Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Top Star Wars Games I Want to See

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 052017
 

Yesterday was Star Wars Day (one of the more well-known of our unusual holidays), and apparently today is National Space Day.

What better time to discuss new Star Wars games we want to see, especially with E3 just over a month away?

Republic Commando 2

Star Wars: Republic Commando was one of the first shooters I ever played, and it stands out in my memory mainly because of the humorous dynamic between the four main characters.

It almost got a sequel. In fact, two sequel ideas were debated. One, Imperial Commando, would have followed a group of the Empire’s elite troops. The other, Rebel Commando, would have followed Sev after the events of Republic Commando.

Unfortunately, it was cancelled.

I’d love to see a new Republic Commando game, especially one following the Rebel Commando concept. Last year’s rumors of a sequel turned out to be false, but trailers for the new Battlefront game just reminded me how much I want to see this series return.

Knights of the Old Republic 3

I almost made my Star Wars/Space Day post about Knights of the Old Republic, until I realized I wrote about it last year. That’s because I love that game so much.

When I first played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, it blew my mind. Star Wars and a fantastic RPG? With an excellent story and great characters, too?

The sequel was also good, although rushed.

Like the Republic Commando rumors, plenty of Knights of the Old Republic 3 rumors have surfaced. Is it too much to hope one of them is true?

Knights of the Old Republic Reboot

If it’s too much to ask, then how about a Knights of the Old Republic remake or reboot to place it in Star Wars canon once again?

Phil Spencer wants more Knights of the Old Republic, too, so maybe this one could go somewhere.

All right, so my hopes for Star Wars games amounts to anything related to Republic Commando or Knights of the Old Republic, but I know there have been plenty of cancelled and rumored Star Wars games people want to see.

What Star Wars games do you most want to be announced?

Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Return and Why It Matters

 Books, Movies and Shows  No Responses »  Tagged with:
Jul 182016
 

Over the weekend, many Star Wars fans exploded in glee over a character announced for Star Wars Rebels. If you never read the old Expanded Universe novels (now Star Wars Legends), you might wonder why. Who is Grand Admiral Thrawn?

I’ve never watched Star Wars Rebels. I don’t know much about it. But Thrawn showing up in Season Three matters to me.

When I talked about the Witcher movie, I said I was relieved my favorite Star Wars Expanded Universe character was no longer canon, because I’d never have to worry about an adaptation ruining him.

But in truth, it’s the one thing that disappointed me the most about the old Expanded Universe being declared non-canon. As I sat in the theater to watch The Force Awakens, I felt… sad. When the opening text faded, I wouldn’t see Captain Pellaeon on the Star Destroyer, and he wouldn’t report to Grand Admiral Thrawn.

I’d never seen Thrawn’s strategies and machinations brought to life on the big screen.

Then I heard rumors that Thrawn might be part of the new canon after all, and I dreamed of the day he’d be dramatically revealed. Now, in the trailer for Star Wars Rebels Season Three, it finally happened.

Star-Wars-ThrawnBest of all, Timothy Zahn has written a new Star Wars book titled Thrawn.

Pre-orders should be available soon, and you better believe I’ll be first in line.

Timothy Zahn wrote the original Thrawn Trilogy, considered by many fans to be the best the Star Wars Expanded Universe had to offer. When I read the first book in the trilogy, Heir to the Empire, I was amazed that not only were there Star Wars novels, but they were good!

The Thrawn Trilogy isn’t perfect, but it has a lot of great moments and characters. And the greatest is Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Thrawn, whose full name is Mitth’raw’nuruodo, belongs to an alien race known as the Chiss. He is the only nonhuman to achieve such a high rank, because the Emperor couldn’t pass up such a valuable strategist even with the Empire’s anti-alien philosophies.

He can out-maneuver almost anyone, and he has a great love of art… which also plays into his strategies. He studies the art, architecture, and culture of his enemies to gain a better understanding of how they think and make his plans accordingly.

Being a brilliant, ruthless, and deadly strategist makes Thrawn an exciting villain, but there’s more to him than that. He’s not the pure evil sort of villain you see so often (especially among the Imperials).

If Thrawn thinks he can’t win a battle, he pulls back rather than waste lives. He encourages his subordinates to present advice and ideas. In one memorable scene, an ensign develops a creative solution to capture Luke… which fails. But while someone like Darth Vader would kill the ensign for failing, Thrawn promotes him for his quick thinking and willingness to learn from mistakes.

(In contrast, he executed someone earlier who refused to admit his mistake.)

He’s an excellent character and my personal favorite. So, will the new Star Wars universe do him justice? I believe it will, for two reasons:

  1. The Star Wars Rebels trailer shows him surrounded by art, saying suitably Thrawn-like things.
  2. Timothy Zahn is handling the novel. Who better to write Thrawn than the author who created him?

I can’t wait.

While we wait for Thrawn pre-orders to go live, let me know your thoughts on Mitth’raw’nuruodo and his return to canon in the comments below.

The Force is With You in Knights of the Old Republic

 Reviews, Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 042016
 

KotORHappy Star Wars Day!

As we celebrate May the 4th (one of many odd holidays we recognize), let’s take a look at one of the greatest Star Wars games ever: Knights of the Old Republic.

I got Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic as part of a bundle of PC Star Wars games (including another favorite, Republic Commando), and it blew me away.

You create your own character and eventually become a Jedi in your quest to stop the sinister Darth Malak from overtaking the Republic.

It’s a choice-driven game, and while everything ultimately comes down to Light Side or Dark Side, many situations can be handled in multiple ways. I remember being particularly impressed with the number of options in the Korriban section, as you decide who to work with, fight, or betray.

Along the way, several companions join your quest. Some fit basic character archetypes, but a few stand out, most notably the hilarious (if you like dark humor) assassin droid HK-47.

It was the first RPG of its type I’d ever played, so when I later played Mass Effect and Dragon Age, what stood out to me at first was how similar they were to Knights of the Old Republic.

Combat is quite similar to that of Dragon Age: Origins. When you aren’t fighting, you’ll be exploring, talking to NPCs (and making dialogue choices), and having entertaining conversations with your party members. You can talk to any party member on your ship, the Ebon Hawk, and when you visit a planet, you can take two with you.

The plot takes you to several planets and is really quite enjoyable even outside of its place in the larger Star Wars story. In particular, Knights of the Old Republic has one of my favorite plot twists ever.

I never saw it coming. All of the clues were there, but when that moment came, it astounded and amazed me. The twist alone would make it worth a recommendation, and it’s a fantastic RPG aside from that.

Do you like Star Wars? Do you like choice-driven western RPGs like Dragon Age? Do you like great storytelling? Then you owe it to yourself to play Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, especially since today is Star Wars Day.

Buy Knights of the Old Republic from Steam

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