Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

The Good
A title long in development, it was something I had eagerly been anticipating even more so than the stellar Star Wars Battlefront.

SW:RotS is most similar in game design to The Two Towers or Return of the King, but not nearly as good as either. You go through the game's single player playing as either Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi or Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. The game is a third person action game, consisting of waves of enemies and situations that you need to fight your way through using either your lightsaber, the force, and any handy object that you can Force throw.

While many may consider it a typical hack and slash title, the Star Wars theme and it's nuances provide a fresh perspective on this genre. The single best feature of this game is the use of the Force (if you don't know what that is...so help you). With it, you can pick up enemies and toss them around; levitate them and stick your lightsaber into their guts; shoot lightning from your fingertips; throw your lightsaber into a group of enemies; or even unleash devastating attacks that clear the screen.

The combat in the game, while consisting of the standard light, medium, and heavy attacks, is upgradeable, and you will unlock new combos as you gain points for how well you destroy enemies. Many of the attacks would have been impossible to perform in real life; however, some classic moves like Obi-Wan's backward lunge is included.

The game ties into the movie of the same name surprisingly well, and even triumphs the movie at times. Scenes that were cut out from the film are included in the game, and provide some excellent character moments. Probably the coolest fight in the game is a duel between Anakin and Mace Windu, which would have been an amazing sight in the movie.

This game also includes one of the coolest unlockables I have ever seen: a different ending to the movie. It's the scene I wanted to see after watching the movie...but since Episode 3 will probably be the best of all the Star Wars movies, I'm not complaining.

The Bad
The game includes both a co-op and versus mode. However, unlike the one in Return of the King, it isn't a true co-op mode. Both players are thrown into situations and have to survive waves of enemies in a single room instead of actually working through the story together. The versus mode is actually pretty entertaining though, and always you to play as multiples characters such as Darth Vader, General Grevious, and ANH Obi-Wan.

The Bottom Line
Overall, this is a really fun game that works really well mainly due to it's Star Wars theme. While I made the mistake of buying the game the day it was released, anyone now can pick it up for a much more reasonable $20 or $30.

If you are a fan of hack and slash, or want to know more about the story of Revenge of the Sith, this game is for you. Easily one of the better movie based games released in recent years, on par with the excellent but flawed Enter the Matrix.

The Good
I was a major fan of the original trilogy growing up. I was burned by the prequel trilogy, though admittedly the third was better than the other two. Despite countless games based on Episode I and II, I thought that the third film would make for a good game.

There are lots of options available to you, as you can build up your characters as you progress and gain experience. You're not limited to hack-and-slash, as you can also improve other skills, such as grapples, force powers, and finishers. Nobody has to play the game the same way.

The control is responsive, but takes a little getting used to. Nearly everything on the pad is utilized, which isn't always a good thing for such a fast-paced game.

As with any Star Wars game, audio is top-notch. Sound effects are clear, as is the music.

If there's one thing to be said about the story, it's that they actually managed to improve upon the plot of the film. Certain battles have been lengthened, such as the battle against General Grevous. The scene where Anakin slices off Mace Windu's arms actually turns into a long battle sequence with a plot, rather than being an instant Dark Side transition.

The Bad
I didn't really enjoy the game. I love beat-em-ups and hack-and-slash games, but Revenge of the Sith felt more like a chore than anything else. There wasn't a real balance to it. Everything was either too easy or too hard. Trying to perform combos while getting shot in the back tends to be more frustrating than fun. It's like a spiritual sequel to Jedi Power Battles, but they tried to put too much in.

There's no excuse for such an ugly game on the Xbox. The models aren't very good, the textures are very grainy, and the lighting effects aren't what they should be. The cutscene quality is pretty shabby. It's not particularly grainy, but it's got the look of a 3-hour movie that's been ripped to DivX and then converted to DVD-5. It has a sort of blurry, washed-out look to it. There are also video cutscenes made using the game engine, rather than just using the game engine to render them in-game. Again, the quality is terrible and looks much worse than the game itself.

While voice acting was handled well for the most part, there are a few standouts. The actor who voiced Anakin must have really disliked Hayden Christensen more than I do, because he managed to make the virtual representation more annoying. Mace Windu, however, is completely out of character. Rather than portraying Mace Windu, they decided that the actor should poorly portray Samuel L. Jackson, spouting lines that are uncharacteristic and stupid, not only for the character, but for a Jedi. At least the guy who performed Obi Wan earned his paycheck. There were times that I swore that Ewan MacGregor was handling voice duty.

The Bottom Line
Unless you like monotonous button-mashers with too much to do, I wouldn't recommend this game. It's a lazy port of a mediocre game that lacks fun.