Star Wars is a juggernaut of pop culture influence, and its status that only increased after its acquisition by Disney in 2012. Since the beginning of the franchise, there have been merchandising efforts in the realm of toys, clothing, and more. In 1982, Parker Brothers released Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back for the Atari 2600, kicking off decades of Star Wars-branded video games.
Since then, there have been well over a hundred Star Wars video games released, all of varying quality. The review aggregate site Metacritic collects reviews from several different sources to produce a combined Metascore, though it only features scores for relatively recent games that got some critical attention. Looking at the lowest-ranked Star Wars games on Metacritic reveals some interesting insights about the nature of brand-tie-ins, as well as the preferences of Star Wars fans.
Updated on April 28, 2023 by Kennedy King: Despite its age, the Star Wars franchise still maintains a monolithic presence in Western media. The iconic series has spawned countless films, television shows, books, and video games, many of which are regarded among the best entries to their respective mediums. However, Star Wars has also fielded several flops, and in particular, their video game library is full of products that were panned by fans and critics alike.
10 Kinect Star Wars (2012): 55
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 attempt to implement motion controls, the Kinect, met with middling reviews overall, and the Star Wars game that used the peripheral fared no better. It featured four minigames, including a story mode where the player used their hands to wield a lightsaber and use the Force.
It also featured podracing, a dueling game, and an infamous dancing minigame with Star Wars-themed parodies of popular songs. Critics were mixed on Kinect Star Wars, but fans were much harsher, and the game has just a 3.8 User Score out of ten.
9 Star Wars: Battle For Naboo (2001): 54
PC
Star Wars: Battle for Naboo is just one of many examples in the history of Star Wars video games where a relatively popular game gets a port that is far less well-received. Battle for Naboo was released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64, and it received rave reviews. The N64 version has an 8.4 Metascore and a User Score to match.
The PC port, released just a few months later, however, didn't do nearly as well. Critics decry it as a relatively clunky and bare game that would have been better off staying on the N64, and fans suggest that it is pointless on a system that can play the popular Rogue Squadron series.
8 Lego Star Wars: Microfighters (2014): 54
iOS
Released in 2014 for iOS to coincide with the LEGO line of the same name, Lego Star Wars: Microfighters features stylized versions of iconic Star Wars ships with characters seated on top of them. Gameplay consists of a scrolling level with enemies, upgrades, and boss battles.
Lego Star Wars: Microfighters has only a handful of reviews, all of them from sites dedicated to apps specifically. Additionally, it has no user reviews on Metacritic, which indicates it failed to make any kind of impression at all.
7 Angry Birds Star Wars (2013): 47
PS4
Game developers must always consider the platform of their games when designing them. Different platforms support different types of gameplay and cater to different kinds of players. This is made extremely obvious in the PlayStation and Xbox ports of Angry Birds Star Wars.
The mobile version of this game features an 88 Metascore and favorable User Score, but the console versions all rank extremely low in both categories. In particular, the PlayStation 4 port was poorly received, earning a 47 Metascore from critics. This suggests a wide gap in critic and audience tastes when assessing mobile vs. console games, as well as a hurried production schedule which likely caused the technical issues that plagued the PS4 version.
6 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006): 47
Nintendo DS
In another striking example of a poor port leading to an otherwise popular game being ranked extremely low, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy ranks extremely high on all platforms except for the Nintendo DS and the Game Boy Advance.
Critics of the DS version cite a game-breaking number of bugs and glitches, some of them even implying it was released in an unfinished state. The GBA version doesn't fare much better, though its User Score is much higher. The DS version has a 5.1 User Score, while the GBA version sits at a 7.1.
5 Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (2009): 43
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Some Star Wars games differ in quality depending on their platform, while others get panned across the board. Released in 2009 to connect with the Clone Wars animated series, Republic Heroes follows a fairly bog-standard plot for the show.
The Separatists are working on a new superweapon, and Obi-Wan, Anakin, and their clones must stop them. Critics lambasted it for having boring levels, poor controls, and repetitive gameplay, and fans didn't like it at all either. The highest User Score is on the Xbox 360 version with a 6.4.
4 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (2010): 43
Nintendo DS
The Star Wars: The Force Unleashed series covers an important period in the Star Wars timeline that hadn't been explored at the time of its release. However, the games themselves did not review particularly well.
The standout worst example is the Nintendo DS version of The Force Unleashed II. The series always featured more ambitious graphics and gameplay than a console like the DS could live up to, which resulted in an extremely poor title that garnered only a 4.7 User Score.
3 Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles (2013): 43
iOS
The Lego Star Wars games are some of the best games both franchises have to offer. Unfortunately, with this success comes some less-than-stellar installments. Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles features extremely simplified RTS-style gameplay with the player controlling several creatures at once.
iOS games are rarely critically acclaimed hits, but Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles was an exceptional disappointment. Users had even an even worse opinion of the game than critics, as it features a meager 3.0 User Score.
2 Flight Of The Falcon (2003): 39
Game Boy Advance
Following the adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca as they try to escape Jabba's clutches and eventually get wrapped up in the story of the original Star Wars films, Flight of the Falcon is a 3D aerial shooter game for the Game Boy Advance.
Flight of the Falcon's laggy graphics and extremely long, repetitive levels drew the ire of critics when it was first released, features that are important to get right in a flight game. Some fans have a nostalgic love for this game, however, and it has a 5.9 User Score.
1 Attack of the Clones (2002): 38
Game Boy Advance
For a franchise primarily known for its films, there are surprisingly few straight-up movie tie-in games in Star Wars. Attack of the Clones for the Game Boy Advance might give a clue as to why this became the norm.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones featured side-scrolling gameplay through levels modeled off of scenes from the film, but its terrible controls, graphics, and overall gameplay were absolutely panned. Fans who were unfortunate enough to play it were even more disappointed, and it has a 3.4 User Score.