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History of Portable Star Wars Games
Written by Robert Falcon on Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Is the Force strong with these handheld Star Wars games? Well, some of them. Join us as we take a look back.
Star Wars (JVC/Game Boy, Game Gear, 1991)
This is the debut of the Star Wars franchise for handheld systems, although it's far from memorable. It's basically a platformer that twists around events from the film, with Luke Skywalker forced to save his friends from peril. There's nothing worth revisiting here.
Super Return of the Jedi (JVC/Game Boy, Game Gear, 1994)
This platforming adventure is better in quality than the previous Star Wars game, allowing you to control multiple characters through stages based on events from the Jedi film. Unfortunately, the gameplay is more difficult than it needs to be. You'd actually need Jedi skills to beat it.
Star Wars: Yoda Stories (THQ/Game Boy Color, 1999)
After finding moderate success on the PC back in 1997, THQ put together a port of the adventure game Yoda Stories for the Game Boy Color two years later. Unfortunately, the company shouldn't have bothered. Sloppy gameplay and a limited number of levels made these Stories not worth telling. Suck, it does.
Star Wars: Episode One Racer (LucasArts/Game Boy Color, 1999)
Really, when it comes to pod racing, you're better off sticking with the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast. Episode One Racer turned out to be a lame racer for the Game Boy Color, a top-down 2-D racing game that didn't do that much in terms of track diversity and speed. Compared to the superior 3-D efforts, it runs out of gas.
Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles (THQ/Game Boy Advance, 2001)
Apparently this game doesn't have enough Power behind it. Star Wars' debut on the Game Boy Advance left a lot to be desired, a slow and lame isometric platformer with imprecise controls. How imprecise? You miss simple jumps across corridors EVERY TIME. You'd have more fun trying to shave with a lightsaber.
Star Wars Episode Two: The New Droid Army (THQ/Game Boy Advance, 2002)
Like Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles, The New Droid Army utilizes an isometric view as you take control of Anakin Skywalker and fight an Imperial droid army. Like Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles, you use a lightsaber to mow them down, and like Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles, Droid Army sucks.
Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones (THQ/Game Boy Advance, 2002)
After seeing how the isometric view didn't really do that well for its past couple of games, THQ tried a new approach with Attack of the Clones. In the game, you control Anakin Skywalker through side-scrolling stages as he fights members of the Imperial army. It's better than the previous games, but hardly a classic.
Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon (THQ/Game Boy Advance, 2003)
Okay, imagine an arcade-themed space flight simulator where you're in control of the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo's fabled space vessel. Now imagine a game with terrible 3-D graphics and pitiful gameplay that forces you to crash even when you're clearly avoiding objects. That's Flight of the Falcon in a nutshell. Skip it.
Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force (Ubisoft/Game Boy Advance, 2004)
After enduring hours of intolerable pain with the newer movies, Ubisoft decided to revisit the classic trilogy with this entertaining action game, featuring flying and platforming stages with such characters as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. It ended up being too easy, but it still fared better than previous Star Wars failures.
Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (Giant Interactive Entertainment/Game Boy Advance, 2005)
Wait, an 3/4 view Star Wars game that doesn't stink? Hey, when Legos are involved, the game has to be good. Lego Star Wars' debut on the Game Boy Advance turned out to be a terrific one, with fun and simple gameplay, nice visuals and plenty of humorous moments. The sequel, The Original Trilogy, built off its success and it a sweet game in its own right.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Ubisoft/Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, 2005)
A Star Wars beat-em-up game in the spirit of Final Fight? It sounds like a quirky idea, but why not? It works rather well, with lots of droids and enemies to beat up using your lightsaber and Force powers. The Nintendo DS version has the slight advantage with the inclusion of 3-D flying stages, which utilize the DS touch screen pretty well.
Star Wars Battlefront II (LucasArts/Sony PSP, 2005)
Star Wars' debut on the PSP couldn't be any better than this combat-oriented masterpiece. Handled with delicate care by Savage Entertainment, Battlefront features squad-based combat through a number of scenarios, along with a galaxy-conquering mode, a great presentation and multiplayer opportunities galore.
Star Wars: Lethal Alliance (Ubisoft/DS, PSP, 2006)
Ubisoft took another lightsaber stab at the Star Wars franchise with Lethal Alliance, a new intellectual property starring Twi-lek Rianna Saren. A third person action game, you run around beating up enemies between Episodes III and IV. It's decent, but not worth keeping, thanks to average combat.
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts/Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, 2006)
The Lego Star Wars sequel turned out to be an even better game than the original because it involves the three movies that got the saga started in the first place. The Game Boy Advance version is cool, but the PSP version, with its 3-D visuals, unlockable characters and charming gameplay, hits the spot. Unfortunately, the Nintendo DS version is an unplayable mess. Avoid it.
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts/Nintendo DS, 2007)
What a difference a year makes. After suffering through the debacle that is Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, Travellers Tales worked its magic directly on the Nintendo DS port of Complete Saga and made it a better game. The graphics are superior, the gameplay is actually fun and the new touch-screen-exclusive stages, including an X-wing shooter segment, are awesome.
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (LucasArts/Sony PSP, 2007)
This PSP-exclusive sequel in the Battlefront series turns out to be a better game than the first, thanks to the inclusion of new flying stages (with above-average controls), more battle scenarios from the films, more multiplayer options and a wholly original storyline involving the Renegade Squadron. It turned out to be so good that Sony made a deal with LucasArts to produce an exclusive PSP model, complete with a Darth Vader silhouette on the back. Yes, we own several.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts/DS, PSP, 2008)
The Star Wars saga continues this fall in The Force Unleashed. Instead of playing as Jedi, you star as Darth Vader's apprentice and cause all sorts of havoc. The game looks sweet on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, and the DS version features sweet touch screen Force powers. Check it out here.
