Solo: A Star Wars Story, the ninth movie in the Star Wars franchise, is set to be released to movie theatres around the world on May 23rd. Anticipation is high, especially for Vegas games players who expect new Stars Wars games to join the existing list of Star Wars-inspired games. There are Star Wars games for players of all ages and playing abilities. Some of the best include:
1983 Star Wars: Jedi Arena
Star Wars: Jedi Arena was created in the earliest days of console gaming. It can still be found and is an adventure in nostalgia. Jedi Arena was produced for the Atari 2600 (remember that one?) and features two Jedi Knights who face off against each other in an arena.
Each figure tries to block the laser blasts that come from the other’s training, remove and then direct the blasts back at the opponent to knock out their defense shield. The first Jedi who receives three hits loses and the winner becomes a “Jedi Master.”
Think that you can still play something so simple?
1993 Star Wars: Rebel Assault
By 1993 the games were becoming more technologically advanced and you’ll experience the shift in tech when you play Star Wars: Rebel Assault. It was developed for DOS and Interactive Multiplayer platforms and was also released on CD-ROM – one of the first.
The storyline focuses on a young pilot called Rookie One (your character) who trains to join the Rebel Alliance and fight in the Galactic Civil War.
There are four mission types in the game: one foot mission and three spaceflights. The cursor aims and fires. There are third-person and first-person missions. Some of the missions include the player’s ability to dodge fire while in others the gamer must shoot the enemy within a set period of time in order to avoid damage to the space vehicle.
Some stages feature branching points. Bonus points are given out when secondary objectives are accomplished as well as for accuracy. Original movie footage accompanies the player as he moves around the screen on his missions.
1997 Star Wars: Yoda Stories
Young players will likely enjoy the Star Wars: Yoda Stories which was released in 1997. There’s no real plot or goals in this game – just some fun with the best-loved Star Wars characters.
Players control the Luke Skywalker figure as the complete objectives such as obtaining an object, rescuing someone, etc. In each level Luke arrives on Dagobah, Yoda’s home planet. R2-D2 is there to provide hints. After Luke finds Yoda he receives an assignment from Yoda. As the game progresses the player completes these missions (finding an object or a key) until the final objective is realized. All in all there are 15 levels to the game.
2006 Star Wars: Empire at War
Empire at War is a real-time strategy video game in which events focus on the construction of the Death Star and the period of the Galactic Civil war. There is a storyline-based Campaign mode and a Galactic Conquest and Skirmish mode. There are land-battles that take place on planets’ surfaces and space battles that take place in space. The land battles are fought with ground vehicle units and infantry while space battles are fought with spacecraft and starfighter squadrons.
Players can role play as either members of the Rebel Alliance or Empire fighters. Each side aims for the Galactic Conquest and the methods vary depending on which scenario is being played – kill Mon Mothma or Emperor Palpatine, the enemy leaders, protect or destroy the Death Star or remove the enemy from the campaign map.
Players use a three-dimensional galactic map to advance and access funds from planets that are under their control. Gamers need to acquire credits to research technology, train troops and build defenses and vehicles. Everyone has a base to start with and can then upgrade or capture resource nodes through battles.
Heroes are a single, moderately powerful units, each with its own special abilities. For example, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Emperor Palpatine, can use the Force. Specific characters can be used only on land or only in space while some can be activated in all areas of the screen.
2015 Star Wars: Battlefront
The Battlefront game reinterprets the battles and stories of the original Star Wars trilogy along with battles from the Battlefront: Twilight Company novel. You can play in either first person or third person mode and move back and forth from one mode to the next at will. The game involves a series of co-op missions that you can play alone, online or offline with a split screen.
There are Missions (battles survival, training) and skirmishes plus multiplayer adventures that include battle stations, drop zones, droid runs, turning points, walker assaults and more. The original game didn’t include the option for private matches or timed community events but the 2016 updated variation does.
Some of the adventures include Cargo in which teams play a digital variation of Capture the Flag, Fighter Squadron in which players pilot spaceships and a Hero Hunt where heroes are pitted against villains with the winner turning into the next villain or hero. Gamers can choose to play single-player or a co-op mode (missions).
Lego Star Wars Games
Lego and Star Wars have formed an Alliance with Lego releasing multiple games that allow young fans to defeat the Empire and restore balance to the Force. 3-3PO is the catalyst to accomplish these tasks but since a droid can’t use the Force he needs the young player to build a model of the galaxy in order for the two allies to master the Force.
The games give the players the chance to explore the planets, locate hidden Lego pieces, assemble the pieces and deliver everything to C-3PO before the Empire strikes. Lego Star Wars games include Star Wars Battle Run, Last Jedi 360 Experience, Empire Versus Rebels and the New Yoda Chronicles.
More by Guest Author:
Tags: LucasArts, Retro games, Star Wars, Star Wars Battlefront, Star Wars: Empire at War, Star Wars: Rebel Assault