Asking the really pointless questions now!
Star Wars is an antiquated premise on it's face, proceeded by whole genres worth of typical fantasy storytelling to inform the way it holds it's own poise. Yes, we all pretty much have accepted the fact that the original Star Wars is exactly just the 'farmer becomes hero and saves the princess from the castle' archetypal story; yet somehow, through style and confidence, the series has managed to propagate itself into owning a feeling of distinct individuality. Even when that conceptually shouldn't stack up. Still, today we know what Star Wars looks like, we know how it should feel and how it should sound; and a lot of that comes from the masterful work of the various individuals that lent their talents to creating the world and the sound-scape; but at some point that heavy work needs to rest on the shoulders of a familiar core premise. A premise of ragtag heroic types on their way to save the galaxy from some esoteric classically evil threat, usually with magic powers tossed in there.
Star Wars has thrived as a brand over the years, such to the point that me even writing that sentence no doubt elicited an eyeroll and/or clucked tongue for how blindly apparent and obvious it is. Yet from all the vectors of the entertainment world that the franchise now touches, TV, games, books, comics; there's little that actually capture the specific style of what the movies coveted. Which I'd argue is a blessing, to be clear. A series that can only work when emulating it's core set-up to the letter has little in the way of legs to it and would do little to attract the creativity and dreaming that Star Wars does. But still, there are times when all you want is to shut your eyes and picture you're that same age you were when you first saw Star Wars, and relive all those firsts from the wonder that experience gave you. (Or lack thereof. Some people don't like Star Wars; I see you.) And what, I today wonder, could replicate that moment?
Within the world of Star Wars games there are plenty of great examples of games that soar on their own two feet and scoured legions of fans, yet who do so not quite capturing the specific charm that the movies did; rather generating their own. I think one of the best examples of this from the old guard of Star Wars is Dark Empire; a DOOM-like Star Wars title that pits you as a gun slinging smuggler-type against legions of Stormtroopers, Dark Troopers and regularly labyrinthian level design. It has the 16 bit soundtrack that emulates Star Wars, it borrows the classic white skeleton design of the Stormtroopers but you'd be hard pressed calling it a Star Wars movie bought to the controllers. For one I can't recall how significant the narrative is when it comes to the simple idea of good vs evil (it's more of a side-story within the larger narrative) and for two there's a distinct lack of supporting cast, where the lightly dysfunctional family of Star Wars is an underrated, but decently important, vector of that universe.
'Star Wars: The Force Unleashed' is a comparatively modern contender that I think of often when I ponder this topic, and not just for the way that it slots itself into the main narrative of the Star Wars universe with all the grace of a Wookie who just lost a game of chess. There is a decent set-up to the story of the game, the characters you meet and the stakes you face that is so very familiar to the set-up of a Star Wars movie; such to the extent that I think it fits the space very well. Sure, there's perhaps a lack of originality when it comes to the set-up, but honestly 'lacking originality' is a hallmark of movie Star Wars too. There's even a ropey implication of potentially complex relationships even though this is a game and the team absolutely had the time available to make the Juno Eclipse relationship more interesting. You might contest that but then I'd have to counter: is Princess Leia's relationship with Luke and Han even remotely substantial? Really chew on that. Okay, I best move on before this becomes a roast of Star Wars. The Force Unleashed is a great-feeling Star Wars game that mimics the heart of the movies to a point, Force Unleashed 2 losses the charm and suffers by comparison. However, there's a lack of the journey when it comes to the character's evolution. We don't get that journey from the farm to the stars, which is another huge staple. We see where he comes from, sure, but then Starkiller just becomes a badass for the rest of the franchise. Missed opportunity if you ask me.
But now the big one; Knights of the Old Republic. When I thought of this topic, KOTOR was the game that was on my mind. For no more reason than because it's a game that nails everything I've bought up until now, the rag-tag team, the good vs evil plotlines, the zero-to-hero plotline; but then they kicked it up a notch with The Empire stakes: They told a twist. And it was such a good one too. A dark mirror of the Empire Strikes Back twist, but one which rewrites the narrative in a totally different, and arguably more transformative, way. To be completely fair, both twists work their best in their respective medium, as the distance from the revelation during Empire allows for the audience to exploit their privileged position to review what they'd been told and follow the clues, whereas for KOTOR the twist rearranges your position on everything you've done and achieved up until that point. Contrasting is difficult. Regardless, KOTOR works great for capturing that Star Wars movie feel and in fact I consider it perhaps the golden example of that very boon.
Which brings me now to KOTOR 2. Ignoring the obvious issues with unfinished content, because that's neither here nor there for this introspection; do I believe it matches KOTOR's movie-spirit? I do not. Of course the core fundamentals are there, it's a world hopping party-based adventure that actually brings an even more ragtag group on a journey through the stars. As I've argued before, I'd even say that KOTOR 2 is actually written better than KOTOR 1 in many respects, and if we were to line it up to a movie I think it would saddle up nicely with The Empire Strikes Back in terms of tone. However there is a certain lack of that base, fundamental 'good vs evil' heart to the narrative. It's still hovering around the story in the background, but KOTOR 2 plays around with ambiguity and specific motivation more, which might make it a more engrossing narrative but also pulls it away from Star Wars as the movies know it. Also, my god those beginning few hours are slow!
Which brings me to my pinnacle, the one game which I believe, at this present moment in time, is the most like to the experience of a Star Wars movie. And, to my surprise, I think it's Jedi Fallen Order. This is a game that neatly slides itself into the galaxy with a Jedi Padawan coming to grips with a world that doesn't need Jedi anymore until he's accidentally dragged into the chase once more. Conceptually very similar to KOTOR 2 but a lot less complex in it's face, and it also brings together all the cast of companions in a way that doesn't feel icky; which KOTOR 2 rather proudly goes the opposite way from. It takes us across the galaxy, introduces a ragtag cast and, rather distinctly from every other game on this list, it rather purposefully leaves itself open at the end for a potential trilogy. Events are wrapped up, but further journeys obviously await. Just like any good trilogy bait should do. Thus, the award for most movie-like Star Wars game has to go to Fallen Order, thus in the absence of a good and present movie series; these will be the games that will fill my blockbuster Star Wars hopes.
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