Star Wars Computer Games
In the world of computer games, the Star Wars universe has a storied history. Formerly known as LucasFilm Games (named after George Lucas), LucasArts has been the source of almost all the official Star Wars games since the mid-1980s. In this time, they have produced action games, strategy games and role-playing games, and they have collaborated with Lego for a retrospective of the Star Wars film series.
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X-Wing and TIE Fighter
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The first big hit on the PC side is arguably X-Wing. This is a flight simulator set in outer space which offers a parallel story to Episode IV (a common strategy for most Star Wars games). Like most space-based flight simulators, the game was broken down into story-based missions including dogfights, escorting, capturing enemy ships and attacking whole fleets of Galactic Empire vessels.
Its sequel, TIE Fighter, puts the player on the Empire side. It brought improved visual effects, a radar particularly well-adapted to three-dimensional space combat, and more interactive briefings (the pre-flight meeting where the pilots are told about their objectives). Both games received multiple expansion packs, which added new missions and new ships.
Rebel Assault
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Also of note is Star Wars: Rebel Assault, which used full-motion video (rare for the time) to capture actor footage and audio from the movies and insert it into the game. In this action game, the player was "on rails," meaning that the majority of their interaction was aiming a weapon, while they moved automatically through various environments without much choice in speed or direction.
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Dark Forces
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Soon after came Star Wars: Dark Forces, a first-person shooter (FPS) like Doom or Quake, starring a character named Kyle Katarn. He starts out as a mercenary but slowly discovers that he has Jedi potential. All of the games in this series were notable for putting more emphasis on story and character than other FPSs of the time.
Star Wars Galaxies
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LucasArts focused on console games and non-Star Wars games for a time, but then they returned with Star Wars Galaxies, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMO). Here, thousands of players would interact with each other over the Internet and play-act as members of the Rebel Alliance in a large virtual environment. You could take various missions for the rebels, or you could spend your time crafting items for other players to buy (with virtual money).
Knights of the Old Republic
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LucasArts also released Knights of the Old Republic, which is set thousands of years before the events of Episode IV. This popular role-playing game set up the player as a Jedi in training and introduced them to a complex history of the Jedi and their opponents, the Sith. An MMO based on The Old Republic is scheduled for some time in 2010.
LEGO Star Wars
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Another popular series is LEGO Star Wars. The player is immersed into all six Star Wars films as depicted by LEGO characters and pieces (which have been available at retail for years). This series is oriented towards younger players and can be played cooperatively by several players at once.
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