"Could have been so much more..."

If you have the original trilogy on DVD, you may have seen a making of the Episode III game. There's been a barrage of commercials here in the US…so the question is: now that the game is out and people can spend their money on it…is it worth it?

Let's start with the beginning. The main game alternates between Obi-Wan and Anakin as it roughly follows the plot of Episode III movie. It spoils some stuff (OMG ANAKIN BECOMES DARTH VADER!!), but some stuff is left out. I haven't seen Episode III yet, but I assume it probably takes some of the sequences from that and stretches them out. The main game is on the easy side (I played through on default difficulty), and can probably be played through by someone more competent than myself in about 5 or 6 hours. By playing through the game, you unlock more characters and levels for duel mode, and bonus missions. I don't think the main game would have huge replay value except for some of the duels/boss fights which are pretty fun and can be challenging.

The bonus missions are just one off levels where you play as various characters you've seen in the game. There's a level with Anakin, Ben Kenobi, General Grievous, etc. Fun for a diversion, but there honestly is not a lot of long term value there.

Duel mode is what will keep people coming back. It's just a straight one on one fighting game. The saber combat engine isn't perfect, but it is possible to have some really cool looking fights going. You can fight against a computer controlled person, or have a friend/family/skilled pet monkey fight against you. Like I said before, you unlock levels and duelists as you go, so its more or less in your best interest to play through the game…unless you don't want to have anything spoiled and are fine with just Obi-Wan and Anakin. :-P

The controls are broken down into fast-average-slow attacks…you press each button and make combos and such. There is a button for block (you'll learn to hold it down 99% of the time in combat situations), a button for force grasp, saber throw, etc. A lot of the functions you'll only use at certain points. I had some gripes with the controls: for example, I would be staring face to face with an enemy droid and hit the throw-saber button. So the saber goes flying off….and misses every enemy on screen. Of course, I had no way of blocking and got owned. Luckily, you can heal by pressing in the two analog sticks (PS2).

So here's my breakdown of things:
Graphics: There was some graininess and random slowdowns. 8/10
Sound: The music was top notch, as were the sound effects. Using the Clone Wars cartoon voice actors was an odd decision…some of the voices were simply terrible. 7/10
Control: Functional, but not as great or smooth as they could have been. Responsiveness is an issue at some points, and simultaneous button presses are difficult. 6.5/10
Gameplay: Fun, but not especially revolutionary, and very linear. Two player mode is awesome. 8/10
Reviewers Tilt: It's Star Wars on a console, and it doesn't completely suck. I like it. 7.5/10
Overall (not an average): Rent if you want to play through and see if it's worth buying. SW fans…buy it and enjoy. 7.5/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/08/05