Over the last couple of weeks, we have explored the best games that the space genre has to offer. We started off with the new hope of space exploration and then followed that up with aliens striking back with alien attack games. For the final installment of our space trilogy, we have headed to a galaxy far, far away. These are our picks for the Best Star Wars games of all time. I do sense a great disturbance in the list with the release of Star Wars: Squadrons set for October 2. I expect it to quickly find its place in the top 10 so I am leaving one spot open and capping this list at 9. Where will Squadrons end up? Difficult to see, always in motion is the future.
9 – Battlefront 2
If multiplayer is your cup of tea then you have probably already played Battlefront 2. Warm-up in the single-player campaign, then go head to head with other players in a wide selection of co-op and PVP modes scattered across iconic locations from the entire Star Wars saga.
8 – Star Wars Arcade
1983 saw the release of The Return Of The Jedi. That same year Sega released the Star Wars Arcade game, allowing wannabe Rebels to try their hand at taking an X-Wing into the trench and destroying the Death Star. If you were lucky your local arcade had the “immersive” sit down version (come on, it was the ‘80s). You youngins that never got to experience the thrill of heading to the mall and dumping your allowance into Star Wars Arcade one quarter at a time can still experience the thrill of the Arcade1UP Star Wars cabinet. It’s only three-quarter scale, though, proving the good old days were actually bigger and better.
7 – The Old Republic
If your blood pressure went through the roof when you saw TOR on this list in lieu of Star Wars Galaxies, don’t give in to the hatred. The Old Republic may not have been the MMO everyone was expecting but it still delivered a fantastic story as you leveled your character. The option to play as a Bounty Hunter and healing your allies with blaster shots is one of my favorite healer classes ever.
6 – Empire At War
Why run around playing with blasters and lightsabers when there’s a galaxy to conquer? Empire At War comes with a full campaign, a sandbox mode, and a skirmish mode. With both space and land battles to contend with resource usage is critical to success in this real-time strategy game.
5 – Tie Fighter
In the sequel to Star Wars: X-Wing, you are just one of many Tie pilots trying to keep the peace in the galaxy. You will start off in a basic Tie Fighter, but should you survive your first missions you will get to fly other, more advanced, variants.
4 – Lego Star Wars
I don’t know how but the Lego games are always a joy to play, and all of the Star Wars adaptations are no exception. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is set to release in October but there are plenty of Lego games to play through while you wait for the ultimate Lego Star Wars game. You can start with the newer Lego games, but I recommend starting with The Complete Saga from 2007. With over 160 characters to command as you play through the stories of Episodes 1-6, you’re sure to see some of your favorite characters along the way.
3 – Republic Commando
The Clone Wars may not be the best Star Wars movie but Republic Commando shows what could have been. Differentiating itself from other Star Wars games by going first-person instead of the typical third-person view, Republic Commando is still one of my favorite first-person shooters of all time.
2 – Jedi: Fallen Order
Set after the events of Episode 2, you play as Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan that survived the Great Purge. After using his force powers to save a friend and barely escaping with his life, you must evade the Inquisitors sent to kill him. Complete your training, build your own custom lightsaber, and revive the fallen Jedi Order. A typical day in the life of a Jedi.
1 – Knights Of The Old Republic
Knights Of The Old Republic isn’t just the best Star Wars game to date, it is one of the best RPGs ever created. Set 4000 years before the formation of the Galactic Empire, your actions during the game will determine whether you embrace the light side of the force or succumb to the power of the dark side. Many of the game mechanics in KOTOR and its sequel are still incorporated into RPGs today.
