Star Wars: Galactic Racer might be set in the New Republic era, but podracing screams “Star Wars Prequels” louder than Pepsi, and the bloodsport is largely beloved thanks to a video game.
The saga is no stranger to incredible games, but titles based on Episodes I, II, and III get lost easily among the KOTORs and TIE Fighters of the galaxy. The Prequel Trilogy has earned a second look from fans after Star Wars’ modern decade of disaster, and developers are starting to be at least Clone-curious with bangers like Zero Company.
The Prequels may have more motion than we thought, and it’s worth a trip back to BBY to explore their gaming past. Where can Star Wars games go from Galactic Racer onward, and what should be left behind like Anakin’s mom?
These are the best, worst, and weirdest Star Wars prequel trilogy games. We’ve got shooters, racers, and ecology simulators all on deck, so let’s start with the straight adaptations of the films:
The flagship game for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace released alongside the film in 1999. Like most Phantom Menace merch at the turn of the millennium, the game was a commercial success for PC and PlayStation, but that’s more indicative of the massive Star Wars Prequel hype than quality. They sold a lot of Jar Jar Binks lollipops too.
The game recreates the film from its opening tea service to the Battle of Naboo, controlling a veritable Mount Rushmore of beloved protagonists in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Padmé Amidala, and Captain Quarsh Panaka, all voiced by rather dubious soundalikes.
Fate is a big theme through the Prequel Trilogy, the idea that one’s destiny is fixed and uncontrollable. The same could be said of the camera in the Episode I game. Pinned high above your character, the POV renders gameplay extremely unpleasant as you leisurely lob blaster bolts back at battle droids. You can embrace the dark side and cut down innocent civilians who side-eye your rat-tail as you push boxes and complete fetch quests in a garish Otoh Gungah, but you won’t find it fun for long.
Jedi Power Battles is the superior game. Released a year later on PlayStation and Dreamcast, it follows Episode I’s entire plot in order, but only to the extent that Turtles in Time is invested in the story of Shredder stealing the Statue of Liberty. We’re in beat-’em-up territory, complete with a handful of fighters, combos and minigames, and a few fun secrets.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-worst-and-weirdest-star-wars-prequel-trilogy-games
