Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter is a 2002 action video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, developed and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to Star Wars: Starfighter. Jedi Starfighter takes place just prior to the events of Attack of the Clones and during the Battle of Geonosis. On November 17, 2015 it was re-released for the PlayStation 4 in North America as part of the Star Wars Battlefront limited edition console bundle.
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | LucasArts |
Publisher(s) | LucasArts |
Director(s) | Daron Stinnett |
Designer(s) | Tim Longo |
Writer(s) | W. Haden Blackman |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox |
Release | PlayStation 2 Xbox |
Genre(s) | Action |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
In the game, the player controls different star fighters from the Star Wars Universe. Each mission revolves around protecting friendly ships and destroying enemy ships. Each mission also has one bonus and one hidden objective completing of which unlocks bonus missions, videos, and starfighters. In Cooperative mode, the second player either controls a ship or a turret, depending on the mission.[1]
Starfighters are equipped with different weaponry which can be highly effective in certain missions. The use of the force weapons in the Jedi Starfighter present a unique aspect to the genre. Force weapons are activated by holding a button which begins to turn the screen purple, and releasing it before the screen becomes white. Holding the button for just the right amount of time will cause the force weapon to last longer or destroy more targets. Holding it too long or too short will reduce its effectiveness. Although unlimited in number, force weapons take several seconds to "recharge" while Adi is regaining her mental strength.
Plot
Set before and during the Battle of Geonosis, the story features Jedi Master Adi Gallia and the hot-headed pirate from the previous game, Nym, as Gallia tests out the Republic's new weapon: the Jedi Starfighter. She meets Nym, now forcefully exiled from his base of operations on Lok by the Trade Federation in the first game. The Trade Federation is greedily seeking to create a potent weapon with which to use in the upcoming Clone Wars conflict, and expand on the growing Separatist movement that is expanding to oppose the Republic. Many old favorite characters from the original game are included in this one, including Nym's chattery Toydarian partner, Reti, and most of Nym's old crew. New characters include Jinkins, a Bith briefly mentioned in Star Wars Starfighter, Captain Orsai, a brave cruiser pilot, Kole, Nym's demolition expert, and the evil Captain Toth, the leader of the Saboath mercenary army and the mastermind who came up with the deadly Hex Missile Threat that the Trade Federation wants to use in the upcoming conflict.
Development and marketing
On PlayStation hardware, the PlayStation 2 version was made backwards compatible on the PlayStation 3 in 2015 via the PS2 Classics library. The earlier "fat" models of PlayStation 3 will play the disc version of the game on PlayStation 3 hardware. In 2016, the PlayStation 2 version was ported to the PlayStation 4 adding PlayStation trophy support with HD upgrades rather being emulated compared to the PlayStation 3. Complete backwards compatibility on the PlayStation 5 is likely to be a reality for PlayStation 4 games,[2] although this is to be confirmed, through the PlayStation 4 HD port of the game, Jedi Starfighter is likely to be compatible on the PlayStation 5.
On Xbox hardware, the Xbox version was added to the backwards compatible list for the Xbox 360, although this added minor bugs with minor slowdown during menu selections and transitions, minor performance issues during cut scenes. Items on HUD may randomly become solid instead of transparent.[3]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
GameRankings | (PS2) 81.96%[4] (Xbox) 78.35%[5] |
Metacritic | (PS2) 81/100[6] (Xbox) 78/100[7] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Electronic Gaming Monthly | (Xbox) 7.5/10[8] (PS2) 7/10[9] |
Eurogamer | 8/10[10][11] |
Famitsu | 32/40[12] |
Game Informer | 8.5/10[13][14] |
GamePro | [15] |
GameRevolution | (PS2) B+[16] (Xbox) B[17] |
GameSpot | 7/10[18][19] |
GameSpy | (Xbox) 88%[20] (PS2) 83%[21] |
GameZone | (Xbox) 8.8/10[22] (PS2) 7.8/10[23] |
IGN | (PS2) 9/10[24] (Xbox) 8/10[25] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [26] |
Official Xbox Magazine (US) | 8/10[27] |
The Cincinnati Enquirer | [28] |
PlayStation World | (PS2) 7/10[29] |
Jedi Starfighter was met with positive reception upon release. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 81.96% and 81 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version,[4][6] and 78.35% and 78 out of 100 for the Xbox version.[5][7]
Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine thought highly of the game, giving it a score of 8 out of 10 and describing it in this way: "Starfighter returns with a few welcome innovations." In Japan, Famitsu gave the PS2 version a score of 32 out of 40.[12]
References
- "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter". Co-Optimus. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- Cryer, Hirun; Loveridge, Sam (28 April 2021). "PS5 backwards compatibility is still being worked on as Sony investigate "complete compatibility"". gamesradar. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- "Xbox.com | Backward Compatibility - Technical Support and Known Issues". 2010-01-07. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- EGM staff (July 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter (Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 157. p. 126.
- EGM staff (May 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 155. p. 109.
- Bramwell, Tom (April 16, 2002). "Star Wars : Jedi Starfighter (PS2)". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Bramwell, Tom (June 20, 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- "プレイステーション2 - スター・ウォーズ ジェダイ・スターファイター". Famitsu. Vol. 915. June 30, 2006. p. 79.
- Reiner, Andrew (April 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 108. p. 71. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Reiner, Andrew (June 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 110. p. 82. Archived from the original on November 15, 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Pong Sifu (May 29, 2002). "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- G-Wok (March 2002). "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter Review (PS2)". Game Revolution. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- G-Wok (June 2002). "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter - Xbox Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on August 10, 2002. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Rivers, Trevor (March 12, 2002). "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Rivers, Trevor (May 14, 2002). "[Star Wars] Jedi Starfighter (Xbox)". GameSpot. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Goad, Libe (June 10, 2002). "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (Xbox)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 12, 2005. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- D'Aprile, Jason (April 22, 2002). "[Star Wars] Jedi Starfighter (PS2)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 15, 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Lafferty, Michael (May 16, 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter Review - Xbox". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Romano, Natalie (March 19, 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Perry, Douglass C. (March 11, 2002). "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Boulding, Aaron (June 4, 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter (Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Davison, John (May 2002). "Star Wars Jedi Starfighter". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. p. 103. Archived from the original on April 26, 2004. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter". Official Xbox Magazine. 2002.
- Saltzman, Marc (May 28, 2002). "Movies inspire more video game titles". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- Cutlack, Gary (April 2002). "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter". PlayStation World. No. 27. pp. 74–77. Retrieved July 20, 2021.