Gaming

There are a few contenders which I struggle to choose between. Battlefront II (2005) was my go-to PS2 title for which I still hold a soft spot. The freedom to hop into a ship, dogfight through space, infiltrate an enemy capital ship, sabotage their systems, and cause massive damage from within honestly captured my imagination in a way no other game has quite managed to do.

The Force Unleashed (2008), on the other hand, stands out as one of the few Star Wars games that fully embraces the medium's potential for indulging in power fantasies that unashamedly put you right in the middle of iconic characters and locations from the films. While the story is lacking in isolation, it serves its purpose as an excuse to allow players to step into the role of dark side using hero who gets chance to fight both rebels and imperials alike, along with Jedi, and even Darth Maul (sort of). It went so far as to even lets you defeat Darth Vader and take on the Emperor, a level of pandering to fans that LucasFilm seems to have forgotten games are uniquely well suited to provide compared to any other medium.*

Curiously, my favorite I think might be the one I have the least to talk about. Empire at War (2006) has a spectacular modding scene, granting it a longevity and replayability that has me coming back to it even to this day. It’s because of of how I find myself still returning to play it, rather than just nostalgically reminiscing about it, that I’m inclined to name it as my favourite.

*The excessive protectiveness alluded to is largely rooted in my discontent over hearing that DICE had planned for the the Bespin DLC of Battlefront (2015) to include some form of Battlefield style “levolution” in which AT-ATs advancing through the Cloud City would damage/destroy buildings.. Only to be shut down due to concerns from LucasFilm about damaging the image it has as a pristine city in the sky. I feel this level of protectiveness only serves as a barrier to developers trying to give players a fun experience. Hell, I recall reading that the Fallen Order team had to fight hard just to have their main character to be an actual Jedi, as LucasFilm were uneasy about allowing use of the "Jedi" title and instead pushing for him to be an unaffiliated force user..