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Star Wars Playable Games

Unsurprisingly for a franchise which has spanned movies, novels and a television series, "Star Wars" games number in the dozens. You'll find them across video and board game formats, among others. These games depict the battles between the Jedi and their allies and the evil Sith. Many "Star Wars" titles center on the events or background of a particular movie in the saga, while others are set across the "Star Wars" universe in its entirety.

Adventure Video Games
- Some video games put the player in the role of a single character on a mission or quest. "Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars," for the Xbox 360, renders the events of the "Star Wars" CGI cartoon in the style of the Lego building block range. Players control a choice of several characters, including Jedi knights, each with their own powers, and battle the Separatist forces. Players can't die --- since they're made from bricks --- but taking damage does make characters lose the gear they've collected. In "Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy," a PC game, players take on the role of Jaden, a Jedi apprentice who must learn to master the Force, completing various missions in the process. Players explore recognizable environments from the movies, such as Tatooine, as well as new planets.
Strategy Video Games
- These titles involve commanding armies in large-scale "Star Wars" battles. In "Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds," available on the PC, players opt to control one of six factions, such as the Trade Federation or the Royal Naboo forces. Players then collect resources to build structures and units to wage war, with the latter including TIE fighters, Stormtroopers and droids. "Star Wars: Empire at War" is another PC title, and features action spanning whole galaxies. Players strive to conquer systems made up of up to 40 planets, and fight a mix of both land and space battles to defeat opponents. Once a planet is captured, players can utilize the territory by building space stations or defensive weapons, for example.
Board Games
- These games are usually multiplayer. "Star Wars: Epic Duels" focuses on one-on-one lightsaber battles. Players control a few characters, with abilities represented by cards, and travel through locations seen in the movies, such as the Carbon-Freezing room. When players encounter another character, they do battle. A version of the classic game of world conquest, "Risk: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Edition" is set after the second prequel movie. Players command either the Republic or the Separatists and attempt to invade and defend territories across a number of planets.
Other Tabletop Games
- The "Star Wars Role-playing Game" allows players to explore the saga's universe using only a rulebook, a few dice, a pen and pape, and their imaginations. Players create characters and participate in dangerous adventures, which might involve smuggling operations or lightsaber duels, for instance. A war game, "Star Wars Miniatures Battles" presents rules for battles between armies of metal or plastic models, each of which represents a "Star Wars" character or trooper. The game recreates small scale battles, featuring at most around 60 soldiers on each side.

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