'Star Wars' video games through the ages

OPINION

By Matt Slagle

updated 1:47 p.m. ET May 11, 2005

There are probably enough "Star Wars" video games to fill a space cruiser. And let's face it: Many of them probably should have been destroyed along with those pesky Death Stars.

But like the enduring saga of good versus evil upon which they're based, a few used the mythic story and fantastical locales very successfully. On the eve of the final "Star Wars Episode III —Revenge of the Sith," we reflect like a Jedi Master on some of the more memorable moments in Star Wars gaming.

If we're going to cover the entire history of Star Wars games, we'll have to go back to a time long, long ago, when arcades still ruled the galaxy.

Though it debuted years after "Episode IV: A New Hope," Atari's "Star Wars" coin-op in 1983 was just as amazing as the first film's opening space battle.

Using simple but smooth color vector graphics, you piloted an X-Wing through swarms of Imperial TIE fighters, then attacked the Death Star. Many quarters were lost in my quest to defeat the evil galactic empire.

We'll have to fast forward almost a decade before another "Star Wars" game grabbed me so, umm, forcefully.

A time long, long ago
It was 1992, and the movie prequels were on the distant horizon. But I had a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, one of the most advanced consoles at the time, and a new "Super Star Wars" cartridge that blew me away.

This LucasArts title remains a sentimental favorite — I still dust off my SNES and play from time to time. The game followed the movie events precisely, with stereo sound and excellent color graphics in a side-scrolling adventure. As Luke Skywalker, I ran through the deserts of Tatooine, braved dingy Mos Eisley cantinas, then blew up the Death Star all over again.

Two "Super" follow-ups based on "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" added force powers and other extras but were also light-years tougher.

If you survived "Episode I: The Phantom Menace," then you'll no doubt remember one of its highlights: the exhilarating racing sequence, when the cute, cuddly version of future Sith Lord Darth Vader straps on some goggles and leaves his foes choking on pod fumes.

So what if it came off as a ploy to sell video games? "Star Wars Episode I: Racer," for the PC, Macintosh, Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo 64 was a high-speed ride through the desert mesas of Tatooine and seven other worlds. No other game simulates racing at 600 mph four feet above the ground so well.

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