10 Star Wars Games That Still Feel Surprisingly Fresh Years After Release

One of the worst feelings I can ever experience as a gamer is starting up a beloved childhood classic, then realizing how much it has aged. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad game now, just that it doesn't feel as fresh or exciting as it did back in the day.

Like the space opera franchise they are all based on, Star Wars video games are often at the bleeding edge of new technology and hardware. Star Wars video games tend to follow the same mantra that George Lucas had when he made the classic films, which was pushing advancements in tech, while also sometimes creating what didn't exist in order to make it possible.

Looking back at the vast catalog of Star Wars games, it's understandable to fear that any particular game may feel dated. In my lifetime of playing video games and loving Star Wars, however, I feel confident in saying that all the games on this list feel like they could stand toe-to-toe with their contemporaries.

10 Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Git Gud, Jedi Scum

One genre that will likely never go out of style is the side-scrolling 2D action-platformer. It was a dominant force in the 1990s, which meant that if you were a Star Wars fan growing up in the 1990s, the prospect of straight-up adaptations of the films in this style was intoxicating.

The first two games based on the trilogy were excellent, but by the time LucasArts got to Return of the Jedi, they had become exceptionally efficient at bringing the movies to life in this way. Played today, it still feels just as crisp, chaotic and challenging to play as ever.

I would easily stack Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi up against its modern-day 2D peers. The sprite work is incredible, everything feels remarkably fast and if you're a fellow Return of the Jedi superfan like myself, you'll be happy seeing some of the movie's most outstanding moments brought to life.

9 Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Begun, the Clone War Has

The Star Wars prequel trilogy was inundated with video game tie-ins. 2002's Attack of the Clones didn't get as many tie-ins as The Phantom Menace, but it did get one truly fascinating game that delivered on the promise that the film's climactic conclusion made. Yoda's sweeping declaration at the end of Attack of the Clones that the Clone War has begun pays off big time here.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place during the end of Attack of the Clones, chronicling the first year of the conflict. Combining elements of vehicle gameplay and on-foot segments, The Clone Wars still feels excellent to play. It feels like the kind of mid-budget indie game that would go absolutely nuts on Steam.

A major part of the fun is controlling so many of the prequel's outstanding vehicles. Gunships, speeders and tanks are all a delight to control, and the on-foot sections are surprisingly fun for a game of this time. It was also a unique experience for a prequel tie-in, as there weren't a ton of games that just let you control characters on foot in a 3D space.

8 Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

An Innovator in 3D Gaming

I've often said that games like Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire feel like they've been forgotten for what they contributed to modern game development. It's not insane to comprehend a modern game having multiple styles of gameplay, offering up on-foot shooting, vehicles and exploration.

Back in the early days of 3D gaming, specifically fall of 1996 when Shadows of the Empire hit the N64, it wasn't as common. I don't think there was a single game in 1996 I was more excited to play than Shadows of the Empire, as my dad excitedly brought it home for us. Over the years, I've replayed this game countless times, and each time I'm shocked at how great it still feels.

Shooters today, be they first or third-person, are keenly focused on allowing you to nail down your shot precisely. I do enjoy that, but I find the chaotic, from-the-hip shooting of Shadows of the Empire to feel wonderfully fresh in comparison. You can, of course, still narrow down your shot in first-person mode, but the madness you create by shooting from the hip actually feels a bit closer to the madness that the films create in their shootouts.

7 Star Wars: Obi-Wan

An Xbox Gem

Owning an original Xbox back in the day felt like you were a part of something truly unique and special. Indeed, the Xbox brand managed to build a strong relationship with not just players, but developers. Just one month into the console's life-cycle, the Xbox received a brand-new, exclusive Star Wars game.

It made owning the console feel worth it, as Star Wars: Obi-Wan acted as a loose re-telling of the events of The Phantom Menace. Starring the ever-loveable Obi-Wan Kenobi, though without the voice of Ewan McGregor unfortunately, this impressive third-person action game looks and sounds absolutely phenomenal.

Even over two decades later, Star Wars: Obi-Wan's combat and lightsaber movement are fantastic. With the right stick, you'll fling the lightsaber in that direction, and it actually works better than you might think.

6 Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

The Origin of the Clone Army

Like so many of you, I grew up absolutely obsessed with the character of Boba Fett. The helmet, the swagger, there was no competing with him for the title of coolest Star Wars character. Boba had appeared in several video games in the 90s, but instead of a playable character, it was always as a boss or antagonist.

Someone finally wised up, realizing that we wanted to play as Boba Fett, not fight him. Star Wars: Bounty Hunter didn't quite give us Boba, but it did give us the next best thing in his father, Jango Fett. Chronicling the origin of the clone army seen in Attack of the Clones, Bounty Hunter takes place a decade before the events of the film.

What really strikes me about Bounty Hunter today is the speed of it. A lot of games from this generation and prior have a tendency to feel a little slow today, but Bounty Hunter's fierce, visceral blaster gun battles are still stupendous. It also has some fun side activities, including optional bounties. It's honestly a pretty amazing feeling to scan an NPC, see they have a bounty and capture them. It's one that a lot of modern games can't even replicate.

5 Star Wars Racer Revenge

Revenge is a Dish Best Served on the Race Track

Despite the criticism lobbed against it, it was hard for anyone to deny how cool the podracing scene was in The Phantom Menace. A lot of video games have attempted to emulate the high-stakes spectacle, but none of them still feel as good to play as Star Wars: Racer Revenge.

Released a few months before Attack of the Clones, Racer Revenge takes place a couple of years before the film. Whether it was canon at the time or not is up for debate, but just one race in Racer Revenge will convince you just how exciting and fast the game feels. I'd put Racer Revenge up against any modern futuristic racing game.

The track design is also excellent. The diversity of the tracks is great, running the gamut of Star Wars environments, but also the designs themselves. Each track is filled with shortcuts, some of which are rather difficult to obtain, and a sense of evolving, vertical escalation that's so incredibly enjoyable.

4 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

The Best Star Wars Movie Never Made

Despite the announcement of George Lucas' prequel trilogy in 1993, they were still almost a decade away. In the meantime, LucasArts had been filling the gap by producing Star Wars video games that used live-action actors. It was a rather fun time for Star Wars games, and no title exemplified that more than Dark Forces II.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II was released in 1997, two years before The Phantom Menace. It was the perfect tee-up for Star Wars' return to the big-screen, bringing the Jedi and lightsabers back to the forefront in a big way. Dark Forces II also had a big responsibility, as it was the first Star Wars game to let you control a lightsaber in 3D.

Dark Forces II feels like the Star Wars movie that never existed, as it has all the hallmarks and quirks of the films. It also feels utterly spectacular to play. Shooting and movement is top-tier, but nothing quite compares to how deadly the lightsaber feels. Deflecting blaster bolts and slicing up stormtroopers really never goes out of style.

3 Star Wars: Empire at War

An Untapped Genre in Star Wars

Star Wars has explored nearly every genre imaginable in video games. Shooters, racers, even fighting games. One genre that has a shockingly low representation, however, is the real-time strategy game. Considering how tailor-made Star Wars is for this genre, it's rather unusual that only five exist. The best among them is easily Star Wars: Empire at War.

Empire at War is an absolute winner as far as RTS games go, but you add the Star Wars flavoring on top, and you've got something even more special. The presentation and direction of the game is spectacular, with amazing music and UI design. It looks the part, in every way.

Unit command and control in Empire of War is also supremely slick. Empire at War's pace is energetic, with a strong focus on forward momentum in every single map or skirmish. Galactic domination is the name of the game, and whether you play as the Empire or the Rebels, you're in for a great time. Empire at War also has a surprisingly active modding community, a remarkable feat for a game that's over twenty years old.

2 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

A Perfect Sequel

Obsidian was given a one-year deadline to create a sequel to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, as original developer BioWare had opted to make an original IP instead of adhering to LucasArts' strict one-year schedule. While they went off to develop the absolutely brilliant Mass Effect, Obsidian stepped in to develop the sequel.

The reputation that Obsidian has gained as a smart, quality developer over the years has to be owed to their work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. As far as sequels go, it is incredible how much of an improvement Obsidian made over the original. That's saying a lot considering how amazing the first Knights of the Old Republic game was.

KOTOR II is faster, sharper and darker than the original, and has one of the most entertaining Star Wars stories ever written. The way it peers into what the dark side of the Force actually is, and the mental cost it takes to be a Force user, is outstanding. It was so unlike anything Star Wars was doing at the time, and in a lot of ways, it still is.

1 Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Aged Like a Fine Wine

Over the past year or so, I've been replaying the entire Jedi Knight franchise. Starting all the way back with Dark Forces, the one game I was itching to revisit was Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. I was so incredibly happy when I realized that Jedi Outcast more than holds up today, and is still aging gracefully despite being over twenty years old.

Kyle Katarn's greatest adventure is one that ticks all the boxes a Star Wars tale needs. It has lightsabers, bounty hunters, spies, assassins and quirky humor. There's also a ton of variety in environments and planets, including some rather famous ones from the Star Wars movies that hadn't been seen in video games in a while.

The one thing Jedi Outcast really nails, however, is the lightsaber combat. The combination of the iconic sound effects, sparks flying and slow-motion death camera when you take out another lightsaber user is unbeatable.