Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

"Entirely mediocre; thoroughly mundane"

The highly-anticipated game version of the final new Star Wars film. The developers really had a great opportunity here. You've got what should be a fun and exciting film to base the plot of your game on. You've got actual segments from the as-yet-unreleased film that every Star Wars die hard will HAVE to see. All of the elements were in place to make an unforgettable game. So how did it turn out so ordinary?

GRAPHICS: They're certainly not overwhelming, but they get the job done. I am not a player who gets bent out about slightly dated graphics. The animations are nicely done and the quality of the film excerpts are super. I would rate this as a mild positive.

SOUND: It's a Star Wars game. I can't think of any that had bad sound. The clash of lightsabers, the zing of blaster bolts, and the majestic swell of John Williams's orchestration are iconic. Kind of hard to screw that up. Oh, and the voice acting is okay, too.

GAMEPLAY: Here's where the majority of the problems lie. The game has a very frustrating camera problem. You are often unable to see enemies until they begin attacking you. I frequently found myself killing the majority of my enemies before they even came into view, and thats just no fun at all. The actual fighting is okay (if you're a fan of hack & slash style gaming), but its the wave after wave of identical enemies that you are confronted with that turns me off. The occasional boss battle will send a tingle through you, but they are really nothing special, either.

DIFFICULTY: The game is not at all difficult. Advanced combos and a myriad of force powers are available, but you really don't need them against normal enemies. You might need Force Heal for the bosses, but they're still easy.

REPLAY VALUE: Slim to none. You may occasionally pop this out to show off your Count Dooku skils in multiplayer mode, but only for friends who haven't played the game yet.

OVERALL SCORE: I would rate this game a solid 5, but the fact that it's Star Wars jumps it up a bit. Overall, its a rental experience and nothing more.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/07/05