Star Wars Chess

For a Chess game, with another human opponent, this game is great fun. Until the novelty wears off and you go back to using a regular board – an option that is not available as it is in Interplay’s BattleChess – or to play the game from a different viewpoint. This is most certainly worth a play through, if only for the capture animations. Though if you are looking for a Serious Chess Challenge, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for…

Although action/adventure flicks like the Star Wars Trilogy seem like action-only video games, this CD provides a fun way to play chess. Chess purists and Star Wars purists will enjoy this one. Most impressive!

Vaikka kuoret ovatkin hyvät, kaatuu pelattavuus viimeistään Windowsiin. Peli takkuilee kahdeksassakin megassa, vaikka vaatii muka vain neljä. Tuplanopeuksinen CD-ROM on tarpeen, sillä yksinopeuksisella peli tahmii järkyttävästi esimerkiksi kävelyanimaatioita ladattaessa. Ruudun päivitysnopeus todistaa Windowsin pelikäyttöön kelpaamattomuuden puolesta.

I admit, I rolled my eyes when I saw this game existed. It seemed like a cash-in at its worst, and a sad change of direction for Software Toolworks. After playing it, I still think it's a cash-in, but the production values are nice and this is a decent game for anyone who is excited about the concept. The battle animations are pure gimmick, but they actually do encourage replayablity or different tactics just to see all the possible outcomes. The game overall even manages to be more exciting and fun that just plain vanilla chess. It's still a fairly silly idea though, and if you're not interested in Star Wars Chess, you won't be missing anything. If you are, this game might turn out a little better than you expected.

This game is kind of dumb. Even if you do like chess. Everytime you make a move there's an animated fight between the two pieces (ex. Leia and Stormtrooper). But it looks bad.

The chess aspect itself is pretty good. There are loads of options, including helpful hints and the ever-popular "switch sides" option (comes in handy for me). The CPU player is intelligent and doesn't require an inordinate amount of time to execute a move. Although the default view is a bit cluttered (making it hard to see the empty spaces), an overhead view (with traditional chess pieces) is also available. Star Wars Chess is mainly a novelty item, but even if you don't like chess, you can always sit back and watch the computer play itself.