Star Wars: Obi-Wan (Xbox)
Availability: Out Now

About eighteen months ago, the Überlord of All Evil, Darth Gates, announced that Microsoft would produce a video game console that would be the end all of gaming. Yeah, right, I was known to say at the time. There's no way in hell that I'll get one of those. Oh, how righteousness can fade in the face of superior technology...

Fast forward to Comdex 2001 and the monster Xbox booth. I was still a skeptic, a few stillshots and game trailers the size of postage stamps wasn't enough to convince me that the Xbox was more than a portable table. Never in my life had I been forced to completely reverse an opinion. After trying out a couple of games in the display, all I could think about was getting a Xbox in my house.

When it was first announced that LucasArts was taking Obi-Wan off the PC-ROM track and moving it to Xbox, I shook my fist and cursed the gods. After having played on the Xbox, I began to rethink my view and believe that Obi-Wan might turn out great, having seen the capabilities of the system. Now that I've played Obi-Wan, my fist is shaking and the gods are cursed once more. This game is a huge disappointment - especially since we all know that LucasArts and the Xbox can deliver far better than this.

The flaws in Obi-Wan are not apparent at the onset, you're immediately given an amazing player interface that reminds me of a great DVD menu. Very nice graphics and sound as you set your controller and volume options. Enter in a player name and you're set to go. The first thing I did was go through the Training level in order to get familiar with the controls. I always appreciate when a game takes the time to give you a quick walkthrough on how to use the sticks and buttons.

The controls for Obi-Wan are very intuitive and easy to master. The left stick is for walking and running. The right stick controls your lightsaber, while the D-pad cycles you through the various weapons you pick up along the way. The buttons control your other actions such as jumping, Force pushing and crouching. The left shoulder trigger allows you to boost your Force power, enabling a higher jump or stronger Force push. This setup is a major improvement on how the controls worked on the Episode I and Jedi Power Battles games for the original PlayStation.

However, as the Training level began, I noticed the first major flaw - the shading. The graphics have a, for lack of a better word, cartoonish feel to them. Colors were overly bright and simplistic, the lack of subtlety was disconcerting. Mainly because it didn't have to be this way! Granted, the shading in the Episode I games for the original PlayStation were like this, but games like Halo and Dead or Alive 3 showcase what the Xbox is all about when it comes to graphics. The fact that these graphics are subpar for the hardware is a major disappointment to me. Despite the Disneyesque look, there was some attention paid to detail. Lightsabers and blasters leave scorch marks, you can see reflections in glass surfaces and polished floors, and the water effects were very convincing.

Once you complete the Training, guided by droids who look like they're wearing cowboy hats, you begin the first of many missions that take you in a timeline that begins shortly before the events of The Phantom Menace. Your first mission, dear Padawan, is to escape from the lower levels of Coruscant, though you have no idea how it is you got there in the first place. This is where the second major flaw came in for me - voice acting. Yes, I'm very aware that Ewan McGregor is Scottish, and I do love those accents, but Mr. McGregor did not use his native accent when playing Obi-Wan in the films. So why does he sound Scottish in the game? Hello? If this had been Sean Connery, I would have been okay with it - after all, he kept his native accent playing a Soviet submarine captain. Note to LucasArts, keep the voices consistent, please! And while we're on the subject of voice acting, since we never heard Depa Billaba in the films, imagine my surprise when she sounded just like Natasha from "Rocky and Bullwinkle!" I am not kidding. I was waiting for her to call Obi-Wan dahling...

Now on to major flaw number three - the in-game camera. This was poorly done at times, especially when in the middle of a mêlée fight and I find myself suddenly counting the hairs on Obi-Wan's head. Not good, people. The camera also has a tendency to swing too wide at times or not follow you at all at other times. This led to falling off of ledges and other nasty surprises.

Drum roll for flaw number four - the music. I never thought I'd complain about the music in a Star Wars game, but I have to here. My issue isn't with the music itself, the score from Episode I and some tracks from the original Holy Trilogy sound great. The problem is when and how the music is used. For example, there's a time when you as Obi-Wan are trying to be stealthy. It takes a great deal away from the concept of stealth when you're listening to the track from the asteroid scene in Empire! Something quiet, or even no music at all, enhances the need to be sneaky rather than blaring chase music.

Finally, flaw number five - the replay value of a game. In the case of Obi-Wan, the replayability is zilch. There's a few little bonus missions that you unlock using the level medal system that LucasArts has made standard in their most recent games. But whoopdedoo...so you get to play in a WWF-style Royal Rumble, where it's you against the entire Jedi Council to see who Da Man might be. The replay factor is what drives one to buy a game rather than renting it, and the lack of extra characters and hidden mini-games makes this game a serious non-contender for permanent space on my shelf. A lot of game publishers should take a page from EA's playbook and include DVD bonus materials in their games. SSX Tricky (the bane of my left wrist) has this and it's great! Featurettes on the voice acting, game development and more make a game a keeper. LucasArts, please take note!

If you've read this far, you're probably wondering if there's anything I liked about Obi-Wan. The only real thumbs-up I can give is on the control scheme. It allowed for a much better fight against Darth Maul than the previous Episode I games. The bitterness I have stems from one crucial point - if this had been a PlayStation One or N64 game, I would have been impressed. But it was made for a piece of hardware that took a game like Halo and made it a religious experience. Dead or Alive 3, with the realistic fabric and facial expressions, shows what the Xbox can do. I was hoping Obi-Wan would provide a similar experience. Alas, it did not.

Bottom line, I really can't even recommend renting Obi-Wan. Better to hold out and wait for Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. If you have a Xbox and feel the need for some Star Wars, check out Starfighter: Special Edition (see below).

Light Side features:

• Improved control scheme for working your Jedi

Dark Side features:

• Cartoon-style graphics
• Poor voice acting
• Erratic in-game camera
• Poor choice of music for certain scenarios
• No replay value

Grade: D

Click here to see screenshots, concept art, and a Quicktime trailer for the game.

Star Wars: Starfighter Special Edition (Xbox) -- also available for the PC
Availability: Out Now

Last year, I reviewed Starfighter for the PlayStation 2  and was amazed by the quality of the game. It made me believe that LucasArts was finally back on track to producing great games, but then Demolition came out and brought me back to reality *sigh*.

Now that I have a Xbox, I thought I'd give the new port of Starfighter a whirl. LucasArts has had a year to tweak the game to fit the specs of the Xbox and did a great job of it. The graphics are much cleaner and less blocky than its PS2 cousin, even the cutscenes show an improvement. But the biggest difference for me is the controller handling. I'm not a fan of the Xbox controller, but ironically, what's too big for handling action games works very well as a flight controller. I found that controlling the various ships on the Xbox was smoother and easier than playing on the PS2.

LucasArts has also added a couple of new bonus missions and ships, unlocked by winning medals in your missions. Three new multiplayer levels have been added, taking advantage of the Xbox's capability for LAN parties, and hopefully soon, online gaming.

Overall, this is a great Star Wars game to have if you never played the PS2 version. If you have a PS2 and a Xbox, it's not worth the purchase, though you may want to rent it to see the differences yourself.

It's also worth noting that Starfighter Special Edition has also been ported to the PC, so dust off that joystick!

The PC requirements are as follows --

• Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP
• 100% DirectX compatible computer required.
• Pentium II or Athlon class 350 MHz or faster CPU required.
• 64 MB RAM required. 128 MB required for Windows 2000 and XP.
• 16 MB DirectX 8 compatible PCI or AGP 3D Hardware Accelerator required.
• 16-bit sound card required.
• Quad Speed IDE or SCSI CD-ROM drive required.
• Keyboard or mouse required. Joystick or gamepad recommended.
• Microsoft DirectX 8.0a and 8.1 are included on this CD.
• 580 MB of free hard drive space required. Additional 100 MB of free space required after game installation for Windows swap file and save games.

Click here to see screenshots, concept art, and a Quicktime trailer for the game.

Grade: B

Star Wars: Rogue Leader (GameCube)
Availability: Out Now

I haven't played more than a couple of minutes of this game on a demo, so there isn't a comprehensive review available. A scouring of the Internet shows that the reception of Rogue Leader has been positive, though I have heard grumblings that it's nothing more than a prettier version of the original Rogue Squadron.

Click here to see screenshots, concept art, and a Quicktime trailer for the game.

Star Wars: Racer Revenge (PlayStation 2)
Availability: February 14, 2002

The first game to take advantage of the Episode II hype is Racer Revenge, the sequel to Star Wars: Racer. It is now eight years after the Boonta Eve Classic from Episode I and Sebulba wants a rematch. Seventeen-year-old Anakin Skywalker is on hand to grant the request, and the podracing tour takes us to new locales including Ryloth, Gamorr and Mon Calamari.

The screenshots and game trailer look impressive, here's hoping that LucasArts had figured out how to best use the PS2 hardware.

Click here to see screenshots, concept art, and a trailer for the game.

Review forthcoming.

Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (PlayStation 2)
Availability: March 12, 2002

This will be the second game under the Episode II banner, and is a sequel to Starfighter. Where the original Starfighter had three playable characters, Jedi Starfighter has Adi Gallia and her Jedi fighter as the main focus. Making a return appearance from the original game is Nym, a pirate with a heart of gold.

Because this game has some elements of Episode II, it may have some spoilers involved. So those who are remaining spoiler-pure might want to wait until after May to check out this game. Also, Xbox owners may want to wait for a port to that system. As we've seen, it's been known to happen.

Click here to see screen shots and concept art for the game.

Review forthcoming.

Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (PC-ROM)
Availability: March 26, 2002

This is the game Obi-Wan should and could have been. But Kyle Katarn still kicks serious booty, and shows us how in Jedi Outcast. It's some years after the events in Jedi Knight, which was a sequel to Dark Forces. Why this game isn't Dark Forces III doesn't make sense, but who cares!

Whoever smelled the espresso at LucasArts and contracted this game to Raven Software is a genius. Raven is the creator of one of my favorite first-person shooters, Solider of Fortune, and some elements of that game can be seen here. Weapons abound, from Kyle's trusty Bryar blaster to his lightsaber to my personal favorite, a high-powered sniper rifle. Another signature of Raven was to be able to shoot off limbs in Soldier of Fortune, which they've translated to amputation by lightsaber in Jedi Knight II.

Various mission levels take you through regaining your abilities after Kyle had shunned the Force after the Dark Forces II. While there is not a "Do I turn to the Dark Side or remain on the Light" moment, Jedi Knight II does let you learn the Jedi Mind Trick! Built using the Quake III engine, Jedi Knight II promises better fighting, more detailed character animations and outstanding multiplayer options.

If this game doesn't live up to the expectations, people might get hurt...

System info is not yet available, but since it's based on the Quake III engine, expect the following --

• 3D hardware accelerator with full Open GL support
• Pentium 233Mhz MMX processor with 8MB video card
• 64MB RAM
• Windows 95/98/NT 4.0 operating system
• 25MB uncompressed hard drive space for game files; additional 45MB for Windows swap file
• Quad Speed CD-ROM
• Direct X 3.0 (or higher) compatible sound card
• Microsoft compatible mouse and driver

Click here to see screenshots, concept art, and a trailer for the game.

Review forthcoming.

Star Wars Galaxies (PC-ROM)
Availability: Third Quarter 2002

The first Star Wars entry into the world of massive multiplayer online goodness, Galaxies promises to be a role-playing gamer's heaven. Anyone who's played Everquest or Ultima should be familiar with this type of game, and many more people are itching to jump in.

Several species, including humans, Wookiees, Bothans and Twi'leks will be represented, spanning several worlds known from the films and Expanded Universe sources.

No computer specs have been announced, but judging from the developmental screenshots, expect them to be pretty intense.

Click here to see screenshots and concept art for the game.

Review forthcoming.

(Screenshots from official website used by permission of Lucasfilm.)
(Logo made to dance by demented web designer, not with permission of LucasAnything.)

Purchase Obi-Wan for Xbox
Purchase Starfighter Special Edition for Xbox
Purchase Starfighter for PC
Purchase Rogue Leader for GameCube
Purchase Racer Revenge for Playstation 2
Purchase Jedi Starfighter for PlayStation 2
Purchase Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast for PC