A Retrospective: Star Wars on the Playstation 2

It's been striking me recently that, with the next-gen consoles now firmly rooted, the venerable Playstation 2 seems to be nearing the end of its life. As a matter of fact, I'm frankly amazed at how long the PS2 has lasted and how wide the game catalog is for the system. This catalog includes a surprisingly vast amount of Star Wars titles released throughout the years - although your mileage may vary by game. As gamers and Star Wars fans, what are your thoughts, opinions, criticisms, etc... regarding this period of Star Wars gaming? For reference, I'll include a list of the titles below - if I've missed anything, let me know!

Star Wars: Starfighter (2001)
Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing (2001)
Star Wars: Racer Revenge (2002)
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (2002)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2002)
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (2002)
Star Wars: Battlefront (2004)
Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (2009)

So, do you think that will be about it for Star Wars on the PS2? Or is LucasArts not ready to throw in the towel just yet? The recent announcement of TFU2 has me wondering...

 

^I really hadn't thought about the exclusive angle very much - I felt as far as Star Wars gaming was concerned, the PS2 was very "safe" - you weren't likely to miss out on much if you had a PS2, because if it was cross platform, it was usually there. That being said I was really envious of Rogue Leader and Jedi Outcast on the GCN, and the KOTOR games on the Xbox. Well, I figured I'd give my two cents on the games that I played over the years...

Starfighter - After playing it at a friend's house, this was the game that convinced me to beg my parents for a PS2 for Christmas in 2001. Also, after having an N64 for the previous gen, I always remembered that the PSX seemed to have many more SW titles than the mere 4 on the N64. Looking back on it, however, I believe the N64 had more quality, if less quantity. Anyway, Starfighter was just loads of fun, and I think it is often unfairly overlooked because of Rogue Leader on the GCN. As a matter of fact, I think Starfighter is much more friendly to the casual gamer than Rogue Leader - I swear, I think Factor 5 took some sadistic pleasure in the difficulty of the RS series. After being used to the N64, the presentation was astonishing at the time. The narrative - though a bit disjointed - is a great complement to the TPM storyline.

Racer Revenge - As a fan of the original Episode I Racer on the N64, I rather enjoyed this game, although I do think the original is generally superior. Sure, the graphics are far better and the combat system is more fleshed out, but I missed the depth and scale of the first game, and for some reason the environments didn't feel as interesting this time around - perhaps because the planets in this installment are more familiar. Also, I believe there were only half as many racers in each race as in the original - the frenzy of a throng of podracers is not nearly as present. I believe there are also far fewer tracks than in the first game. At times, the content felt downright sparse.

Jedi Starfighter - Outstanding, and perhaps even more overlooked than its predecessor due to being a sequel. There are no quantum leaps in gameplay here (although Force powers add something to the mix), but it gives us much more content and a much tighter, more enthralling narrative than the first game. I must say this for both of the Starfighter games: I find the physics system to be much more appealing than in the Rogue Squadron games - it feels like you're actually floating in space, much like in the X-Wing/TIE Fighter series, as opposed to the more terrestrial, up and down feel of RS. Also, the JSF itself is just cool - I only wish they could have done another with the ROTS JSF (and maybe other fighters, like the ARC-170.) The cutscenes are also exceptionally executed and add a great deal to the experience.

The Clone Wars - I eagerly anticipated this game, but ultimately I find it only decent and never excellent. The gameplay itself actually does a good job of making it feel you are in a huge, epic battle like the last act of AOTC, but I found the presentation lacking in certain respects. Frequent framerate hiccups and other graphical issues mar an otherwise good experience. As an aside, although a certain amount of effort went into the cutscenes, they didn't seem up to par with Jedi Starfighter. Also, the voice acting here just doesn't seem to cut the mustard for me. Anakin is too whiny and petulant, although, to be fair, you could say that's just staying true to the film! (Maybe I've just been spoiled by Matt Lanter on TCW...) Obi-Wan sounds a little stiff, like the actor is doing a parody of Obi-Wan rather than letting it come naturally. (Again, where was James Arnold Taylor? If those two had done the voices, it'd be a different game altogether!)

Bounty Hunter - Although I did not anticipate this game as much as The Clone Wars, I slowly came to the realization that this is a much more polished game, and perhaps a more novel concept. Though not without its gameplay flaws, Bounty Hunter p

 

I actually bought a PS2 for the reason that it had the most SW games that the pc didnt had. I am still dissapointed in the fact that those exclusive gmes has to excist (in particular Rogue Squadron 2 and 3, the first one was atleast at the pc).

Coming this late into the world of PS2 gaming (around 2006 I think) I still need to catch up to some games, but so far I liked it all. ROTS was quite enjoyable too.