Over the years, the great movies have always been accompanied by great video games. Sometimes, it seems the more iconic the movie franchise, the more games there are. When it comes to Star Wars, there have been more than 100 released over the past four decades. It would take weeks to try them all, so here, we distil the list down to five of the most influential titles from across the years.
The Empire Strikes Back (1982)
1982 seems like a galaxy far, far away. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were running the western world, Olivia Newton John was getting physical and The Empire Strikes Back was the first ever movie release to be accompanied by its own licensed computer game. Released for the Atari 2600, it places the player in control of Luke Skywalker’s snowspeeder, in an impossible quest to hold off walkers on the planet Hoth. Yes, of course it is clunky and rudimentary, so is a Ford Model T by today’s standards. This game is a vital piece of history, and something every Star Wars devotee needs to experience.
Star Wars Slot (1987)
Starting life on the Las Vegas strip, the Star Wars slot became an instant classic among gamblers. When the online casino age arrived, the game made a seamless transition to cyberspace, where its bonus rounds like the Ewok Adventure proved massively popular. Sadly, the game was discontinued in 2017, something that was inevitable when Disney Group acquired Lucasfilm. The Star Wars slot might be a thing of the past, but if igaming is your passion, there are plenty of other movie-themed slots you can try out – there are also numerous promotions, so it’s worth looking through some trustworthy casino reviews to find the platform that’s offering the best deal.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (1998)
This wasn’t the first game to give you a chance to pilot an X-Wing, but it was by far the best, with its responsive, arcade-style controls. Even today, the game stands up well, and when you compare it with other games of the era, you can see how the developers squeezed every last ounce of performance from the horribly limited Nintendo 64.
Knights of the Old Republic (2001)
The very best games don’t just rehash the movies, they create something entirely new. That’s what this Xbox release achieved, with a whole new story that engages just as powerfully as anything you might have seen on the big screen. Your character’s growth into a Jedi warrior is something that is as special to experience today as it was almost 20 years ago – in other words, the game stands the test of time as well as any of the movies.
Lego Star Wars – the Complete Saga (2007)
Never dismiss the Lego adaptations, as their production values and playability are typically second to none. This is the first and only game to date that gives you the chance to play through all six movies. You can do so as any one of 160 different playable characters, so no two adventures will be the same. It was an instant classic in 2007, and is still much beloved today.