It’s May the 4th, and the Star Wars machine is in full swing with sales, celebrations and promotions.
If you’ve been living under a rock or you just don’t care for Star Wars and lazy puns, May the 4th sounds an awful lot like “may the force”, as in “may the force be with you“ or “may the force of video games on sale compel you to buy them.” Star Wars is nothing if not entrenched in the gaming industry, and the sheer number of games under their IP is staggering. Here are the top five vintage games to pick up today!
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2oo5) – Steam & Xbox
No, not the brand new one. This is the old one, the really old one. This came out the same year as Revenge of the Sith, long before anybody knew what a Kylo Ren was. A third-person shooter with an incredible wealth of content, this game has everything. Jedi and Sith, humans and aliens, heck; you can even play as a Wampas and get rid of those annoying rebels on your precious snow planet. Battlefront II also comes with a robust single-player campaign mode that draws from the extended Star Wars canon.
Star Wars Bounty Hunter (2002) – PS4
Going even further back, this game follows the second most famous bounty hunter in the galaxy: Jango Fett. He might be in third place now that we have Din Djarin from The Mandalorian, but the top three is still pretty good. Following Jango’s actions before Attack of the Clones, this game was released on PS2 and GameCube before getting a refurbished port on the PS4. It looks better than it used to, but brace yourself for some clunky two-decade-old camera control.
Star Wars: Dark Forces (1995) – Steam
Now we’re talking. Dark Forces was first released on PC in 1995 and plays like a mix between Doom and well… Star Wars. That’s not a bad thing though, Doom can’t be beaten as far as shoot-em-up’s go. Despite nearing its thirtieth birthday, the gameplay really holds up, and when it’s on sale for two bucks, how could you say no?
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008) – Steam, Switch, Xbox
The most recent game here, and still 14 years old. This is one of those games that sold itself on taking advantage of the Wii-mote, way back when motion controls were the hot new thing. Whether or not you play this while doing your best impression of Star Wars kid, that’s up to you. What matters is the gripping story of the Sith known as Galen (no wonder he preferred Starkiller).
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I/II (2003/4) – Mobile, Steam, Switch, Xbox
You can’t name the best Star Wars games ever made without acknowledging Knights of the Old Republic. Both the original and sequel make it into lists of the greatest games ever, never mind just the greatest Star Wars games. Released in 2003 and ’04 respectively, these two have set the bar for every Star Wars game released in their wake. Few have reached it, none have passed it. If you’re looking for the same experience with modern graphics, you’ll have to wait for the Sony remake. You can watch the trailer here.
The Xbox and Switch sales last till May 5, the Steam deals till May 6, and PlayStation sales finish on May 11. If you want to keep the nostalgia train rolling, take a look at all the vintage media on Disney+. If old school isn’t your thing, stay tuned because it looks like Disney has more in the works…
