unleashed

Released much later than many of the other games on this list, the Force Unleashed was one of last, successful games produced by Lucasarts. This game introduced a different way to play Star Wars games – by using the Force. This was an incredible game to play because it was a lot of fun. It really showed what the Force was capable of, which is something that the movies and most of the other games lacked.

Hacking and slashing your way through waves of storm troopers was great fun, especially when a well-timed force-blast will scatter your enemies like leaves blown by a leaf blower. With an interesting main character who worked for the big man himself, the game stands out as one of the better Star Wars games.

For a similar gaming experience: Look at the Force Unleashed II. While the sequel wasn’t as long as the first game, it featured the same grandiose force use and hack-and-slash style that players enjoyed from the first game.

8. LEGO Star Wars

The LEGO Games are delightful fun, and they have a history of being quite addicting. With the Star Wars Universe, LEGO Star Wars brought a very cute take on the original trilogy that we all grew up loving. The game featured great co-op gameplay, and it managed to be extremely fun while it did so.

This game made this list because it's quirks and humor remind you of the fun stuff about the Star Wars films.Watching the little LEGO people mimic and pantomime the scenes from the films with their own special little style is a real pleasure to see. Being the first of this line of games, LEGO Star Wars paved the way for some excellent follow-up games. In addition, this game opened up the market for other franchises under the LEGO banner.

For a similar gaming experience: Look at the many other LEGO Star Wars games, particularly LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

Stay tuned for the rest of the list!
-Jack

Star Wars Month - Expanded Universe

 

May is unofficially the month of Star Wars. Given that every movie released has been released in May, and given that May 4^th is the Jedi Day, it kinda makes sense. So, I'd like to take this time to talk about one of my favorite franchises of all time! Stay tuned, and learn about a sticky topic: Since there's so much Star Wars literature out there... what's going to happen to it when we make another movie?!

Three new Episodes!

The decision has been made, and it's a controversial one. Lucasfilm has decided to remove all the Expanded Universe literature from the official Star Wars Canon. The Expanded Universe is any Star Wars material that doesn't include what's in the movies or the Clone Wars cartoon (and soon the Rebels cartoon). There are three main reasons why this could be a big benefit: First, the realm of Star Wars Canon was a complicated maze of hierarchies and seemingly arbitrary rankings – put simply, it's a mess; Secondly, by eliminating all of the extra works, there is the potential to have one, cohesive universe for us to play in; Lastly, the vast majority of non-canon star wars stories are forgettable anyway, if not lamentable.

This series was quite enjoyable

For the first point, let’s talk about what canon is, and how it affects a story. Any story, or universe created has what is considered “official” material. This official material is considered to be the “true” canon of that universe. For example, the Harry Potter Series has official canon from the books, but all the interesting fan-fiction is considered non-canon, or not official. So, if you feel like killing off Ron and Harry in your own fan-fiction, go ahead, it doesn't affect the actual books. In any discussion about Star Wars Canon, it simply has to be stated how much of a mess it was previously. An arbiter of the Star Wars continuity, Leland Chee, is the person responsible for the hierarchy of canon. Several different "types" of canon are used: G-canon, T-canon, C-canon, S-canon, N-canon, and D-canon. If this is confusing to you, it’s because it’s super confusing. More detailed information is below, as taken from the all-mighty Wookieepedia:

·         G-canon is George Lucas Canon; the six Episodes and any statements by George Lucas (including unpublished production notes from him or his production department that are never seen by the public). Elements originating with Lucas in the movie novelizations, reference books, and other sources are also G-canon, though anything created by the authors of those sources is C-canon. When the matter of changes between movie versions arises, the most recently released editions are deemed superior to older ones, as they correct mistakes, improve consistency between the two trilogies, and express Lucas's current vision of the Star Wars universe most closely. The deleted scenes included on the DVDs are also considered G-canon (when they're not in conflict with the movie).
·         T-canon, or Television Canon, refers to the canon level comprising the feature film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the two television shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the Star Wars live-action TV series. It was devised recently in order to define a status above the C-Level canon, as confirmed by Chee.
·         C-canon is Continuity Canon, consisting of all recent works (and many older works) released under the name of Star Wars: books, comics, games, cartoons, non-theatrical films, and more. Games are a special case, as generally only the stories are C-canon, while things like stats and gameplay may not be; they also offer non-canonical options to the player, such as choosing female gender for a canonically male character. C-canon elements have been known to appear in the movies, thus making them G-canon; examples include the name "Coruscant," swoop bikes, Quinlan Vos, Aayla Secura, YT-2400 freighters and Action VI transports.
·         S-canon is Secondary Canon; the materials are available to be used or ignored as needed by current authors. This includes mostly older works, such as much of the Marvel Star Wars comics, that predate a consistent effort to maintain continuity; it also contains certain elements of a few otherwise N-canon stories, and other things that "may not fit just right." Many formerly S-canon elements have been elevated to C-canon through their inclusion in more recent works by continuity-minded authors, while many other older works (such as The Han Solo Adventures) were accounted for in continuity from the start despite their age, and thus were always C-canon.
·         N is Non-Canon. What-if stories (such as stories published under the Infinities label) and anything else directly and irreconcilably contradicted by higher canon ends up here. N is the only level that is not considered canon by Lucasfilm. Information cut from canon, deleted scenes, or from canceled Star Wars works falls into this category as well, unless another canonical work references it and it is declared canon.
·         D is Detours Canon, used for material hailing from Star Wars Detours.

If you’re a reasonable person, you would agree that this is needs to be redone.

On the second point, by writing off all the Expanded Universe and the rest of the extraneous stories, a more cohesive and consistent universe can be built. This is probably the most exciting thing to come out of the decision. Now everything will be connected and will relate to each other in the Star Wars universe. In the same way that the Marvel Movie and TV franchises have done, Star Wars will, hopefully, be doing the same.

This is not to say that everything else is getting fully eliminated from the official Star Wars universe. All the Expanded Universe, which includes novels, comic books, video games, and cartoons, is going to be reclassified as “Legends” status. Meaning that, while they are no longer considered part of the official Canon, they still exist, and won't be completely disregarded. Actually, it’s closer to the opposite; these stories will continue to be published. Additionally, these characters and stories have elements that may be used in the official canon later on – just like they took Boba Fett from the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special (which, by the way, is not considered canon). Previously, Lucas held lordship over any material published in his universe. While he would give his blessing for those works, he never considered them as official. This allowed him to write whatever he’d like – not keeping him bound to something others had written.

One of the only characters worth keeping...

What is the benefit of having all of this separated from the official canon? Well, for starters, now there is a blank slate. This universe that’s been created now has an infinite territory for us to explore and expand into. Before, everything was a minefield and stepping in certain areas could result in massive blow-back. Currently, the plan is to proceed forward with one, cohesive vision. Lucasfilm has appointed a special group called the Lucasfilm Story Group. Their mission is to ensure that the stories from the movies will mesh with the new movies, comics, video games, and cartoons that get produced later. This is a very exciting time for Star Wars and should be viewed as a terrific opportunity.

The people in the Story Group for now

Now let’s discuss the third topic: The vast majority of Star Wars Expanded Universe is forgettable. I should mention that I have probably read about 60% of all the expanded universe literature out there. That means novels, comics, and video games. In some cases, not only are these stories forgettable, they’re just awful. There is a comic where there is literally a weeping mountain named Mount Sorrow. Yes, the mountain is a talking character that cries. Did you really want that to officially be part of the Star Wars Universe? There is a terrific list of which stories are simply terrible over at Io9 located here. Some highlights from this list: Remember the droid that blows up at the beginning of the first movie? “This one’s got a bad motivator!” cries Luke. Well it turns out that droid is actually force-sensitive and his name is Skippy. I think we can do without that one. Another highlight is the time Boba Fett fought the Sarlaac. No, not the one in Return of the Jedi, yes there’s another one. This comic was called “Jawas of Doom.” Yes, I’m okay seeing that one go. Just in case you’re not convinced, there’s another list here from the people at Topless Robot.

Admit it, you were curious

What’s great about this particular point is that it almost makes itself. Besides Shadows of the Empire and Grand Admiral Thrawn, can any of you name something that is really that important to the Star Wars Universe? How about the franchise as a whole? We can spend some time talking about the 19 book series featuring aliens from another galaxy, but I’d rather just ignore it happened because that whole series had problems from the start. Any discussion of those aliens is fun, but certainly doesn’t impact anything within the core universe. Besides, any series that kills of Chewbacca in the first book isn’t one I care to remember.  The bottom line is that the Expanded Universe has become a giant, bloated, disgusting slug. It’s a huge problem to do anything in the expanded universe, and the past 10 years have shown this. After all, nothing notable has come out recently, with the possible exception of the Legacy comic book series. In the words of Lee Hutchinson of Ars Technica:

A sci-fi universe with as long a tail as Star Wars can be death for new stories, though. Finding space among the EU to make a mark without being hamstrung by established ideas is difficult, and even keeping the EU somewhat organized is challenging. Its growth has been cancerous—like a tumor, it has no plan and no organization—it simply expands, blindly, as the collective fan engine shovels in new material.

And like a tumor, Disney is going to rip it out

The Expanded Universe is certainly a colossal mess. This is why the news of the Expanded Universe and the Canon being rewritten should be regarded as a good thing. For those fans that have spent the time to learn and read all the convoluted stories, it might feel like you’ve wasted your time, but that’s not it. Most likely, you read all that crap because you love Star Wars and you wanted more of it. By changing the status of canon, we have a better chance than ever before to get more of the Star Wars Universe that we want.

Also an acceptable answer

If there’s something you disagree with, or a comment you’d like to make, please post it below, or send it to me via Facebook.

-Jack

PS I’ve compiled a  couple of links that are certainly worth checking out related to this post.

-         This guy writes a blog specifically about the EU. It’s definitely worth looking at.

-         There are some ladies over at The Mary Sue that wrote a pretty good article about this topic, it’s worth reading for sure.