Star Wars Ports Make Me Eager for Future Games

Another Star Wars game gets a port to PS4 and Nintendo Switch this month! If you’re a fan of Republic Commando, this is a great reason to revisit the game. It’s also a good reason to be optimistic about the future of Star Wars games with a revitalized LucasFilm Games. In fact, I’d argue that the resources and attention on Star Wars games might end up rivaling the 90s and 00s where it seemed like games from a galaxy far, far away got released regularly.

One thing that many Star Wars games focused on was the movies. There were major releases for each film in the prequel trilogy, but we didn’t get that from the sequel trilogy. All in all, it seemed like Star Wars games might not really make a big comeback. Especially considering how lackluster the EA-exclusivity deal ended up being for the franchise. Then, we got improvements to Battlefront 2 and a great release in Jedi: Fallen Order. My optimism was growing, but the Lucasfilm Games announcement leaves me feeling widely hopeful.

The beauty of replaying these Star Wars ports like Republic Commando and Episode 1 Racer is how simplistic they feel. That’s not a slight at the games; I appreciate how they’re just straightforward experiences in the world of Star Wars. Jedi: Fallen Order was like this as well. It had Souls-style action gameplay and a simple premise. Give us halfway decent gameplay with familiar planets, characters, and weapons and we’ll be happy.

As we look ahead to the future of Lucasfilm Games, I don’t want to simply rehash the old Star Wars games in higher fidelity. I want new experiences that honor the spirit of Star Wars but give me something, at the very least, enjoyable to play for 10-20 hours. I think they’ll make it happen now that Disney is fully invested in expanding this franchise beyond movies. Let’s hope my cheery optimism isn’t met with another decade of lackluster games.