There are many different Star Wars games, but only a few of them have achieved a legendary reputation among fans. These games stand out among others by embodying some of the best aspects of a galaxy far, far away. And Star Wars fans love to go back and play them over again, with hopes of one day seeing them receive a remake.
Not every hit Star Wars game deserves an update, but there are a select few that become so popular the conversation about remaking them comes up frequently. And with games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (possibly) getting remakes, Star Wars fans would love to see other games get the same treatment.
The top five Star Wars games that deserve remakes
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
The Rogue Squadron games are considered to be some of the best arcade flight games ever made. The original game lets players take control of a starship and complete missions with members of Rogue Squadron for the Rebellion during the original Star Wars trilogy.
With easy controls and fast-paced action, the dogfights against TIE fighters and other Imperial forces were amazingly fun. It was very different from the X-Wing and TIE Fighter series, as well as Star Wars Squadrons that came later.
The first game spawned two sequels; Star Wars: Rogue Leader introduced cooperative missions to play with a friend, while Rebel Strike brought the action outside your ship. A full remake of the very first game, however, would spotlight the awesome flight action that people loved.
With modern-day graphics, more Rebel ships to control, as well as new eras to take place in, a full remake of Star Wars: Rogue Squadron would be a certified hit.
Star Wars: Republic Commando
The prequel era of Star Wars had many games set within the Clone Wars, mostly in between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. But few ever tried to twist the lens of how we saw the Clone Wars in the same way that Republic Commando did.
Set before the events of Episode Three, Star Wars: Republic Commando puts you in the shoes of a clone commander leading a squad of clone commandos on missions for The Republic.
In the same spirit as other first-person Tom Clancy games of the time like Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, you and your squad work as a strong unit to accomplish missions that nobody else could do. You can order clones to breach doors, use suppressive fire, and set explosives as you complete other mission objectives. It’s a fun take on Star Wars that has seldom been done since, but would be amazing to see remade today.
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
The Jedi Knight games are legendary releases that were the inspiration for other games that followed. Both Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy are heralded as games with the best lightsaber combat of all time. But it’s Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast that thrust the series into popularity when it was released on multiple home consoles.
Jedi Outcast follows the story of Kyle Katarn, a mercenary-turned-Jedi Knight. He’s the protagonist of the series and completes missions for the New Republic in a post-Return of the Jedi era.
While the story of the game can be complicated, many fans remember this game and its sequel for how fun it was to wield a lightsaber and use Force powers. The multiplayer mode has you and your friends duel in team deathmatch and other game types. To this day, it is still played online and used as a basis for many mods shared within the Star Wars community.
Remaking this game would reinvigorate a fan base that longed to relive the good old days of endless multiplayer nights. Luckily, Respawn Entertainment is working on a new game that takes heavy inspiration from the Jedi Knight series, so there may be hope yet!
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
One of the pivotal moments of the Star Wars expanded universe was the multimedia event Shadows of the Empire. Known as a movie without a movie, Shadows of the Empire told a story set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The game was released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64 and PC, which followed a smuggler named Dash Rendar who was captain of the Outrider and friend of Han Solo.
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is noted for being the first full 3D adaptation of The Battle of Hoth. It was also a third-person action game connected directly to the original trilogy. For many, it was a fun Star Wars adventure that involved their favorite legendary characters, while offering something new they never saw before.
With the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws also set in this same timeframe, it would be great to also see Dash Rendar’s adventure be completely remade and brought into the current canon.
Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles
Hot off the heels of the release of The Phantom Menace, multiple Star Wars games were made to cater to old and new fans of the beloved films. One standout for many fans growing up was Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles.
This action game lets you control multiple Jedi Knights in a cooperative brawler, where you and a friend could take down legions of battle droids on Naboo. Players are able to team up with Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn, Adi Gallia, and Plo Koon to take on the galaxy’s greatest enemies.
Although the game was fun to play at the time, a full remake of Jedi Power Battles would greatly improve the experience today. Not only could we use more Jedi characters to play across the entirety of the prequel era, but even bring in some from other eras of Star Wars.
The best part of Jedi Power Battles was the cooperative multiplayer, which would be a lot of fun with revamped controls and even more battle droids to fight with a buddy.
