Gamertell

As long as there have been video games, there have been Star Wars games. From podracing at the arcade, and star battles at home, to fighting Darth Vader with your light saber WiiMote, Star Wars games have really come a long way. The games have covered just about every category, with shooters, RPG's, action/adventures, and even racing. It's no wonder this franchise is as popular as it is today. With so many titles of video games, how do we know which were the best ones? Well the The San Francisco Chronicle got together their best critics and put together a list of nominees for the top nine Star Wars games of all time.

This is their list, not mine. In fact, I disagree with some of it, but I am putting it up here so you can see what a top newspaper thinks and allow you to judge for yourself. I've included the complete list of nominees, why each was nominated and added a few of my own insights.

If you disagree with this list (as I do) then make your voice heard. I want to know what you guys think about the order or even if there were any games not included you think should have.

Games are presented according to the Chronicle's "descending order of awesomeness."

Star Wars: Starfighter (PC, PS2, Xbox 2001)
The Phantom Menace spin-off was offered dog-fights, and fighter ship battles that were much more entertaining than the movie. The characters and ships weren’t that memorable, but it came closer to succeeding Colony Wars than any other game of it’s time.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (1998; Nintendo 64, PC)
Best graphics of it’s time for a arcade style shooter. Great game play and decent voice acting that made Luke Skywalker sound like less of a whiner. Plus it's hard to find a good N64 game anymore, this one is definitly worth playing.

Star Wars: Racer Arcade (Arcade, 2000)
What was best about it was the fact you could sit down inside a cabinet with surround sound and feel you ace actually driving a podracer. Kinda like Pole Postion but with better controls. Just watch out for the player behind you who may lose control of there cabinet!

Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005; Xbox, PS2, PSP and PC)
This strategic adventure game may have borrowed heavily from the Battlefield series, but still managed to be it’s own game. And though it doesn’t differ much from the first game, the ability to play as Luke, who can throw his lightsaber like a boomerang, gives this game it’s spot. I know when i use to work at game stop, this title use to be sold out almost as soon as we got shipments.

Star Wars: Dark Forces (1995; PlayStation, PC)
LucasArts wanted to get on the FPS bandwagon with this title in hopes to beat other titles such as Doom. With new features such as crouch and look and plenty of weapons at your disposal, this title was definitely memorable. Plus it's always fun to play as the bad guy, I personally am tired of playing as Luke or Anakin all the time.

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006; Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, GameCube, PSP, Nintendo DS and PC)
I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of Star Wars but I LOVED this game! Probably the best of the lego games. I think it should be at least number 2, but Alas, I didn’t make this list. Anywho, it’s funny, entertaining, and you can play as every character in the series. What more do you want?

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003; Xbox and PC)
Again, I don’t know why this isn’t number one, but (again) I didn’t make this list. One of the first Star Wars RPG and one of the best for a licensed game. It takes place thousands of years before the original trilogy and allowed you the option of playing the light or dark side. A real treat for the Star Wars geek, and any RPG fan alike. Plus you could use your character from the first game with all the stats you built up, so it will give you an advantage right at the beginning.

Star Wars: TIE Fighter (1994; PC)
This space combat simulator offers the engaging story of a young Imperial Naval officer helping to helping to keep order in the galaxy against rebellious troublemakers. Influenced by WWII dogfights. Everybody loves dogfights.

Star Wars (Arcade, 1983)
Sometimes the classics are the best. Vector graphics and well timed sound bites give this game the 80’s game feel that no other arcade game can quite match. I was less than a year old when this game out but I’m sure I would have loved it.

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