Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds

This game while good, doesn't really have much that makes it spectacular. If you want a Star Wars themed RTS, then this is a good start. It will play like A.o.E., so it won't take long to get going. Naturally there are Hero units. The building of fighter craft, Naval vessels and Jedi/Sith units are basically what makes this stand out from some RTS games. Anyway the gameplay is solid and the game story works within the confines of the Star Wars universe. Plus providing some background stories for movies 4, 5 and 6.

Unfortunately, this game(like most) suffers from the inevitable repetitiveness and boredom that occurs from playing it for too long. The Map editor or Scenario editor, is a great way to breathe life into the game if you've gotten bored with it. There are cheats that can make it a bit more interesting as well. It has just about everything there to use. Considering all the units and characters available, experiment with it. The official online service for this game no longer exists to my knowledge.

Basically, it is Age of Empires 2 with a Star Wars coating. Simply put, and it isn't for everyone though.

Paper Mario

A unique looking game. That characters are all flat, where they are set in a 3D world. The same old storyline, with a few different elements and new characters introduced to the series. Mario has the standard jump attack to begin with and acquires hammer early in the game. Besides leveling up, Badges are will allow you to increase defense, attack, H.P. and F.P. however you want. So, you aren't running around with a ton of weaponry and armor. Some of the items for your health, attack and defense, can be used to make other items when you give them to Tayce T. to cook. There are star pieces to find, that can be traded for badges.

The boss battles can be challenging, if you haven't leveled up and stocked up with useful items. There really isn't anything to complain about, except that RPGs can get repetitive. The one thing that can really get annoying with this game, is the music. It has almost whine to it, that just gets on ones nerves the longer you play. Otherwise, this is a great game that anyone can pick up and play.

Gauntlet Legends for the N64

The game is easy to pick up and play. Not bad looking. The controls are fairly responsive and the audio is reasonable, but there are some words that can be difficult to make out. Straight forward hack& slash game, not quite, since there are switches that must be found in each level as you progress. They are not easy to find, but are necessary. Since it is the way for finding special items and unlocking certain gateways or some paths. There are also special items to locate for use on specific bosses in the game, making some fights a little easier.

The game unfortunately, can become very boring. Its a good game that suffers from being too repetitive. Only play it for a hour or so if you're by yourself. The games lasting appeal is the ability for up to four people to play. It is definitely a multiplayer game though. You can play it by yourself, but I don't recommend it. Despite some annoyances with the game, I would recommend anyone that doesn't have it for the N64 to get it and hack the night away with a couple of friends.

Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II

One of my favorite games. The game is no pushover, so if you get easily frustrated, do not play this game. The controls respond very well and the game looks incredible. There are 10 main missions and 5 bonus ones to unlock, plus you can practice your piloting skills in the Tatooine(T-16 Skyhopper only) level that is selectable if you don't want to do the Death Star attack first. Now you start off with the default fighter and depending on what the mission is and what ones you have beaten will determine which ships you will get to fly.There are 11 tech upgrades that prove most beneficial as you play. The upgrades are Advanced Shields, Advanced Torpedoes, Advanced Laser, Cluster missiles, Homing Torpedoes, more powerful Concussion missiles,Spread proton bombs, Homing Concussion missiles, Homing Cluster missiles and Advanced Targeting computer, you will enjoy these upgrades. The default ships for each mission are X-wing:Death Star Attack, Ison Corridor Ambush,Razor Rendevous,Vengeance on Kothilis,Raid on Bespin, Battle of Endor, Strike at the Core. The Snowspeeder is only accessible for The Battle of Hoth(you switch to X-wing later in the mission) and night version of Imperial Academy Heist. The Y-wing is the only ship for Prisons of the Maw and daytime version of Imperial Academy Heist and is not in Battle of Hoth or Strike at the Core. The B-wing can be chosen for Death Star Attack, The Ison Corridor Ambush, Razor Rendevous,Vengeance on Kothilis,Raid on Bespin and Battle of Endor. The A-wing is not available for the Death Star missions and the Y-wing/Snowspeeder specifics, but otherwise totally accessible. Those are the easy to get ships. The unlockables are The Millenium Falcon(bronze medals for all main missions). Tie-fighter you steal during either day or nighttime Imperial Academy heist and beat the mission it will be in the back of the hangar. Slave-1 is acquired by getting silver medals in the 10 main missions. The Naboo fighter requires you to find and beat everything in the Tatooine training mission at these different times 6:00am, 2:00pm,6:00pm and 11:00pm to unlock it. Vader's Tie Advanced is accessible after beating bonus missions Triumph of The Empire(must get gold) and Revenge on Yavin, You will also get the imperial shuttle to play with. The Cloud-car is only available during the mission Raid on Bespin when you get to Cloud City, there will be an icon on top of a building to switch to it for flying through the narrow corridors(actually any of the fighters will work better than it at blowing up the power generators). Jedi fighter is available if you get everything absolute or you cheat. Now all the aforementioned ships can be used in the bonus mission Endurance after you've survived a few rounds though. Now remember you must beat the mission with the default ship before you can gain access to the other ships, unless you've used cheats. As I said before, this is one of my favorite games and I think I've got it pretty well covered.