Star Wars Prequel Games: Best, Worst, and Weirdest

Ever wondered which Star Wars Prequel games are worth your time and which should be left in the dustbin of history? With Star Wars: Galactic Racer on the horizon, it's the perfect moment to revisit the gaming legacy of Episodes I, II, and III. The Prequels have been getting a second look lately, and developers are even Clone-curious again with titles like Zero Company. So let's dive into the best, worst, and weirdest games from that era.

First, the straight movie adaptations. The Phantom Menace game launched alongside the film in 1999 and sold well, but that was mostly due to Prequel hype—they sold a lot of Jar Jar lollipops too. The game lets you play as Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Padmé, and Captain Panaka, but the camera is pinned so high it makes gameplay a chore. You can embrace the dark side and cut down civilians, but it's not fun for long. Jedi Power Battles, released a year later, is the superior choice. It's a beat-'em-up that covers Episode I's plot loosely, like Turtles in Time does for TMNT. It's not the best in the genre, but it's a fun way to experience the story.

Episode II: Attack of the Clones got the short end of the stick. Despite scenes like the Geonosian arena and droid factory that seemed tailor-made for games, it only received one proper adaptation: a ponderous sidescroller on the Game Boy Advance that fails to capture the film's burning passion. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith fared much better. It's a hack-and-slash romp through 17 stages, with unlockable characters and noncanonical missions where Anakin kills everyone and seizes control. The boss fights and PvP combat don't miss, and even the handheld ports were solid. The cutscenes spoiled the film ten days before release, but some differences, like Anakin personally killing Mace Windu, make more sense than the movie.

Then there's Lego Star Wars. Traveller's Tales began their dominance of licensed kid's games with this simple title, which covered the Prequel stories because that's what Star Wars was in 2005. The Prequel era appears in numerous Lego entries, delivered through grunts and pantomime, and it works. The first Lego Star Wars sold 6.1 million copies, making it the most commercially successful Prequel Trilogy game despite being largely a joke. It proves you don't need full-motion video or fancy motion capture to convey a cinematic story—sometimes all you need is a little Danish plastic.

Some of the more interesting titles are side stories. Star Wars: Obi-Wan, an Xbox exclusive, explores young Kenobi's journey from the mean streets of Coruscant to the Neimoidian breakout room. Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan is a great protagonist, and the game avoids Jar Jar and the Gungans entirely. Originally planned for PC with a unique mouse-gesture lightsaber control scheme, it was personally kiboshed by George Lucas and reworked for the Xbox launch window. The padawan's green blade glows with potential.

So, what can we learn from these Prequel games? The best ones explore the margins of the story, while the worst get bogged down in clunky mechanics. With Star Wars: Galactic Racer set in the New Republic era but podracing screaming Prequels, there's still plenty of love for this era. Developers are starting to be Clone-curious again, and it's worth exploring what worked and what didn't. Where should Star Wars games go from here, and what should be left behind like Anakin's mom?

What's your favorite Prequel game? Will you be picking up Galactic Racer? Let us know in the comments!