Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (Xbox)

...been the staple of the Star Wars films since the later '70s. However strangely the two have never really connected. There have been some good attempts with Lego Star Wars and Battlefront, but nothing has totally maxed the potential.

Revenge of the Sith accompanies the film of the same name and was released at the same time in a wave of publicity, although sadly it falls a little flat and after the excitment of seeing footage from the ...
...with a standard game and a sense of frustration.

The game follows the film closely through 17 levels. In one player you play as either Anakin or Obi-Wan depending on which scene from the film it is. Most of the key plot points are here with film footage and animations to link all of the action together. The duels which are so key to the film are also present, as well as a few extra one's.

The game plays like a normal ... more

When you think of some of the more common aspects of a platform computer game some of the ideas that come to mind are a character that has a cool sword, perform super human feats and has a sprinkling of magic powers thrown in.

These ideas have been the staple of these games for generations, and have also been the staple of the Star Wars films since the later '70s. However strangely the two have never really connected. There have been some good attempts with Lego Star Wars and Battlefront, but nothing has totally maxed the potential.

Revenge of the Sith accompanies the film of the same name and was released at the same time in a wave of publicity, although sadly it falls a little flat and after the excitment of seeing footage from the film (useless once you've actually seen the film) you're left with a standard game and a sense of frustration.

The game follows the film closely through 17 levels. In one player you play as either Anakin or Obi-Wan depending on which scene from the film it is. Most of the key plot points are here with film footage and animations to link all of the action together. The duels which are so key to the film are also present, as well as a few extra one's.

The game plays like a normal platform game. The characters move along in a set direction within set parameters and battle enemies in a set order as they come on to the screen. The characters to begin with are of reasonable strength, and as you gain experience through kills you can upgrade your power and your moves to deal with the tougher enemies you'll face later. As well as you fighting moves you can also upgrade your force powers.

The fighting is either reliant on great skill or great luck. You can happily button bash away or learn certain combos to carve down your opponents. Most enemies are quite easy to overcome and it's only the one-on-one duels where extensive sword skills are needed.

The duels are good fun and as well as the one's from the film you also get to fight Mace as Anakin in an extended fight and also a special Jedi Sword Master at one point as well.

The game is good fun for a bit, however my problem with this game is that it is very limited. There is no sense of exploring anywhere as there is only a certain amount of the screen you can move to. The idea of unlocking secrets is usually just moving a crate to find a power up and this means each attempt at a level is very similar. This style was find with 'Golden Axe' and 'Double Dragon' but I think with such a big name product you want a litle more for your money. Also the game is very easy. I completed it on my third day of owning it (wasn't even playing flat out either) and because of the simplicity of the levels there isn't a great deal of replay value. I was also a little annoyed because I hadn't even mastered half of the controls. Certain moves were still beyond me and yet I'm looking quite happily at the end credits!

There are a few saving graces. There is some comedy in how you can dispatch enemies and also once you have completed a level you can go back at any time, for instance now I can instantly jump to any of the duel levels. Also for fans of the film there is an extra level at the end where you can play Anakin in the final fight instead of Obi-Wan. The Two player duel is good fun and it's nice to be able to unlock extra characters for this, although it would be more satisfying if there was more challenge.

The game is ok but I would feel agreived if I had shelled out £40 for this when it first came out. Second hand for £10 is about right and I will get my money's worth, although I doubt I'll be able to shake the feeling that this game was rushed to capitalise on the hype surrounding the film and that a massive opportunity has been missed. 

...less