My list of the Top 10 Best Star Wars Video Games comes to an end with the final five picks.
5: Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
As a young teen, the Lego Star Wars games were some of my favorite games. I achieved 100% completion on both the first two games, and nearly 100% completion on this game, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. While I completely dropped the Lego game franchise after The Clone Wars, the franchise never really could top the simple brilliance of the puzzles in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones games.
4: Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast finally allowed the player to be a true Jedi, specifically, Kyle Katarn. Why haven't there been a new game that uses a similar Lightsaber and FPS (first-person-shooter) mechanics of Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast? Seriously, the game is over a decade old and no other game series captures what it is like to be a gunslinging Jedi quite like Jedi Outcast.
3: Star Wars: The Old Republic
BioWare's MMORPG (massively-multiplayer-online-role-playing-game), The Old Republic has caused quite a stir in the gaming community. Some say that it is a disaster, while others love it. Personally, the game is not worth a subscription fee, but the free-to-play aspect of the game is a blast if you can play with friends. While I have not played after the recent update, which is said to improve the game drastically, The Old Republic is a fun and expansive game with a solid story that ties into one of the greatness eras of the Star Wars EU. If you want to give it a shot, you can play the game for free!
2: Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Battlefront II and the first Battlefront are two of my favorite video games of all-time. I could not count the many hours my brother and I played the games. Sure, EA has attempted to bring the franchise back, and while the new game is quite fun, the original Battlefront is still packed with far more content and a class system that makes the new game look tiny in comparison. Also, the Hero Assault on Mos Eisley is one of the most fun things ever in video games.
1: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Finally, number one, the greatest game to ever come from Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic, aka KotOR. KotOR is not only the best Star Wars video game ever, it is one of my favorite video games of all-time. It redefined what I came to expect from video games. KotOR showed me just how incredible video game storytelling could be, and it is the precursor to my favorite video game franchise, Mass Effect. Of all the Star Wars content outside of the films, KotOR is my favorite story. It packed with depth, emotion, and shocking plot twists. If you are a gamer and Star Wars fan, you owe it to yourself to play Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, it is a true masterpiece of gaming.
What are your favorite Star Wars video game? Please comment below and let me know! If you missed part 1, click here to read it.
Note: I have never played Star Wars: Republic Commando.
If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.
Star Wars, not only is it a massive Saga spanning several movies, hundreds of books, and several hundred TV episodes, there are nearly a hundred video games based on the movies and other original content, and today I am ranking the Top 10 Best Star Wars Video Games!
Ever since I was a five year old little kid, I have played Star Wars video games, and throughout the years, I have owned more than 20 Star Wars video games, a few of which I bought for the sole purpose as a collector item. Seriously, I bought Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi because it is considered the "Worst Star Wars Ever," and yes, it is sucks. So yeah, I love Star Wars video games. However, as with any list, my choices are limited to the games that I have played, so if your favorite did not make the list, I probably haven't played it yet! And as one rule, only one game per-series of games will be included. Otherwise, half the list would be KOTOR and Battlefront.
10: Star Wars: Empire at War
After several RTS (real-time-strategy) games, Petroglyph Games finally got it right, well, kind of right. Sure, Empire at War is no masterpiece of the RTS genre, but it did give players the ability to conquer the galaxy at large and even destroy entire planets with the Death Star!
9: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
In many ways, The Force Unleashed was a disappointment. It may have given the players a chance to become a Dark Jedi and destroy legions of Stormtroopers, but the controls and combat are not nearly as impressive as they look. However, The Force Unleashed made up for a lackluster game with an involving story about the formation of the Rebellion and the rise and fall of Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice.
8: Star Wars Racer Revenge
Probably the least well known game on the list, Racer Revenge is an underrated and all too often forgotten Podracer game. You can tour the galaxy and race on various planets in the Star Wars galaxy, from Mon Calamari to Tatooine! The races are fast pace and full of secret shortcuts to make things all the more intense.
7: Star Wars: Battlefront (2015)
EA's recent attempt to bring back the Battlefront, Star Wars: Battlefront is a bit controversial for the lack of content on release. However, if you take a step back and look at the game itself, Battlefront is a well crafted shooter that is a blast to play, even if there is not nearly enough content. The game almost makes up for the lack of with those moments when you are a mere soldier on Hoth as fighters battle overhead and an AT-AT is on the brink of destruction falls to your at your feet. Overall, Battlefront is a fun game thus far, just not one packed with content. And to be clear, EA’s Battlefront counts as an entirely different franchise than Pandemic Studios’ Battlefront, which you will see later on the list.
6: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
While the sequel, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, is often considered the better game, I never played that one. So instead, the first game in the franchise, Rogue Squadron, makes the list! Rogue Squadron gives the player the ability to fight in many of the greatest starfighter battles from the films, as well as playout its interesting campaign missions. With the addition of a few cheat codes to unlock classic Star Wars starfighters like the Millennium Falcon, Rogue Squadron is one of the most fun games to come from the Star Wars franchise.
Where do these games rank on your favorites? Please comment below and let me know!
If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.
2013 has come to a close and now it is time to look back at the things that have accomplished in world of entertainment. This is only the first part in a series of Year in Review posts that are about different things like the year of television in review as well as the movies that I am most looking forward to next year. However, since I have yet to see all of the major movies that came out last year, I cannot make an accurate list of my favorite films from 2013, but I will have a Television Awards post. For this post in particular, I will be covering the things that I have seen and done for the first time throughout all of 2013, with the exception of movies that I watched in 2013 because that is another post entirely. Basically, these are the older movies, TV shows, and fandoms that I have started during the year.
Firefly
Ever since watching the Joss Whedon's masterpiece, The Avengers, my interest in his work grew exponentially, and thanks to my friends Buruk and Maegen heavily recommending Firefly, I watched it and loved almost every minute of it. Firefly has one of the best group of characters ever developed. Joss Whedon's amazing ability to write flawless sequences of witty and smart dialogue is showcased perfectly during the series. I am now proud to say that I am a Browncoat.
Last year I finally watched the absurdly popular television, The Walking Dead. Despite my original skepticism, the Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows on television. I have now completely caught up to the series' current episodes, and now I am eagerly awaiting season four. In the near future, I plan to post reviews of each season and when season four starts, I might review each episode as it airs similar to how I review Agents of SHIELD. A quick shout out to my friends Rebecca and Jamie for convincing me to watch the show.
Anime
Back in July of 2013 Stilwater at In the Shade of My Wide-Brimmed Hat recommended Death Note in a post about Anime, and since I had nothing better to do, I decided to give the show a try, and to my surprise, it turned out to be one of the best things I have ever seen. After that, I watched what is essentially the Citizen Kane of anime series, Cowboy Bebop, and then I enjoyed that, which lead to me watching various series and then some movies. Even though anime can be weird, with the proper amount of research, you can find a lot of great series that are not different than what is on television in America, except much of it is higher quality. I have already posted several reviews, and I have even more reviews written, which I will be posting throughout the year. My favorite genres so far have been suspense thriller, action, sci-fi, fantasy, and mind bender. In general, my preferred broad genre is Seinen and with an occasional high quality Shōnen series like FMA: Brotherhood. Here is a list of all the series and movies that I have seen thus far in roughly the order that I watched the series. Also I have split the list between the series I have seen in their entirety, the ones that I am currently watching, and the ones that I watched part of before stopping.
Completed Series: Death Note, Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass, Angel Beats!, Baccano!, Neon Genesis Evangelion, IS: Infinite Stratos, Eden of the East, Steins Gate, Fate/Zero, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,
Currently Watching: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Sword Art Online, Accel Woirld,
Unfinished Series: Future Diary, Fairy Tail,
Movies: Akira, Cowboy Bebeop: The Movie, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Ghost in the Shell, Interstella 55555, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Summer Wars, Perfect Blue, Spirited Away, Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance,
Alien Franchise
After years of seeing the first two Alien films on many top science fiction movies list, I finally watched Alien and its sequel Aliens. Even though the first Alien was great, the sequel Aliens even better! The movies have tons of suspense, action, thrills, and intensity. While they are not my favorite movies, they are among the best thrillers ever made. Also, death by facehugger is probably the worst death in all of cinema history, and Ellen Ripley is the best heroine of the 80s.
Watched Some "Classics"
Even though both Godfather movies, Pulp Fiction, and Fight Club are still on my need to watch list, during 2013 I finally watched the "classics" Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, Akira, The Shawshank Redemption, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Watching those movies was an interesting experience. At least I can now say that I am seen them.
Playing Top Video Games
My way of buying video games is a bit unusual, unless said game is a must own right now, I typically wait for the games to go on sale between Thanksgiving and Christmas and just buy all of the ones that I was interested in at half price or less. Among the games that I have enjoyed the most last year and the beginning of this year are Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, XCOM: Enemy Within, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Batman: Arkham: Origins. After I finish the games I will hopefully have reviews for them whenever I get around to playing each one throughout the year.
Overall, 2013 was a great year. Despite college slowing down my blogging and media consumption, I have become a fan of several new franchises and genres.
Please check back next week for my rundown of all the television shows that I watched in 2012, which is quite a few, as well as awards for the best shows on TV. In addition to that, I have some posts about what I am most looking forward to in the future.
If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.
Thoughts: Wreck-It Ralph, the movie that video game fans have been waiting for years, does it disappoint? Basically, Wreck-It Ralph is the equivalent to Toy Story for the gamer generation like myself, except so much better than any Pixar has ever done. As a die-heart video games fanatic the first half of the film was a geek-fest of nerdy awesomeness! More on the references later. As for the film itself, Wreck-It Ralph is a ton of fun filled with adventure and humor throughout. There are a few problem, which I explain in a "Plot" section, but as a whole it does not disappoint.
Even though many of the games referenced were more of the 80s and 90s arcade era, being a video game history buff I got more than 95% of the references, which was hilariously awesome. There were times when I literally pointed at the screen like "Oh, is that what I think it? That's really clever and funny!" My favorite was probably the Metal Gear Solid exclamation point (!), complete with original sound effects, but it would have been great to actually see Solid Snake. Some of the video games characters that appeared in the film were rather surprising, particularly the Mortal Kombat character Kano considering that the franchise is known for being among the goriest games out there. Although direct references to more modern games such as Mass Effect and Halo would have been great, but it probably would have not fit with the arcade setting very well, however there is hope for the sequel. Among all of the video game references there is small Star Wars reference, which makes me think was this originally planned before Disney bought Star Wars? Since it was in production long before the deal finished it could just be a coincidence because what filmmaker is not a Star Wars or it could have been a last minute type of thing because it was so minor. Despite being loaded with references they were actually subtle and only distracted if you know what the reference is, opposed to blatantly pointing it out.
Directed by: Rich Moore
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Video Game, Adventure, Family
Release Date: November 2, 2012
Running Time: 101 minutes
MMPA rating: PG
The Good: Tons of video game references, Amazing first half, Excellent cast, Hilarious video game jokes, Metal Gear Solid reference, Mostly humorous candy jokes (although a bit too much), Pac-Man!, Retro video game soundtrack, Small Star Wars reference!, Awesome Easter eggs, "Hero's Duty" scene, Nintendo characters (not Mario), Sonic cameo, Cool action scenes, Street Fighter cameos, Original concept, Did I mention video game references, Visually stunning, Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun was awesome, Leeroy Jenkins!,
The Bad: Too much "Sugar Rush", Unnecessarily childish second half (I know it is a kid's movie, but it still could have been handled better),
Plot: The following plot summery is copied from Wikipedia.com.
When Litwak's Arcade closes at night, the various video-game characters leave their normal in-game roles and are free to travel to other games. Within the game Fix-It Felix, Jr., the characters celebrate its titular hero but loathe the game's villain character, Wreck-It Ralph. At a support group for video-game antagonists, Ralph reveals his desire to stop being the bad guy. Back home, Ralph finds the other characters celebrating their game's 30th anniversary without inviting him. Felix reluctantly invites Ralph to join them, but the others ostracize him, saying he would have to earn a medal, just as Felix does in their game.
At Tapper's, Ralph learns he can win a medal in the first-person shooter game Hero's Duty. Ralph enters the game and encounters Sergeant Calhoun, its no-nonsense leader. Between game sessions, Ralph climbs the game's central beacon and collects the medal, accidentally hatching a Cy-Bug, one of the game's enemies. The Cy-Bug clings to Ralph as he stumbles into an escape pod that launches him out of the game. Meanwhile, with Ralph missing, a girl reports to Litwak the arcade owner that Fix-It Felix, Jr. is malfunctioning. Since broken games get unplugged, leaving their characters homeless, Felix goes to find Ralph.
Watch the movie to what happens next.
Plot: 9.6/10- Despite a ton of references in the first half, the film does unfortunately shy away from the video game references in the second half. Since the movie needed to appeal a verity of movie goers, this is understandable however, was it really unnecessary to spend so much time in the fictional and childish game "Sugar Rush"? Some of it had good character building moments and seemed necessary, but a few parts could have been cut or replaced with more of the other video games. Also there were some parts in "Sugar Rush" that were unnecessarily childish and pandered towards little girls, it could have been easily changed to appeal to a wider audience. Even with those problems, the climax was great, reminiscent of classic video games boss fights and the characters were given a solid story arc. There is a plot twist that I saw coming, but from what I heard in the review most did not see it coming.
Action: 8.5/10- For an animated film, the action was fantastic. During the "Hero's Duty" scene the action was all over-the-place, in an awesome chaotic video game way. It actually reminded me of the Collector Base attack in Mass Effect 2, did anyone else think of that? The cart race was fun, thrilling and reminded me of Mario Kart.
Acting: 9.7/10- Overall the cast was top notch with every member giving an excellent performance. Jane Lynch was the standout of the film as the tough military commander Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun. John C. Reilly as Ralph was solid in the title role. Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix, Jr. was excellently cast in his role. Although Sarah Silverman's character, Vanellope von Schweetz, was intentionally annoying, she was a tad too annoying at times. Many of the video game characters who had a cameo were voiced by their original actors, which was great.
Art Style: 9.9/10- Wreck-It Ralph might have the best 3D animated art design I have ever seen. Everything was crisp and clean were it needed to be and the design for characters in the older 8-bit games was very clever. Each game had a unique art style, yet they blended well into a coherent film well.
Soundtrack: 9.4/10- The score was reminiscent of video games from the arcade era and gave the film a great retro atmosphere. Normally any use of licensed songs during
Comedy: 8.5/10- Humor is the only aspect were Wreck-It Ralph slightly disappoints, while there are plenty of hilarious moments and jokes, some of the humor was too childish and not funny. Obviously the video game references were absolutely hysterical, most of which was in the first half. Although some of the candy jokes were good, but some humor just did not work. However, it is far funnier than the majority of animated films and still among the best in the animated comedy genre. Humor Percentage Hilarious: 65% Mildly Funny: 20% Not Funny: 15%
Would I Watch This Again: Most definitely, to catch even more of the references a second viewing is a must.
Overall: 9.6/10- There is so much I love about Wreck-It Ralph from a video game fanatic perspective, but there a few things that just did not work and it drug at times. However, Wreck-It Ralph is possibly the best 3D animated film ever made, even if there are a few minor things that I would tweak and an absolutely must watch for video game fans. On the other hand, it is difficult to determine whether non-video game fans would enjoy the film but there should be enough there for the general audience to enjoy.
Note: All rating are relative to other animated films, not live-action. The score would be closer to 8.4/10 compared to most films.
Closing Comments: Even with a few flaws, Wreck-It Ralph blended video games, an original story, and likable characters into a fun family film that has enough for older video game fans like myself to enjoy. Considering the film success, maybe it will revive some of the old franchises like Pac-Man for the modern era.
Reviewing Wreck-It Ralph has reminded me of how much I want to review video games, so if you have a request for a video game for me to review please comment. (I own a Xbox 360, Wii, and PS2).
Also a big thanks goes to Buddy2Blogger for hosting a Redbox giveaway, which I won, that gave the means to rent the Blu-Ray.
A few months ago the video game Kinect Star Wars was released and it featured a dance game mode with variations of songs with Star Wars, most of which I have never heard before. But it takes many of the popular Star Wars characters and puts them in an epic dance battle? Yes, you read that right, a dance battle. Including Darth Vader, Han Solo, Slave Leia, and Lando just to name a few. Although I own an Xbox 360 and have just about every Star Wars video game, I refuse to buy the unnecessary Xbox Kinect and Kinect Star Wars game. I cannot decide if this is hilarious or a disgrace to the Star Wars franchise. What do you think? Please comment below.
This part of the Robot Chicken Special was hilarious.
"Join the Empire Today!" basically is a parody of the song "Y.M.C.A" and one of the few songs that I have actually of previously.
If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.
I have been a Lord of the Rings fan since I watched the movies in theaters and since then I have collected many of The Lord of the Rings video games because I consider my self a "Hardcore Gamer". Here is a list ranking them from worst to first. Although I have played The Lord of the Rings online but I am not including because I have not played it very much. Also if you have any questions about these games please ask or send an e-mail johnstarslayer@gmail.com .
Due to spam comments, I have disabled comments on this post. But check out any of my other posts and comment.
At Number 6: The Third Age
This is the worst Lord of the Rings video game. While it is not a terrible game, it is just not really original. It plays just like any Turn Based RPG (Role Playing Game). It does have a few interesting characters but it is really not worth your time or money.
At Number 5: Aragorn's Quest
Aragorn's Quest really is a decent game on the Wii. It can be a good fun time for a while, but it starts to get a little old after a while.
At Number 4: Conquest
Now we are getting to the good games. This game was one of my reasons for buying an Xbox 360 and it is a good game. It should have been better but playing the epic battles of Middle Earth as a average soldier on the large battle field. Plus the alternate story were you can play as the evil side and conquer Middle Earth is really cool with the edited cut scenes that make it look like that you killed the heroes of Middle Earth and scorred the Shire.
At Number 3: Return of the King
This is the first Lord of the Rings game I bought when The Return of the King was released in theaters. While the graphics might be dated the game is still a blast to play.
At Number 2: War in the North
The one and only Lord of the Rings game to be rated "M" (equivalent to an "R" rating for movies). You can finally slice off Orc's arms and heads with three new characters from the Lord of the Rings franchise.
At Number 1: The Battle for Middle Earth 2
The Battle for Middle Earth 2 is not only the best Lord of the Rings video game it is one of the best RTS (Real Time Strategy) games on the console. You can command huge armies of the six different races of Middle Earth and command the many heroes and villains of Middle Earth.
What is your favorite Lord of the Rings video game?
If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.
BioWare's MMORPG (massively-multiplayer-online-role-playing-game), The Old Republic has caused quite a stir in the gaming community. Some say that it is a disaster, while others love it. Personally, the game is not worth a subscription fee, but the free-to-play aspect of the game is a blast if you can play with friends. While I have not played after the recent update, which is said to improve the game drastically, The Old Republic is a fun and expansive game with a solid story that ties into one of the greatness eras of the Star Wars EU. If you want to give it a shot, you can play the game for free!
Finally, number one, the greatest game to ever come from Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic, aka KotOR. KotOR is not only the best Star Wars video game ever, it is one of my favorite video games of all-time. It redefined what I came to expect from video games. KotOR showed me just how incredible video game storytelling could be, and it is the precursor to my favorite video game franchise, Mass Effect. Of all the Star Wars content outside of the films, KotOR is my favorite story. It packed with depth, emotion, and shocking plot twists. If you are a gamer and Star Wars fan, you owe it to yourself to play Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, it is a true masterpiece of gaming.
