Immerse Yourself
Sometimes, just watching Star Wars doesn’t quite deliver the experience you are looking for, and you want to involve yourself in the action, too. This is why video and online games from the franchise have always been so popular. And it is not just fans who enjoy Star Wars gameplay; gaming features in the films, too. Canto Bight is featured in Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi in a Las Vegas-type environment with lots of casinos and a general hedonistic approach to entertainment. This is where fortunes are won and lost, and the characters find time and space to kick back from their everyday battles.
Take a trip to Canto Bight
You, too, might want to try out your Jedi powers on the slots and games tables. Until recently, there were a number of Star Wars-themed online slots, but when Disney bought up the franchise, they pulled the license agreements for these. However, if you’re a Canadian looking to kill some time online that should not stop you from finding one of the great online casinos Ontario has to offer its residents. A quick look at time2play.com will guide you to the type of games Canto Bight’s residents can be found playing. Canto Casino includes a racetrack, luxury hotel and shopping concourse – pretty much all of these can be found online these days (well, not actual hotels, of course).
Taking on the character
If rather than playing like a character in a Star Wars movie, you want to play as your favourite character, you are spoiled for choice, as Star Wars has been a theme of choice since the earliest days of licensed video games. Way back in 1982, Parker Brothers developed Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back for the Atari 2600 and Intellivision consoles. However, it was not until 1991 that side-scrolling Star Wars platform games were developed for the Nintendo NES, and players got to be Luke Skywalker. While these early games seem rudimentary compared to what is available now, they were extremely popular in their day and over a hundred and seventy individual games have followed the early ones.
Too much choice?
With such a vast catalogue of games, how does anyone know where to start and which ones to choose? Do you want to play one of the legendary Lego: Star Wars Games, a live-action simulation, or do you fancy a light-hearted fling on Star Wars Flappy Birds? Think of a type of game, and there is almost certainly a Star Wars version. It is not one of the most successful franchises ever without good reason. So, without any more preamble, here are the ten best games to play right now.
Star Wars: Squadrons
This game puts you right in the middle of one of Star Wars iconic space battles as you pilot your ship through a series of dogfights. It is an exhilarating, unforgettable experience that does not need you to don a VR headset or pick up a flight stick to feel fully immersed.
Star Wars: Empires at War
The action is set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Your role is to lead enormous armies into even larger-scale battles, dictating the movements of your preferred Star Wars factions. The epic space battles helped make Empire at War one of the best RTS games of its time.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Old Republic is a game of choice for those who enjoy MMORPGs and is one of the best. Arguably, you will not find a better Star Wars role-playing opportunity than the ones presented in this game.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
Brought to you by the same team responsible for Call of Duty, Jedi Fallen Order is an action game offering the player plenty of opportunities to explore alien worlds with lightsaber combat of a superior quality.
Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2 – Jedi Outcast
For a long time, this game has been the gold standard of third-person action games, and it still holds up to more recent competition. It has both excellent single-player campaign mode and enjoyable multiplayer arenas.
Star Wars: Republic Commando
This game puts the player in control of a group of Clone Troopers working behind enemy lines during Clone Wars and is like no other Star Wars game ever made. You have to try it to find out why.
Star Wars: Battlefront 2
It might date from 2005, but this game works as well as it always did. You can play as a small cog in either the Resistance or Empire forces in some of Star Wars’ most iconic battles with the power to change the course of the action. The game offers massive-scale multiplayer skirmishes and arcade-like action, and the whole game is a visual delight.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Without over-egging the pudding, this is simply one of the best Lego games ever made.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
Acclaimed as one of the best games of 2023, you will need to circumvent the forces of the Empire to succeed.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
From the newest to a golden oldie, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic first hit the game store 20 years ago, but it holds up as the best Star Wars game to this day – simply a must-play experience.