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Gametrailers is doing a ten part retrospective on Star Wars video games. Given the delays they had during the retros for Zelda and Final Fantasy, I wouldn't live or die by the scheduled dates of the episodes, but still looking forward to this.

A long time ago, on a home console far, far away...

Before a lot of the genres you guys would like us to do Retrospectives for were created, there was Star Wars, right there with the Atari 2600 and the beginning of home gaming as we know it.

Episode I - March 15th
Episode II - March 30th
Episode III - April 14th

Episode IV - April 27th
Episode V - June 21st
Episode VI - July 8th

Episode VII - July 21st
Episode VIII - August 18th
Episode IX - September 5th

Episode X - September 16th

Force Unleashed Release Date - Tuesday, September 16th

Trailer on Youtube:

[flash width=425 height=355]http://www.youtube.com/v/iL7PqhIpZew[/flash]

Episode I: The Arcade shooters and Atari beginnings of far, far away.

Direct links:
Quicktime - 101.5MB
Windows Media - 98.6MB
MP4 for Ipod - 60.5MB

It's a pretty interesting doc. One of the arcades where I used to live still has the original Star Wars vector game. People can still play it, though they charge $5 for each time.

Most of my favorite Star Wars video games have been on Nintendo consoles. Those classics from my youth that I giddily play through to this day Super Star Wars, Empire and Jedi on SNES. I have fond memories of Shadows Of The Empire, Rogue Squadron and Episode I: Racer on the N64.

Without a doubt, I got the Gamecube on launch day strictly for Rogue Leader what a friggin' game and I mean, I get a little hard thinking back on using the C Stick to look around the cockpit interiors in those games. Rebel Strike was the third entry and the last. It was okay. Those on-foot levels were kind of atrocious and the game felt rushed, quite frankly.

I guess the last Star Wars game I checked out on a next-generation console was the briefly-entertaining Battlefront alongside the DVD release in '04. I've lost interest in the LucasArts games since then. But I still play The Phantom Menace for Playstation, an underrated gem.

I thought I was the only one who enjoyed playing Phantom Menace for Playstation. I must have played through that game about 402 times. Something about trading junk for podracer parts on Tatooine with characters who resembled pixelated puke (seriously, graphics were that bad) was just so fulfilling. If I remember correctly, after killing a beast (a krayt dragon?) in Jabba's private apartment?, you could jump onto his floor and kill him, causing an alternate timeline in Star Wars history! (I just rewrote the entre plot of J.J. Abrams Star Trek and applied it to Star Wars! BAH!).

All the weird, useless side-missions, conversations where you could taunt the Greedo guy Hasbro recently made as an action figure (the fact that he was in TPM game made me almost want to buy him), and the ability to go on killing sprees just made that game awesome fun. You could go around Mos Espa trading parts with people, or you could kill them. I also still get a chuckle when the guy who voices Qui-Gon refers to Jabba as "Jabber".

I got so used to the voice actors from TPM game (specifically Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon) that when I rewatched the movie, I thought that Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson's voices were off a bit. Imagine how thrilled I was when the voice actor who did Qui-Gon came back and voiced the character for the Clone Wars series (and the X-Box classic 'Obi-Wan'...kidding).

GT always does a great job on their retrospectives. The Metroid series one is highly recommended.

Episode II: The games that brought you each original chapter from start to finish.

Direct links:

Quicktime - 178.2MB
Windows Media - 181.6MB
MP4 for Ipod - 109.7MB


There were some concerns raised at Gametrailers about the way the retrospective is being presented. Creator Brandon had this to say:

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I'm surprised a lot of people are very confused, or are having problems with the way the games are being presented. I know it's weird showing Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy before the original Lego Star Wars, but you have to make each episode mean something instead of just being a list of Star Wars games from this date to this date.

There have been over 70 Star Wars games, and the 11 in Episode II are the only ones that started with a title scroll that said either Episode IV, V or VI. Tons of other games have weaved in and out of those films, but their focus was on the franchise they were in, and they should be looked at for the developments made in that franchise alone. There's an interesting difference between a game based on a Star Wars movie, and a game based on Star Wars.

I think sticking to a chronological listing would be incredibly boring, because you'd be bouncing back and forth between games that have nothing to do with each other. Force Commander, Jedi Power Battles, Galaxies, Jedi Academy, Flight of the Falcon, Knights of the Old Republic, and Rebel Strike all came out within a year of each other, but they're completey seperate genres. I want to get the movie-specific stuff out of the way first because it pertains most closely to the raw source material, and it can leave the really, really good stuff for later in the series.

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It's not difficult to see the way they're presenting the series. They get a from me for being quite thorough. I'm looking forward to the 90's games such as X-Wing and Dark Forces.

These have been really cool so far. I've had spare time recently to play the hell out of the Super Star Wars games on SNES. I still consider these the best Star Wars video games. While they were extremely impressive at the time for their visuals and sounds, the classic action-packed gameplay also holds up to this day. I just never grow tired of playing through them. That's a great game right there.

Also, the Sail Barge level in Super Return Of The Jedi...you can play as Slave Leia. Since I was a kid I've noticed that when you spin Leia she reveals her butt. Those perverted game developers. LucasArts hasn't topped that to this day.

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Mon Apr 14, 2008

Episode III: The games that started the saga - Menace, Clones, and Sith.

Direct links:
Quicktime - 184.9MB
Windows Media - 177.1MB
MP4 for Ipod - 109MB

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Sun Apr 27, 2008

Episode IV: X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and Alliance; the dogfights that drove the conflict forward.

Direct links:
Quicktime - 130.9MB
Windows Media - 127.3MB
MP4 for Ipod - 78.3MB


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May 10:

Episode V and the rest of the series is being delayed a week b/c of work on the metal gear retrospective. Episode V is currently scheduled for May 17th.

May 19

From Brandon:

"Well, we put up one Retrospective part on Saturday, but it wasn't Star Wars. More of Galactic Battlegrounds needs to be digitized, Renegade Squadron needs to be played, Empire at War needs to be beaten, and the script notes need to be organized.

None of my release dates are ever correct, so I'll just say we're working on Episode V constantly and it will go up when it's finished. All the episodes will be finished before Force Unleashed, every Jedi will have his day, and no game will be left behind."

[hr]

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May 23, 2008

And so, we have a new tentative schedule for the retro. Episode V has been pushed back to June 21st, after the metal gear retro is finished. I wouldn't worry about it. After all, good art can't be rushed.

Too bad my job doesn't work that way.

Episode V - June 21st
Episode VI - July 5th
Episode VII - July 19th
Episode VIII - August 2nd
Episode IX - August 16th
Episode X - August 30th

Force Unleashed Release Date - Tuesday, September 16th

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Episode V: Rebellion, Force Commander, Galactic Battlegrounds, Empire at War, and Battlefront; the commanding officers in Lucasart's galaxy of chaos.

Direct links:
Quicktime - 178.8MB
WMV 720p - 172.7MB
MP4 for Ipod - 154.2MB

Watched all 22 minutes of the latest one. Forgot how awesome BattleFront was.

Galactic Battlegrounds. That was a fun little game.

Battlefront I and II had some nice cheats. I played the shit out of those games.

I love Battlefront II. It's really the only Star Wars video game I've been able to get into.

What are the cheats?

God mode and regenerating ammo. There were some others, but it's been a while. I'm not sure what system you use (PS2 was what I played them on) but I find a lot of them over at IGN.

I'm behind on the games. I have yet to play the Battlefront games but they do look fun almost a different version of Command and Conquer. I will eventually get them and play them. It took me quite a long time to finally get Knights Of The Old Republic I and II but when I did and I played them I regret waiting as long as I did.

I still am, although to be fair most of what I do now is modding and not playing the vanilla game as much.

Episode VI: Dark Forces, Jedi Knight, Mysteries of the Sith, Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy; the five adventures of Kyle Katarn

Direct links:
Quicktime - 166.3MB
WMV 720p - 159MB
MP4 for Ipod - 101.2MB

That saga of games was probably the best Star Wars games I ever played (aside from KOTOR). I still have Outcast and Academy need to get Dark Forces, Dark Forces II and Mysteries Of The Sith sometime again.

Episode VII is up now.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/37296.html

The KOTOR games are pretty good and I agree KOTOR II is the weakest of the two and feels very incomplete.

I'm wondering too if the reason why KOTOR III was abandoned because of The Force Unleashed. I'll be super pissed if the next KOTOR game is an online thing only. I don't do online games and I'd much prefer to have a regular single player KOTOR III game.

Thanks for the heads up Fang Zei

Episode VII: Shadows of the Empire and Knights of the Old Republic I & II;The Dark Corners of the Empire and Legends of an Ancient Era

Direct links:
Quicktime - 204MB
WMV 720p - 184.3MB
MP4 for Ipod - 163.9MB



Episode VIII: Star Wars Galaxies: The massive trials and turmoils of a divided galactic empire.

Direct links:
Quicktime - 142.4MB
WMV - 132.3MB
MP4 for Ipod - 107.5MB

Note: a revised version of Episode VIII was posted on September 12, replacing the logo at the beginning with a proper one for Galaxies, and the removal of a quote about an at-the-time nonexistent XBOX 360.



Episode IX: The flight and fight operations of Rebel Assault and Rogue Squadron.

Direct links:
Quicktime - 149.5MB
WMV - 138.9MB
MP4 for Ipod - 104.8MB

On September 10, IGN posted a few pages about the "History of Star Wars Games" at http://retro.ign.com/articles/909/909071p1.html



Episode X: Beyond the Galaxy: The circle is now complete - the Force will be with you, always.

Direct links:
Quicktime - 178.3MB
WMV - 170.3MB
MP4 for Ipod - 127.9MB