Category: Star Wars Musings

All posts relating to the Star Wars franchsise.

First Impressions: The Force Unleashed (PS2)

So I recently picked up this game recently and only played it yesterday.

As of this writing, I made it up to the third level so far and then took a break from it. For the most part, the game is fairly enjoyable; it’s a simple hack-and-slash with force powers, the story seems fairly decent so far (though it’s supposed to get better later on) and the graphics are of decent quality despite the aging hardware.

 However, there are issues. The Force targeting is a little wonky; sometimes I force-levitate an enemy as opposed to a piece of stray debris on the floor more often than not. Also, the camera seems too broken for my tastes, sometimes placing it in front of some huge set piece that blocks my view and thus I have no clue what the fuck is going on.

But other than those minor complaints, I’m liking this game so far.

DVD Review – Star Wars Limited Edition DVD Release (2006)

2004 saw the release of the “original” Star Wars Trilogy onto DVD for the first time ever… and with a new format comes further changes and “updates” to the films, such as minor graphical edits and the swapping of Force ghosts. While people were thrilled with having these films on DVD, there were those who would rather have the original, unaltered versions of these classic films on DVD instead; a point of contention that still exists to this very day.

Fortunately, Lucasfilm threw the fans a bone with this 2006 Limited Edition DVD release and the results were… well, it’s something.

THE GOOD: Each movie includes 2 discs; the first disc being the then-latest 2004 DVD release with further changes added to the film (in fact, these are exactly the same discs you’d get from that initial release.) And the second disc includes the original theatrical version of the film; which means Star Wars is just Star Wars and not Episode IV, Ewok music ends the Trilogy, and the Emperor is depicted by an old lady in monkey make-up in Empire. Doing it this way provides a nice compare-and-contrast for those into details and minutae while making two camps (updates vs. original) mildly satisfied for the short term.

THE BAD: While the original theatrical releases are indeed included as a bonus feature, the same care that went into the DVD restorations of the “updated” versions obviously didn’t apply to the original versions, which are apparently ripped from the Laserdisc releases. Now if you don’t care about the visual quality, then this is no biggie since it’s not completely terrible… but it’s also not on par with the restored version. Also, since the movies were released separately, you don’t get the bonus DVD of bonus material that came with the original DVD release.

IS IT WORTH IT? I got the 2004 DVD release, but then eventually got the 2006 re-releases because I wanted the original versions of these films on DVD, even if the transfer quality isn’t fantastic. I don’t know if it’d be worth it today since Blu-Ray is a thing, these things are harder to come by, and most would prefer the Unspecial Special Edition that’s been on the bootleg circuit for years on end, but if you find one in the wild for cheap, sure why not?

Star Wars Original Original Trilogy Coming To DVD

On this May The 4th (B Wit U… twit), this bombshell announcement from the starwars.com:

Fans can look forward to a September filled with classic Star Wars nostalgia, led by the premiere of LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy video game and the long-awaited DVD release of the original theatrical incarnations of the classic Star Wars trilogy.

In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie and, as bonus material, the theatrical edition of the film. That means you’ll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.

See the title crawl to “Star Wars” before it was known as “Episode IV”; see the pioneering, if dated, motion control model work on the attack on the Death Star; groove to Lapti Nek or the Ewok Celebration song like you did when you were a kid; and yes, see Han Solo shoot first.

This release will only be available for a limited time: from September 12th to December 31st. International release will follow on or about the same day. Each original theatrical version will feature Dolby 2.0 Surround sound, close-captioning, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish for their U.S. release. International sound and subtitling vary by territory.

“Over the years, a truly countless number of fans have told us that they would love to see and own the original version that they remember experiencing in theaters,” said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. “We returned to the Lucasfilm Archives to search exhaustively for source material that could be presented on DVD. This is something that we’re very excited to be able to give to fans in response to their continuing enthusiasm for Star Wars. Topping it off with a new interactive adventure makes September 12 a red-letter day for Star Wars fans.”

No witty comment from me today.

Living The Movie After Having Seen It

Sunday, June 12, 2005 was the day that Extreme Championship Wrestling rose from the ashes in the form of a reunion show dubbed ECW One Night Stand. It was a show that I had been looking forward to watching since it was first announced. Now, I don’t consider myself an ECW hardcore – we didn’t get ECW anything in Canada until late-99 when Viewer’s Choice Canada started airing their PPVs – but I eventually picked up a couple old VHS Best Of tapes as well as the more recent DVD compilations and I enjoyed some of this stuff they put out.

So I was really looking forward to getting this PPV show – not only for the novelty of the ECW reunion special, but also for the novelty of seeing whether WWE (who owns all the copyrights) would actually

Unfortunately, a couple issues came up.

First, there was a roadtrip to Niagara that I was going on with a few folks this past weekend. I don’t recall whether this was planned ahead of time and I forgot about it or whether it was a last-minute spur. Either way, I was upset that I wasn’t going to see the PPV. I had post reflect my displeasure, but it was eventually taken down.

By the way, the roadtrip was great. Left for Niagara on Friday, came back home on Saturday night, and Sunday was spent in Ottawa for a quick run before making it back home. Which meant that I was going to catch the ECW show after all.

Alas, that wasn’t to be.

Due to technical difficulties, I was unable to catch the ECW One Night Stand PPV, which sucks ass because it was the one show that I was looking forward to. Said technical difficulties was due to the satellite receiver having stopped working. Unable to receive channels for some reason. Tried to do basic maintenance, but nothing. Funny thing was that a couple other receivers were working fine and one might wonder why we didn’t pick up the PPV from there (no available phone connection or long-ass wires to hook up – please don’t ask).

So while the issue was eventually resolved, I missed my chance to watch ECW One Night Stand. That made me sad because from the various internet recaps of the show, it seemed to have gone over well. So I guess I’ll be waiting for the DVD to hit shelves… since nighttime classes won’t allow me to catch the replay.

So the time that would have been spent watching Sandman come down to generic music (oh wait, I’m sorry – that was the 2006 version) was spent playing the then-new Revenge of the Sith video game for Xbox, which I didn’t actually touch until after having seen the movie

In all honesty, the game is nothing more than a glorified Final Fight 3D with lightsabers and Force powers. Some people will like this, others will despise it. I’m just fine with it. Sure, it’s mostly a button masher, but that’s all I expected from the game to begin with, so I’m not entirely disappointed whatsoever.

Graphically speaking, it looks fine. Some people say there’s less detail than the usual crop of X-Box games, but graphics were always dressing in my eyes and as long as everything looked like what they should, I have no problem. Sounds are just about right, but my biggest qualm is the apparent lack of a Sith soundtrack. Most of the music tends to be from the original trilogy and the two prequel movies; which weren’t too bad either, but the Sith soundtrack was much suited for this.

As far as extras goes, you have two sets of bonus missions (either single player or co-op missions that have to be unlocked) that are independent of the main game. You have a few minutes of Sith footage which is blended with game footage to fit the altered storyline of the game. You have a Versus mode; a one-on-one mini-game pitting two Jedi against each other. Heck, you even get to relive the “climatic” Death Star duel between Darth Vader and Old Ben Kenobi in Episode IV: A New Hope… although both Vader and Ben seem much more agile than in the movie, but it’s still a nice inclusion. Now you get to play as Vader and beat the shit out of all the stale prequel Jedi as well as two additional ones made for the game (including one who looks like Nick Gillard, the stunt co-ordinator for the prequels or something).

More comments later…

Wallpaper – Darth Vader The Movie

Fits 640×480 desktop sizes.

The following blurb was written on September 5th, 2012:

A wallpaper manipulation from back in day reflecting a more accurate portrayal of the marketing behind the final film in the supposed prequel trilogy of Star Wars.

See, kids, as much as people want to praise the prequels for all their worth these days, Lucasfilm knew that the only reason anyone would give a flying flip about the final chapter of this was because it was going to be the first time we see Darth Vader in years. Nobody cared about the conclusion of the Clone Wars or the sorry excuse of a romance saga between Emo Anakin and Panda Bear, but rather we were gonna see Darth Vader on the big screen. Oh man, it’s gonna be so fucking epic!!

And then we saw the film… and Darth Vader appeared in the movie for all of two minutes… and those two minutes was all it took to systematically destroy the image of the Dark Lord of the Sith that had existed since he first appeared in cinemas back in 1977.

But that didn’t stop Lucasfilm and company from focusing the entire marketing campaign on Darth Vader; from the promos to the merchandise to everything. All for that fleeting appearance at the end of the film. Made to look like a complete fool.

Such a shame too.

My Top 6 Star Wars Games Not Named X-Wing Or TIE Fighter

Here’s a list of my top 6 Star Wars games that doesn’t include the incredular X-Wing or TIE Fighter games, because those are beyond reproach… well, mostly TIE Fighter is beyond reproach; the X-Wing stuff, I can take or leave… but there’s plenty of other Star Wars games worth playing. Here’s six of them… because there’s six movies in this saga. Maybe if they make a sequel trilogy, we’ll adjust this to nine or something, I don’t know…

Listed in no particular order…

Game #1 – Dark Forces
Here’s a brilliant idea. Doom was a popular thing, so let’s make a Star Wars version. And it was awesome. Great weapons, great atmosphere. … And then they’d make the Jedi Knight games, which I heard were also good, but I haven’t played those yet. Hope to change that soon.

Game #2 – Empire Strikes Back (2600)
It’s simple stuff; you fly a snowspeeder, you pick off AT-ATs with your guns until they blow up, lather, rinse, repeat. It’s a daring campaign to pit one snowspeeder against an infinite fleet of walkers, but it’s easy to pick up and play. And there’s a whole bunch of variations for you to try out if you want to spice things up a bit.

Game #3 – Super Star Wars Trilogy
I’m cheating a bit here because I’m including three games under the list, but Factor 5’s Super Star Wars trilogy of SNES action games have always been top-tier stuff. Yes, it might rough and tough in some places and liberties are taken with the source material, but damn if they don’t make good action games. If I had to pick one, Super Jedi takes the cake; multiple characters with different playstyles, some solid action bits, and some of the vehicle bits aren’t too shabby, either. Play them all, though. They’re great.

Game #4 – Star Wars Trilogy Arcade (1998 Arcade Game)
A rail shooter that has you partaking in major battle sequences of each of the three Star Wars films (we only had three, boys and girls) and with bonus stages featuring duels against Boba Fett and Darth Vader. When the newest Capcom fighter was indisposed, this was usually the other go-to arcade game for my money. Incredibly fun yet challenging fare.

Game #5 – Star Wars Racer Arcade (2000 Arcade Game)
Not one to be left out of the whole Prequel hype, Sega followed up Trilogy Arcade with their own version of the Podracer game. Not sure if this is the same thing you play on the consoles, but I’d say this arcade game is tremendous; featuring a control layout similar to a podracer, bringing that extra bit of detail and authenticity. Whatever you want to say about The Phantom Menace, at the very least, its racing games are top notch.

Game #6 – Star Wars (NES)
Another Star Wars platformer on NES that takes liberties with the source material; hell, the first chunk of the game where you’re on Tatooine is practically non-linear stuff where you can theoretically leave the planet without recruiting any of the usual suspects, thus turning it into a true adventure of Luke Skywalker and no one else. Yes, it can be difficult as hell with falling damage and some spotty moments, but if you can put up with the rough spots, there’s a damned fine game to be found here. And how many NES games based on movies or TV shows can you count that aren’t total garbage?

Oh, and on a sidenote, there’s also a Famicom version from Namco that’s not the same game as this. I’ve not played that one, but I’ve seen some of that in action. The less said, the better.

And that’s it. That’s my list.

The Phantom Menace… A Misfire?

You know… I’ve only been on the Internet for a little bit. I only get to go on for about half an hour because I don’t want to hold up the phone lines because going online makes lots of weird noises and results in people not able to reach you while you’re online. So I’m going about here and there, looking up stuff… and then I find a page somewhere (2024 Update: Link no longer valid) that talks about how the Phantom Menace is one of the worst things to happen to Star Wars.

I’m reading this page and I’m like “Really? Phantom Menace is bad? I thought it was a good movie. Did I miss something?”

I remember the first time I saw it in theatres with my older brother and we both thought the movie was fine. Seeing the Jedi in action was a bit of a treat, that Darth Maul dude was a wicked fighter, that podrace was a lot of fun, that Padme girl was pretty cute and a nice contrast from the queen with her fancy outfits and monotone voice, that Jar Jar is… well, okay, he was kind of annoying. And Kid Vader is kind of bad, but that’s fine because every kid actor is bad before they eventually get good.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I actually liked the Phantom Menace… or at least, I remember liking the movie. The music was pretty epic; John Williams once again gives Star Wars another great score. And the movie – largely – is still fresh in my mind. That usually happens after I’ve watched a good movie or at least, one that I enjoyed a hell of a lot.

Maybe I’ll change my tune when the home video version is eventually released… but I never realized that you’re supposed to hate this thing. Oh well… maybe one of these days, I’ll get around to doing that. Right now, I’ve got other things to hate at the moment and a new Star Wars movie isn’t one of them.