The Best Star Wars Games Ever Made

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the theatrical release of The Empire Strikes Back, IGN has cranked out a list of what they feel are the ten best Star Wars video games ever developed. BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic unsuprisingly secures the #2 spot, with the #1 position rightfully going to the legendary TIE Fighter:

Some of the games on our list are about re-living the heart-pounding action of the Star Wars films. Others delve into specific niches like dogfighting or lightsaber dueling. But only Knights of the Old Republic is truly about inhabiting the Star Wars universe. More than any other Star Wars game created to date, KOTOR wraps the world of wookies, Jedi and droids around you and immerses you in their stories. When it was released for Xbox and PC in 2003, it opened our eyes to what a role-playing game could be. It was so good that it drew in gamers who weren’t necessarily Star Wars nuts but just wanted an amazing role-playing experience. They weren’t disappointed.

Developer BioWare seemed to do it all with Knights of the Old Republic. The voice acting was stellar. The writing was top-notch. The Star Wars fiction was spot-on. The characters were believable, and their choices actually seemed to hold weight. KOTOR was nothing short of a triumph in RPG gaming, and BioWare has continued to build on its legacy with games like Jade Empire and Mass Effect. What Star Wars RPG can top it? If any can, we’re betting it’s BioWare’s next project. an upcoming Star Wars MMORPG called The Old Republic.

While the game certainly wasn’t perfect, I’m not really sure why Star Wars: KotOR II has been neglected so much over the years. To say that LEGO Star Wars is a better game than The Sith Lords is a slap in the face.