By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
This month, at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, the trailer for a new Star Wars game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, was released to a room full of diehard Star Wars fans. The two-minute trailer for the Electronic Arts game gave fans an intriguing story preview and stunning action-packed visuals.
I grew up playing Star Wars games. The Empire Strikes Back for Super Nintendo is still one of my favorite video games. It’s also one of the hardest. I played a little of it recently and I was reminded of how difficult each level was.
Jedi: Fallen Order had a great trailer, but there was little gameplay shown. It takes more than a good trailer to get Star Wars fans excited for a new game. The last few Star War games haven’t been stellar outings. I enjoyed Star Wars Battlefront II, but it felt like it wasn’t the game that was advertised. Star Wars in gaming is like a sleeping giant; with the right creative team and the vast universe at their disposal, something really special could be produced any year.
Star Wars games have always had excellent trailers, but most of the games haven’t lived up to their stellar previews. Jedi: Fallen Order looks like a fugitive story where the protagonist is running from the Empire. That’s a cool, original set-up. The story takes place after Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, when Order 66 was initiated. It’s like a superhero origin story where the hero has to hide their powers. In Jedi: Fallen Order, the main character’s powers are The Force. The trailer shows a new Star Wars location; that gives me hope that it’ll be entertaining. However, Jedi: Fallen Order won’t have multiplayer.
The EA game will be released around the same time as the new Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Will the Star Wars faithful be more hyped to play Jedi: Fallen Order or watch The Mandalorian if the entire series drops? Fans can do both, but my main focus will be seeing what Jon Favreau does with a Star Wars bounty hunter series. For many fans, the game will be put on hold if they can stream all of The Mandalorian.
Jedi: Fallen Order, which will be released on November 15, looks like it has great potential. Star Wars needs a game that knocks it out of the park.
