Soapbox options allow our particular person writers and contributors to voice their opinions on sizzling subjects and random stuff they have been chewing over. At this time, Jim celebrates Revenge of the Fifth with a DS throwback…
You felt it, did not you? A disturbance within the Power. Over on Coruscant, Darth Sidious has referred to as for the execution of Order 66, however maybe extra pressingly, I’ve lastly discovered the chance to wax lyrical in regards to the Star Wars prequels. It is occurring, of us. Strap in.
If yesterday (Might 4th) was Star Wars Day, then that makes immediately (Revenge of the Fifth) the right — and, let’s admit it, solely — alternative to speak about Episode III, the greatest Star Wars film. Sure, I stated it.
Now, I am all for standing for the Republic, for democracy, so I will not maintain it in opposition to you in the event you do not feel the identical means (heck, you would not be alone), however the place I have to maintain the excessive floor is on all issues in regards to the Revenge of the Sith DS recreation, a tie-in so candy that nearly 20 years on, I’m nonetheless of the completely unbiased opinion that it would simply be the height of all Star Wars gaming.
A very long time in the past in a galaxy far, distant, film tie-in video games had been as quite a few as Anakin’s midi-chlorian depend. It appeared that again within the age of the GBA and DS, no massive movie may hit cinemas with out being accompanied by a rushed 2D platformer. They had been a dime a dozen and have lengthy been misplaced to the sands (coarse and tough and worsening) of time. However not Revenge of the Sith. Now right here is an instance of a tie-in finished proper.
Launched on each Recreation Boy Advance and DS, this Ubisoft Montpellier-led venture is a 2D belt-scroller that usually follows the identical narrative threads because the 2005 film. There was additionally a 3D motion model launched elsewhere, however these aren’t the consoles you are on the lookout for. For the programs related to us at Nintendo Life, you select to play as both Obi-Wan or Anakin and make your means by 13 ranges of lightsaber-swinging, beat-’em-up motion. There’s a handful of minibosses sprinkled in there and the dual-screen model even comes with some 3D house battle sequences.
Occupied with it within the run-up to this Star Wars weekend, I had begun to fret that maybe this was simply as commonplace as the entire different tie-ins of the time. Is it doable that my rose-tinted nostalgia for the sport was born out of my unabashed love for the movie? It was a really actual risk and one that would solely be put to the check by a interval of intense scientific analysis (shopping for a replica on-line and staying up all night time enjoying it to the tip).
The outcomes are in and this Padawan was proper on the cash. The sport nonetheless slaps.
This may look from the surface like your commonplace Poodoo affair, however there’s a stunning quantity of depth beneath the hood. The controls are clear and responsive, the fight is surprisingly deep with quite a few particular assaults discovered alongside the way in which, and there’s a neat ability-upgrade menu on the finish of every stage — one that may inevitably encourage a ‘However is it an RPG?’-induced headache if it had been launched immediately.
My shock at how the sport performs was one factor, however the way it seems introduced me much more pleasure. By Qui-Gon’s beard, I hadn’t anticipated simply how properly the cartoon aesthetic would maintain up! The sprites look beautiful — one thing that can not be stated for the sport’s 3D PS2/Xbox 360 counterpart — and every lightsaber swing is filled with such persona that it places some trendy animations to disgrace. For actual, when can I play this on my OLED?
As I sped by the Anakin storyline, recollections of my first playthrough got here flooding again. The tank that may solely be defeated by deflecting Troopers’ blasters at it, the bonus goodies hidden in destructible components of the stage, my incapacity to fly any ship with the Y-axis controls inverted (yep, I undoubtedly did not nonetheless battle with that one…).
The one factor lacking was the absence of the sport’s good multiplayer — a pure product of enjoying a 20-year-old DS recreation in a night as an grownup, I suppose. It ought to come as no shock that I lapped up this re-playthrough as if I had been a Youngling once more, but it surely has left me thirsty for 3D dogfight sequences with my buddies. The only-player flights are nonetheless stuffed with peril, however nothing fairly as palm-sweaty as the specter of passing your DS over to another person in the event you die, to adjust to the foundations of a selfmade winner-stays-on match. Wow, I used to place actual planning into my recreation nights.
The Obi-Wan aspect of issues is… properly, a lot the identical, with some apparent story tweaks to suit with the plot of the movie. However that is nonetheless two tales! The modifications may solely quantity to, ‘Do I combat Common Grevious or Mace Windu?’ however that is okay. It is extra Star Wars. And good Star Wars at that!
Look, the prequels have their issues, even I can settle for that, however this tie-in is just not considered one of them. If you’re a fan of their character arcs and top-notch lightsaber fights, then a DS throwback like this can welcome you with open arms. If, alternatively, the tacky dialogue and picket performing left you eager for a Jar-Jar-free world, then a well-made retelling like this may simply be sufficient to make you see the movie’s deserves.
I am not saying that blockbuster tie-ins ought to make a comeback (although I would purchase a Dune: Half Two beat ’em up in a heartbeat), however if you’re solely ever going to play one, it needs to be this. To at the present time, Revenge of the Sith on DS is a Should(afar)-play.
Did you ever play this one? May you attempt selecting it up now? Tell us within the feedback.
