Star Wars games have had a long and winding road; one that hasn't always been smooth. Some titles have successfully captured the spirit of the space-faring adventure, like Star Wars Trilogy Arcade, Shadows of the Empire, and Knights of the Old Republic. Others have fallen flat on their faces, like Kinect Star Wars and Masters of Teras Kasi. Most of them tend to fall somewhere in the middle, being a solid gaming experience, but not quite achieving greatness.
Since EA has had the license to make games for the franchise, its output has been sub-par. That could all change this year, though, with the release of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The single-player action adventure title promises to be the Star Wars game everyone has been waiting for. This list will take a look at reasons the upcoming project should inspire excitement, but also a few things that are worth worrying about. We're not being cynical, however, since Respawn Entertainment deserves a fair shot to do the series justice.
10 How It's Going To Be The Best: Souls-Inspired Combat
FromSoftware have crafted several of the best action-adventure games in the past decade. Their brutal difficulty never feels unfair, and the combat is heavy, but tight. Several lucky people who have had already played Fallen Order have noted the similarities between it and a Dark Souls game.
The game shouldn't be as difficult as those, however. The heavier, slower combat may seem incongruous to a Jedi's ability, but it does make sense. Members of the sacred order train for decades to become agile in combat, and gamers should have to go through a similar process to play as fluidly as a Jedi would.
9 Thing We're Worried About: Feeling Too Derivative
Star Wars has a signature tone. It's a fun adventure that gets dark when the need arises. The child friendly humor and banter between the likable characters is what drew many in when they were children.
Fallen Order promises to feel like a genuine Star Wars story, but it runs the risk of sticking too closely to that script and feeling too derivative. Fans of the series should feel comfortable in the shoes of Cal Kestis, but they shouldn't get déjà vu. The better Star Wars titles have retained the things we know and love about the franchise without being too 'safe.'
8 How It's Going To Be The Best: Respawn Entertainment
Jason West and Vince Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment in 2010 after Activision fired them from Infinity Ward. Before that, the two already had an impressive track record with games like Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and the Call of Duty series.
Titanfall 2 proved that they hadn't lost their skill at crafting tight, original single-player campaigns. In fact, the two haven't made a bad game yet, and this Star Wars game is looking to continue that trend.
7 Thing We're Worried About: Main Character
Solid main characters are hard to come by in video games. A lot of people probably can't remember the player character from some of their favorite titles. It doesn't make the game bad, but it does show a lack of good writing.
Fallen Order aims to tell a story worthy of the series, but it hasn't convinced us that it will get the job done. For starters, Cal Kestis doesn't stand out as a character. That could all change once players finally step into his shoes, but it's still an area of uncertainty.
6 How It's Going To Be The Best: Variety Of Locations
Cal Kestis's adventure will take players to a variety of locations, about half of which are new. Respawn Entertainment has the unique honor of creating new worlds in this legendary franchise.
The studio has already proven their knack for aesthetic originality with the Titanfall games and Apex Legends, so it is safe to say the lore is in good hands.
5 Thing We're Worried About: Respawn Tackling A New Genre
Up until now, Respawn has made almost exclusively first-person shooters, with the exception of a mobile game. Their new title is a third-person action game with a focus on lightsaber combat.
It is an entirely different beast that requires a new set of skills to pull off. Did the studio do all of their homework? Players will find out this November. It's always a little worrying when a studio tackles a project that's a little out fo their wheelhouse, but on the positive side, just look what Insomniac managed to accomplish with Marvel's Spider-Man!
4 How It's Going To Be The Best: Metroid Prime Influence
By taking a quick look at the gameplay demonstration, a few notable influences are apparent. Comparisons to FromSoftware and the 2018 God of War are clear, but there is also a striking similarity to the Metroid Prime games.
That series perfected exploration in a 3D environment, so the similarities can only be a good thing. Even that 3D map looks like it's straight out of Samus's toolkit.
3 Thing We're Worried About: Length and Post-Game Content
One notable thing about Respawn's single-player games is that they are all short. One can blast through any Call of Duty campaign or Titanfall 2 in four or five hours. Since Fallen Order is single-player only, it leaves one wondering just how much content is in the game.
There will be exploration and extra things to do outside of the story, but those mean nothing if the player is not inspired to do them. Not to mention the fact that some developers love fleshing out their titles later with expensive DLC.
2 How It's Going To Be The Best: Cast And Respect For The Lore
One familiar face from the gameplay demo was Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whitaker. On top of that, the game is staying as true to the lore as possible. Great care is being taken to make sure everything fits into the universe, and no plot holes or contradictions to the films occur.
This is one of the most reassuring aspects of all. It's always a heck of a thing to have such a beloved franchise in your hands, and if you don't treat it with the respect it deserves, the fans will NOT be pleased.
1 Thing We're Worried About: Having To Have Lucasfilm's Approval
When dealing with a franchise as big as Star Wars, there is always a leash attached. Just how long or short that leash may be is unclear, but it is there.
Respawn has proven to be worthy of taking on the franchise, and Lucasfilm should see that and not interfere with the game too much. Meddling from on high rarely turns out a good product, in video games or any other form of media. Let's just hope that the developers' vision isn't constrained too much.