Top 10 Star Wars Video Games

Top 10 Star Wars Video Games

Written by Zeromage 60 Comments
Last Updated:: December 2, 2008

The original Star Wars movies are some of our favorite movies of all time here at Old-Wizard.com, and as you might expect we also love the video games as well. That’s why this list was especially difficult for us to make, considering that both of us have been playing Star Wars video games since the early 90s. After much debate though, we finally settled on ten games we could all agree on. These next games span the days of the Macintosh all the way to the Nintendo Wii, and in our humble opinions these are the ten best Star Wars games of all time, and we’re sure you’ll agree us with us. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

10. Star Wars Episode 3

Call me petty, but I normally hate anything even remotely connected with the Prequel Trilogy. I usually dismiss the novels, comic books, action figures and even video games without even giving them a try. Like many nerds who grew up in the late seventies/early eighties, everything that I held dear about my childhood was ruined when I first heard about Jar Jar Binks and midichlorians. That all changed one night when I was over a friend’s house after leaving our local pub a little early. With six Guinnesses in me, and the promise of a lightsaber duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode 3’s battle mode, I gave the game a try, and I’m glad I did. I still don’t own the prequel trilogy DVDs, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I do own this game (except to girls).

9. Jedi Academy

When I first heard about Jedi Academy, nothing could stop me from getting it on the very first day that it was released. Any video game where you were able to play as a Jedi Knight was a must own for me, and this game was no exception. It is an easy-to-use game that requires almost no strategy and minimal puzzle-solving ability. If you can run, jump and swing your lightsaber, that’s about all you’ll need to get through Jedi Academy. You get a variety of Force powers to choose from, like the Force Push (good for knocking opponents of cliffs, ledges, and bridges), Force Protect (your own personal shield), Force Speed (enabling you to run circles around your opponents), and Force Heal. In addition, you can you us Force Sense to find hidden objects. As there is no over-arcing strategy to Jedi Academy, it’s ideal for people who want to play for 30 minutes or for an hour at a time. If you’re looking for a Star Wars game that requires a little more concentration and attention to detail, you might want to try Knights of the Old Republic. But if you want to just hack and slash with a lightsaber for a few hours, Jedi Academy is just what you’re looking for.

8. Star Wars Battlefront 2

While most of our readers know that we’re not big fans of 3D shooting games here at Old-Wizard, there’s still something to be said about blowing up Han Solo with a rocket launcher while you’re playing as Boba Fett, and that’s exactly what you get to do in Star Wars Battlefront 2. What Star Wars Battlefront 2 did was take a great concept (which was Battlefront 1), and actually make it work. This is a prime example of the sequel to a game being a lot better than the first installment in the series. There are more levels, more units, more vehicles and of course you can now play as a Jedi Knight. SWBF2 also fixed a lot of the many problems with the clumsy AI in Battlefront 1. This is hands down the best multi-player Star Wars Game ever made.

7. Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader

Being a big fan of both flight simulator games and Star Wars, I was really looking forward to the release of Rogue Squadron 2 when it was released with the launch of the Gamecube. I might catch some flack for saying this, but I think this is the best Gamecube launch title. The graphics are stunning for a Gamecube game, and much more importantly the game play was simply amazing. The game controls themselves are great, with every craft feeling a little different to pilot. There are also several different views (inside the cockpit, just behind the fighter, far back of the fighter, and bombing view for those fighters that are capable) and each viewpoint has its own advantages and disadvantages. The game is fun and sometimes challenging, and some of the different missions included situations where you had to do some genuine tactical thinking to get out alive (protecting convoys, destroying targets, etc). Overall Rogue Squadron 2 is one of the best flight simulation games ever made, and well deserving of its placement on this list.

6. Knights of Old Republic 2

Unlike most of people that I’ve talked to about Knights of the Republic 2, I just didn’t like it as much as the first one. The game mechanics are virtually identical to the original, which really is fine. There were a few minor tweaks of course. The workbench could be used to create items, not just upgrade them, and there was a new “lab station” that could make medical items and explosives. Both of these stations were much more common than the workbench was in the original. You could switch between several “forms” which give bonuses to some attributes, and penalties to others. Pazaak has been improved with the addition of some new cards, plus the first play alternates between the contestants. Other than that, there’s not much in KOTOR 2 that was really new. That’s not to say that KOTOR 2 isn’t a great game, because it is, which is why it makes our list. But there’s just not that much of a difference from the first game in the series. Its lack of innovation is what keeps it at number six on our list, but as the old saying goes, if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

5. Force Unleashed

For some reason there’s a lot of people out there who don’t like Force Unleashed, but I’m definitely not one of them. While many modern games seem to take way too long (who has the time to spend 70+ hours to beat a game anyway?), Force Unleashed took me less than 10 hours to beat. More important than how long the game takes to beat is how much fun it is, and its here that Force Unleashed succeeds beyond all expectations. In the opening level you get to play as Darth Vader, giving you a preview of the power of the dark side. As the developers have stated, this is to give you a chance to realize what you can become. The absolute awesomeness of this level really sets the tone for the rest of the game. Marching in and eliminating Wookies while AT-AT’s walk down below the cliff, and Star Destroyers, troop transports, and TIE Fighters fly above, left me feeling like this really was Star Wars.

4. Tie Fighter

Ever since the first time I saw a Tie Fighter I wanted to pilot one. For some unknown reason I’ve always thought they looked so much cooler than X-Wings. Sadly I knew my dream would never come true, not even in a video game. After all, video games only let you play as the good guys, right? Well, that’s what I thought until I stumbled upon this amazing little game. This is the game for all those kids (like me) who always thought the Empire was cooler than the rebellion. With Tie Fighter there was finally a game where you were able to pilot the bad guys’ ships and the defend the Empire from those upstart rebels. As far as I know this is one of the first video games where you got to play as the bad guys, and in my opinion its still one of the very best.

3. Knights of Old Republic

The original Knights of the old Republic was one heck of a game. It took everything that we loved about the classic trilogy and the expanded universe of Star Wars, and packed it neatly into an epic RPG where you could even chose between the light side or dark side of the force. This game feels more like Star Wars than the Prequel Trilogy did, and sadly it probably has a better story line too. The game was well scripted, and had great plot twists, all while giving you the possibility of roaming both sides of the conflict in the best way any Star Wars game ever has. The game mechanics in KOTOR are some of the best in any RPG ever, giving you the ability to either choose what attacks each character in your party will use or leave them automated. The bottom line is, this game is a must for any Star Wars fan or RPG fan. If you haven’t played it, I feel sorry for you.

2. X-Wing (PC)

No modern day flight simulator game will ever capture the “feel” of the original Star Wars movies better than the X-Wing games for the PC. The problem with new Star Wars games is that they LOOK GOOD. I know this sounds crazy, but its the same problem I have with the Special Edition of the movies, and the Prequel Trilogy. I’d much rather watch the unmastered versions. The new ones are too polished. I feel like I’m watching Star Trek. Star Wars was cool because the ships were dirty, and the characters were all scoundrels. It was a grittier, and almost more realistic vision of space. With the polished Naboo fighters that we see in the new movies we lose that gritty feeling. Same goes with the sleek new video games. The fighter consoles and computers all look too new for a Star Wars ship. If you want to really FEEL like you’re back in the original movies, go play X-Wing for the PC. Along with the B-Wing expansion pack, these are the best Star Fighter games ever made.

1. Super Star Wars Trilogy

I’m sure that most of our long time readers won’t be very surprised by our number one Star Wars game of all time. The Super Star Wars Trilogy, which included A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi on the SNES were some of the best games ever released on any system. In the first two games you got to play as Luke, Han, and Chewie, adding a nice level of variety to the game. In Jedi they added Leia and the Ewok Wicket. Each character had his/her own strengths and weakness, and in this game you really had to be aware of who you were choosing to play as, as these were three of the hardest games I’ve ever played. Forget today’s easy Star Wars games (Star Wars Legos!) these were games for real gamers; I lost track of how many controllers I broke while playing these games. It didn’t make them any less fun though, besides, did you think its going to be easy to defeat a galaxy-wide empire?

Related Articles: Top 20 Star Wars Characters

60 Comments

#1 TheGamesta says:
March 18th, 2010 at 2:27 am

Aww c’mon it’s widely accepted that Tie-Fighter is superior over X-Wing. Good list though. Except I wouldn’t have placed the SNES iterations at number one. My #1 would be Tie-Fighter, then KOTOR as my #2.

BTW where the hell is Dark Forces?

#2 Red 5 says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:16 am

Where is Dark Forces or Jedi Knight!? List fails with no mention of either of them. And then putting Super Star Wars at number one, well that just makes me want to beat punch you.

#3 Red 5 says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:17 am

Where is Dark Forces or Jedi Knight!? List fails with no mention of either of them. And then putting Super Star Wars at number one, well that just makes me want to punch you.

#4 G0dzill4 says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:50 am

Preposterous list. For me, it’s 1.KOTOR 2.TIE Fighter 3.Dark Forces. Episode 3 even appearing on the list is ludicrous. You might as well put ‘Rebellion’ in there while you’re at it.

#5 tim says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:52 am

Have you even played these games? Battlefront 2 is NOT an FPS. You people at Old-Wizard, I’ve said it for a while, are RETARDS! Also, Super Star Wars? Really? REALLY? You just had to have a SNES game in there somewhere didn’t you, you idiots. Also you’re no fan of the prequel trilogies, call you petty? MOST DON’T LIKE THEM EITHER, YOU ARE NOT DIFFERENT FROM EVERYONE ELSE IN THAT RESPECT. God, I hate you people, I wish I could hate you to DEATH as Gabe would say. But, to you guys Penny Arcade sucks though, am I right? Man, I mean, nothing good comes out these days. PS3? BAH! No, NO good games (Please who wants LBP, MGS4, Uncharted, Resistance, Valkyria Chronicles, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, Pixeljunk games, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, Motorstorm, and Ratchet and Clank Future?), also you would have SUCH a clue about the games because you hate the PS3 so much you don’t even have one! I have all three systems, yes I’ll admit I am biased towards Sony, but guess what? My Wii I think has an INCH of dust.

#6 Built Modest says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:53 am

Where the F is “Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles” for Playstation?!?!!

#7 Built Modest says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:56 am

What about “Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles”? for Playstation? Duh!

#8 George says:
March 18th, 2010 at 6:05 am

I have a humble request.

Rolling Stone (one of the worst magazines on the shelves) has continually done best bands, guitarist’s, and singers list that show no inclusion from some of the true greats, and an obvious bias towards older music. Can you guy’s do a 10 best guitarists, 10 best singers, and whatever number of best bands of all time? That would be great, and it feel more honest that Rolling Stone.

#9 Richard says:
March 18th, 2010 at 7:11 am

@Tim

I’m normally not a violent person but…

kill yourself please. The Super Star Wars trilogy are THE best Star Wars games out there. I bet you anything if they were released on any other system, they wouldn’t have been good.

Get out, if you don’t like Old-Wizard, why do you keep coming back to read the articles?

#10 luke_wj says:
March 18th, 2010 at 8:12 am

I got really angry when i first read this list as it is a complete pile of shit. Then I realised that I was reading an old-wizard list and accepted it.

#11 sharpe 334 says:
March 18th, 2010 at 8:32 am

super star wars higher than kotr you can tell your a nintendo fan boy

#12 silkylove says:
March 18th, 2010 at 8:48 am

I find your lack of Shadows of the Empire disturbing. Seriously, that game was way better than The Force Unleashed. Jetpack, speeder bikes, multiple spaceships, great level design and it was a hard game just like Super Star Wars Trilogy.

#13 Gull says:
March 18th, 2010 at 10:37 am

Super Star Wars trilogy for the SNES was just a shitty remake to the Star Wars trilogy for the NES (which wasn’t all that good either). It had flashy graphics and amazing sounds with MODE7 support (back in the days it was awesome) but the gameplay was still glitchy like shit, and the basic story simply followed the movies plot – nothing interseting here.
Putting it in 1st place (or actually even putting it in the list when Jedi Outcast for example is not even listed) is plain retarded. Actually, the Lego star wars games play better then the SNES games.
Please change site name to old-fucktrad.com. It fits better with your articles

#14 Zeromage says:
March 18th, 2010 at 11:54 am

Tim I wonder if you have ever played Battlefront 2, or know what an FPS is.

#15 Zeromage says:
March 18th, 2010 at 11:57 am

Silkylove: That was the best comment we’ve ever received.

#16 Ben says:
March 18th, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Although I’m not usually defender of OW, this list was actually passable. X-Wing at #2 shows me you know what you’re talking about.

Tim: Not sure if you’ve ever played a video game before, but if you don’t believe OW here’s proof from wikipedia (who’s always right) that Battlefront 2 is a FPS (Can’t believe I even have to prove SBF2 is an FPS on a gaming site!):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Battlefront_II

#17 Hugh says:
March 18th, 2010 at 12:04 pm

Tim has confirmed to me that old wizard readers are morons.

#18 Wild Bill says:
March 18th, 2010 at 12:06 pm

Am I counting right? Are there only 3 nintendo entries on this list?

#19 Zeromage says:
March 18th, 2010 at 1:23 pm

Hugh:

I think the problem is that Tim’s Wii is dusty from a lack of use. Maybe he should spend less time leaving angry comments on OW posts and more time trying to meet girls.

#20 Zeromage says:
March 18th, 2010 at 1:24 pm

“I got really angry when i first read this list as it is a complete pile of shit. Then I realised that I was reading an old-wizard list and accepted it.”

Your hate has made you powerful.

#21 James says:
March 18th, 2010 at 1:32 pm

This is probably your best list yet. I groaned when I saw the title, but then when I saw Tie Fighter and X-Wing on here I actually had to agree with you guys for once. Good list.

#22 Brian says:
March 18th, 2010 at 1:38 pm

Good list with a nice variety of games. Although I personally think KOTOR should be #1.

#23 Tyrone says:
March 18th, 2010 at 1:48 pm

Great list.

#24 Weekday Warrior says:
March 18th, 2010 at 2:37 pm

good list. but its true…i am sofa king we todded.

#25 Blue says:
March 18th, 2010 at 6:11 pm

I have never played a Star Wars game. When one comes out with 1:1 motion controlled lightsaber duels, I will be so there with my son.

Until then, I enjoy your lists. More to the point, the comments and your retorts.

Our local paper (The Ottawa Sun) has a (usually) sarcastic editor comment after every letter to the editor letter. They are the best part of the paper.

I find myself searching for the OW colour coded comments for your gems.

Keep up the great work!

#26 Zeromage says:
March 18th, 2010 at 6:29 pm

George, despite the fact that very few people agree with our taste in music, we have a few music articles in the works. In fact coming tomorrow is our “Top 10 Ways to Tell if You Know Nothing About Music” (after all we love pissing people off).

We also have “Top 10 Back up Singers” coming in the near future.

And lastly, in the same vein as our Top 100 Video Games, a Top 100 Bands list is on the distant horizon. We have completed 20/100 blurbs for that one, but staff in-fighting over the ordering will of course slow that down. Look for that list probably in March.

#27 George says:
March 18th, 2010 at 6:36 pm

Thank you, I’m sick of the Rolling Stone’s lists. Leaving Lynyrd Skynyrd in such a low place on their 100 greatest list was criminal.

I also like how Oasis and other Britipop bands were churning out great music in the 90’s to make up for the large volume of shitty music we pumped out in the 90’s. We gave the world Britney Spears, Hanson, Shaquiel O’Neil, N’Sync, Backstreat Boys, and all that other shit in one decade while they gave us Radiohead, Oasis, Living Colour, and several others. For that, I owe my gratitude to Oasis.

#28 George says:
March 18th, 2010 at 6:39 pm

I know Living Colour can also be counted as American, but we made so much terrible music that decade, we don’t deserve to have them.

#29 Zeromage says:
March 18th, 2010 at 6:42 pm

We were going to do “Top 10 Reasons British Music Has Dominated American Music” but after our top 5 musical countries list, we might change it to Sweden.

#30 Alec says:
March 18th, 2010 at 7:16 pm

Shadows of the Empire is a game that probably granted me hundreds of hours of fun. It was challenging as hell, and for its time, the graphics were out of this world. Flight sim, action, fps, and a little bit of puzzling – all in one. Agree with what I’ve played on the list, besides episode III.

#31 ubldakj says:
March 18th, 2010 at 10:17 pm

Battlefront 2 is not a FPS, your guys are idiots. And Star Wars 3 sucked so much.

#32 TheMountain says:
March 18th, 2010 at 11:37 pm

I thought Star Wars 3 was a great game. Did you even play it?

#33 Richard says:
March 18th, 2010 at 12:39 am

ubldakj, yes it is, go look it up on wikipedia.

#34 nick says:
March 18th, 2010 at 2:26 am

Sometimes I wonder if the people who visit this site even play video games. Anyone who doesn’t think SWBF2 isn’t an FPS should just go die.

#35 matt says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:15 am

Try reading the article before leaving comments guys…OW never said SWBF2 WAS an FPS. They just said they hate FPS games. Hahaha

(btw SWBF2 technically is a 1st or 3rd PS so you’re both right)

#36 Mr. Vorhias says:
March 18th, 2010 at 5:57 pm

How can you include Force Unleashed, which was bogged down with bad design choices, and overhyped as hell, and not include a single Jedi Knight game?

#37 The Irredeemable Shag says:
March 18th, 2010 at 6:06 am

Fun list gang! Nicely done! I agree with several items on the list. “Battlefront 2″ and “X-Wing” especially. I only wish there had been some love for the original arcade “Star Wars” game and “Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast”.

Keep up the great work!

The Irredeemable Shag
http://onceuponageek.com

#38 Tim says:
March 18th, 2010 at 4:01 pm

awesome list.

#39 What da duce says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:19 am

Uhm, this is a list of opinion. It may not agree with yours.

That said, the only game that really shouldn’t be on that list is The Force Unleashed. It is bad game with messy contols. I loved the idea but the execution just wasn’t there.

Dark Forces instead? Maybe Jedi Outcast. (If you’re a fan of the light side.)

Sorry that you have to hear so much whinning about your SNES choice, a great choice, Super Star Wars Trilogy. The people who complain have been babied by the easier games of the new generation.
Star Wars TFU, I was able to beat on hardest difficulty, without dying. That is hella-weak. SSWT on the otherhand was a challenge and a wonderful game, for being based off the movies. (Especially at it’s time.)

#40 tim says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:36 am

Well, fucking DUH it’s a list of opinion. Hitler had an opinion too, it doesn’t fucking mean I can’t tell him he’s a dick. Also, on Battlefront 2, I was mistaken, I only have the PSP version.

#41 tim says:
March 18th, 2010 at 3:41 am

Also, on whatever retard told me to get a girlfriend, guess what? Chances are you’re fucking lonely, anyone, including myself, who takes the time out of their day to post on this shit site probably doesn’t have one. So shut the fuck up, you retard cunt.

#42 What Da Duce says:
March 18th, 2010 at 10:23 am

What is wrong with you, kid. There was no reason for you to get a pissed as you did in your first entry. You could give some reasons why the Super Star Wars Trilogy shouldn’t be on the list, instead of insulting the guy. That is just real petty.

You can speak for yourself though, I am definitely not lonely. If you get a positive attitude you might not be either.

btw KillZone is looking badass, do you plan on getting that one? (Since any other game out right now isn’t any good, according to you?)

Back on the topic, loosely, my vote for number 1 worst game would have to be SW Lethal Aliance.

#43 Zeromage says:
March 18th, 2010 at 2:10 pm

What the duce:

Great idea for a list.

#44 Fresh says:
March 18th, 2010 at 4:47 pm

tim,

You are a dick. Most likely no one likes you because you are the kind of hypocrite who will blast an author for his opinion on his own website and the people who post on the forums for their opinions, and for reading the website. Yet, you take time out of your day to sign on to this website, read this lists, and post on the forums. Thus making you a hypocritical dick. I hope it feels good to be so much better than everyone else while you sit in your mother’s basement stroking your ego.
I assume you will talk shit about me so I’ll clarify why I am here. I work at a bank, I haven’t had a customer for an hour, and also I have internet access. I was directed here by gonintendo and decided to read this list because I like Star Wars. So please tim, keep it up, becasue I am getting paid to tell you how stupid you really are.

#45 tim says:
March 18th, 2010 at 1:02 am

Haha, when saying I’m a hypocrite in the same way if someone reads Mein Kumf (spelling?) and then goes and hates on Nazis (seriously, last Hitler analogy). I also HIGHLY doubt you work at a bank for several reasons. Tellers don’t call people who go to banks ‘customers’, and if you’re working at a bank you would know that swearing on THEIR internet access is completely against their rules, never mind you were on GoNintendo (you know one of the reasons they’re closing down is because Nintendo no longer appeals to core gamers? HA!) Also, I do believe Super Star Wars should be somewhere on this list. Just not number one, I’m merely thinking that these guys are brain-washed nostalgics. And to What da duce (HAHA, FAMILY GUY?! Aw jeez, you must be clever) I never said other games out right now aren’t good, if you actually read what I said you might know that, I was directing that to Old Wizard, that’s what they say. I AM looking forward to KZ2 I was in the beta, and found it pretty addictive with the class system and such, but only three maps?! Ah well, I digress. God, some of you guys are super annoying, in fact the only reason I come back to this hell-hole is to chat with a couple people, and generally mock the site. Just wanted to address ya’ll, thanks!

#46 Fresh says:
March 18th, 2010 at 7:08 pm

First of all shithead, I am on a Canadian bank server and I can swear all I fucking want, also see if any of my posts on this sight are past 5PM EST to further verify my position. Because you know how ballin’ a teller is so I’m going to run around making that up. I have schoolwork and a real life at home something which I am sure you are not familiar. Second of all, don’t bring my credibility into question when you simply log onto this site to talk shit about the pieces these authors put work into for your entertainment. I HIGHLY doubt you have a grade school education but I didn’t bring that into question until you attacked my credibility you conceded low life waste of DNA scum, get the hell out of my face and off this site. You sir, are the load your mom should have swallowed.

#47 Fresh says:
March 18th, 2010 at 7:09 pm

P.S. My official title is customer service representative, I help customers. Dumbass

#48 Bob says:
March 18th, 2010 at 7:30 pm

why wouldnt bank tellers call customers customers? hahaha

#49 tim says:
March 18th, 2010 at 4:03 am

“First of all shithead, I am on a Canadian bank server and I can swear all I fucking want, also see if any of my posts on this sight are past 5PM EST to further verify my position. Because you know how ballin’ a teller is so I’m going to run around making that up. I have schoolwork and a real life at home something which I am sure you are not familiar. Second of all, don’t bring my credibility into question when you simply log onto this site to talk shit about the pieces these authors put work into for your entertainment. I HIGHLY doubt you have a grade school education but I didn’t bring that into question until you attacked my credibility you conceded low life waste of DNA scum, get the hell out of my face and off this site. You sir, are the load your mom should have swallowed.”

I’m in high school at the moment, Junior, and did not get held back or skip grades, and really how on EARTH would you being on a Canadian server make a difference as to whether or not you may swear using the internet access they provide? Thanks for calling me sir, by the way. But I would think if any one found out at the bank you told someone on the internet they pay for, “You sir, are the load your mom should have swallowed” than you would get fired. Being after five 0′ clock wouldn’t make a difference either, after you get home from middle school you post on this site. And how am I a dumbass for not knowing your true title is customer service representative? And Bob, I’ve worked at a bank, we don’t call them customers, we call them bank members. We’re not selling them a product, we’re doing a service for them and giving out loans. And they are not putting in hard work, they shit on their desktop and say, “Yeah, looks about right” post it, and laugh when they see the ridiculous amount of comments and ad money they get. I don’t criticize people for wanting to make money, but they sure as hell aren’t making these articles to entertain us. -Tim

#50 Vintage Junkie says:
March 18th, 2010 at 2:11 pm

So people who go to a car wash aren’t customers because they are getting a service and not a product? Dude, you need a dictionary.

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