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The craze for pixellated adventures of Luke and friends started in 1983 with Atari's profoundly titled Star Wars: The Arcade Game. Since then, more than 30 video and computer games have been set in that galaxy far, far away. A guide to the finest and the freakiest:

PC Games
Dark Forces (1995)/Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (1997) (LucasArts) Offshoots of first-person shooters like Quake, these games are notable for introducing a new hero in smuggler Kyle Katarn. Both feature excellent level design and the opportunity to kick much Imperial butt. A-/A

Star Wars Collection II (1998)/X-Wing Alliance (1999) (LucasArts) Collection II includes reissues of older flight sims X-Wing and TIE Fighter, and allows you to streak into battle during the first two films. The new — and fantastic — Alliance wraps up the trilogy by letting you fly Han Solo's favorite ship into the second Death Star. B+/A

CD-ROM
Star Wars — Behind the Magic (1998) (LucasArts) The ultimate multimedia reference gives you the skinny on every major character, planet, and technology, plus info and clips on the making of the original films. B

Console Games
N64: All you need to do in Rogue Squadron (1998) (LucasArts) is keep shooting and try not to crash your craft. A Rebel yawn. B-
PlayStation: There's an unremarkable version of Dark Forces and the horrible Mortal Kombat knockoff Masters of Teras Kasi (1997). More Jedi schooling is in order here. B-/F

Coming Soon
LucasArts will release Episode I: The Phantom Menace (PC/Playstation) and Racer (Nintendo 64/PC) around opening day. In Phantom you'll lead Ben Kenobi and others to adventures in all the major locations, while Racer lets you fly hovercrafts at ludicrous speeds.

Intergalactic Weirdness
Star Wars Monopoly Classic Trilogy Edition (1997) (Parker Bros.) Forget the car, thimble, and dog. This time, Vader, Luke, and the gang are involved in the eternal struggle for more real estate and the right to collect $200 for passing Go. B

Star Wars Trivial Pursuit Classic Trilogy Collectors Edition (1997) (Parker Bros.) An R2-D2 doll replaces the dice: Smack his little head and he displays the number of spaces you move. Still, who cares about robot abuse when you know the width, in meters, of a thermal-exhaust port on the Death Star? B


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Posted May 07, 1999 | Published in issue #484 May 07, 1999 | Order Article Reprints