Games based on movies have always offered a distinct challenge. The developers must decide how closely to directly follow the plot of the movie and how much to expand for content specific to the game. Star Wars®: Episode III Revenge of the Sith™ bridges this issue brilliantly. Not only is the movie so action-packed that the nonstop battling in the game feels natural, but also the elements that have been expanded on were hinted at in the movie itself. Nothing feels forced and nothing feels tacked on as we immerse ourselves in moments that, time permitting, would have seemed quite natural in the film.
Of course, Star Wars has been and continues to be a cultural phenomenon. Each moment tied directly to its mythological heroes is gobbled up and digested by fans the world over. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of highlights from the game that expand upon the most crucial scenes in the movie.
Who wins is up to you.
Note: Please be aware that major spoilers await those who read further. If you have not seen the movie and do not want it to be spoiled, we highly recommend that you play the game and read this article after you've had the pleasure of experiencingStar Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.
Escaping Utapau Shortly after the birth of Darth Vader, the newly revealed Dark Lord of the Sith, the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (soon to be Emperor) gives the command Order 66 to the clone-troopers across the galaxy. Its execution is simple. The clone-troopers turn against their Jedi generals and execute them in cold blood, nearly exterminating the entire Jedi order. While we see the effect in stunning detail in the film, we do not see the whole of Obi-Wan's escape from Utapau after his clone-troopers turn on him.Revenge of the Sith the game allows you to enact his daring escape, as Obi-Wan is now forced to fight both the droid and clone-trooper armies.
No clone betrays Obi-Wan and gets away with it.
Razing the Temple There are few moments more chilling in all of Star Wars than Anakin (now Darth Vader) marching on the Jedi Temple to purge the remaining Jedi. It's thrilling and disturbing as it is, but the game offers you a much more hands-on approach to the Jedi purge. You're able to control Anakin as he enters the temple to wreak havoc within, slaughtering wave after wave of brave Jedi (look for a cameo from the librarian in Attack of the Clones). In game terms, it's a brilliant turn as you not only get to engage in lightsaber duels with several opponents at a time, but you're also given another dueling boss battle with a young padawan and her master.
Violence on Mustafar Equally thrilling and perhaps even satisfying to many is the order Anakin executes after his antics at the Jedi Temple. In order to tie up all the loose ends, Anakin (again, now named Darth Vader by Palpatine) is sent to the lava planet Mustafar to murder the remaining leaders of the separatist armies (who've been secretly controlled by Palpatine all along). We see glimpses of this in the movie, but the game allows you to participate in a full one-man invasion of the Mustafar complex, ending in the assassination of the cowardly Viceroy Nute Gunray. This is Anakin/Vader at his most powerful, and while the level may be difficult, you get to play with his full range of abilities (as you've upgraded them throughout the game). The satisfaction is palpable.
Control Anakin through the Jedi purge.
An Alternate End Revenge of the Sith even goes so far as to suggest what may have taken place had Anakin proved the victor in that fateful duel on the lava planet Mustafar. We know now that Obi-Wan dismembered Anakin and left him burnt to a crisp and seething with hatred. What the good folks at LucasArts have supposed is that had Anakin won, his pride in defeating his longtime friend and mentor would have given him the arrogance to take the reins of the Galactic Empire himself. Darth Sidious lands to meet our young Lord Vader, and as Anakin's son goes on to predict years later, it's Sidious's overconfidence that is his downfall, as Anakin takes his new lightsaber and strikes down the emperor to take his rightful place as ruler of the galaxy.
Games based on films try, at their very best, to offer you the sensation of reenacting some of your favorite cinema moments.Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith does this brilliantly, and it only cements itself as one of the best in the movie-based game genre by allowing you expanded versions of these most climactic events in the Star Wars universe. It's an absolute treat.
