Top 10 Star Wars Video Games: 5-1

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.

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Top 10 Star Wars Video Games: 10-6

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.

Top 50 Star Wars Characters: 20-11

My Top 50 Star Wars Characters list continues with ten more entries!

20: HK-47

A crazy assassin android that refers to all humans, except his master, as "Meatbags," HK-47 is one of the many highlights from the brilliant Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic video game.

19: Bastila Shan

Another character from Knights of the Old Republic, Bastila Shan is an up and coming Jedi in the Old Republic before meeting a mysterious man and helps him on his quest to discover his lost identity.

18:Ahsoka Tano

At first, Ahsoka almost seemed like another Jar Jar Binks level mistake. Thankfully, after season 1 of the Clone Wars, she developed into a truly well rounded character with a character arc that becomes one of the highlights of The Clone Wars TV series.

17: Mara Jade

One of the first fixtures of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Mara Jade set the standard for what EU characters could be in the Star Wars universe. 

16: Jabba the Hutt

Basically a giant slug, Jabba the Hutt is the most feared crime lord in the galaxy, until Leia kills him the chain that he used to enslave her. 

15: Darth Maul

Easily one of the best things to come out of the Prequel Trilogy, Darth Maul is the epitome of cool, visually at least. Sure, in the film, he does not have much development as a character, but thanks to The Clone Wars, we get to see what could have been because he was far too interesting of a character to kill so quickly.

14: Emperor Palpatine

The mastermind behind virtually everything throughout the two trilogies, Emperor Palpatine is a ultimate villain that lurks in the shadows as others do his bidding. 

13: Lando Calrissian

“Lando's not a system he's a man!" Former owner of the Millennium Falcon, Lando Calrissian turned from a backstabbing scoundrel to respectable fixture of the Rebel Alliance. 

12: Grand Admiral Thrawn

Of all the Expanded Universe characters that should receive some form of revival in the new Star Wars films, Grand Admiral Thrawn probably deserves it the most. First appearing in the aptly named, "Thrawn Trilogy" of novels, Thrawn is a truly complex and fascinating character. Despite taking over the remainder of the Empire after its fall in Return of the Jedi, Thrawn is far from the truly evil nature of Emperor Palpatine. Instead, he generally has the best interest of the galaxy as a whole, and his ultimate demise is an incredibly poetic way to end one of the best characters in the Star Wars mythos.

11: C3PO

"I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations." One of the first main characters to be shown on screen in the films, C3PO is a unique character inspired by Akira Kurosawa's samurai films. For the first 15 minutes of the original film, C3PO receives the majority of the dialogue, and "Thank the Maker!" that he is such a fun and witty character.

Where do these characters rank on your favorites? Please comment below and check back tomorrow for the Top 10 Star Wars Video Games!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 Trailer

The first trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is here, and it isn't as awful as it could be! Actually, Stephen Amell as Casey Jones is going to be great, and Megan Fox is not in the trailer much either, which is always a good thing. And if you remember my review of the first film, it was not good, and you can read the review here. But one of the best parts shown in this trailer is that movie looks more fun and cartoony, which, for TMNT, isn't actually a bad thing. Even if the movie sucks, at least it might be fun, unlike the first film. Also, the Turtles themselves look all around better and more colorful, and a Japanese actor, Brian Tee, is cast as The Shredder! On the other hand, Tyler Perry is Baxter Stockman, but hey, maybe he will fit the role. Overall, the trailer isn't bad half considering my expectations are astronomically low. What do you think of the trailer? Please comment below and let me know!

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Movie Music and More #39: "Star Wars (1977)"

As everyone already knows, Star Wars music is absolutely freaking amazing, and arguably the best film score of all-time. Of course, music is highly subjective, but it should be no surprise to say that it is my favorite, with no other even being close. And with Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming soon, there is literally no better time for Star Wars to be featured in "Movie Music and More," and by Star Wars, I am referring to the original 1977 film, Star Wars, or as it has been retitled, "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope," aka one of the best films ever made. Below are a few of the many absolutely incredible Oscar winning tracks from John Williams' score. 

Honestly, ranking Star Wars music in general is virtually impossible for me to rank since there is not a single track in the OST that is anything but exceptional, especially in the Original Trilogy. And there is not a film score that I have listened to more times than Star Wars. Whenever I do not know what to listen to while writing, I always go back to Star Wars for guaranteed excellence. What do you think of the score? 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.