Games You May Have Missed: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Before the Clone Wars television series we had Star Wars: The Clone Wars - the console game that focused heavily on vehicle combat.
Welcome to Games You Might Have Missed. A look at games that didn’t necessarily sell a lot of copies but may be worth a few bucks and a few hours. In this edition, we look at the vehicle-based combat Star Wars tie-in, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Did You Miss Out on Star Wars: The Clone Wars?
In this edition of Games You May Have Missed, we step into the many different vehicles from the Clone Wars era of Star Wars. Gamers are put into the boots and the pilot seats of Jedi Council members Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Mace Windu as they fight alongside the army of clones that make up the military for the Galactic Republic.
Gameplay
Although there are a few moments in missions (usually at the very beginning or very end) where gamers take control of the characters on foot, the bulk of the game is played in the pilots seat of vehicles such as STAPs, TX-130s, AATs, AT-XTs, and Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry (LAAT/i) (Republic Gunships).
Each is equipped with a basic blaster that has unlimited ammo and a limited secondary weapon, such as a missile or laser, as well as a turbo or other feature that recharges when not used.
When on foot, the main weapons are the lightsaber and the Force. The lightsaber can be thrown at enemies and can also block incoming blaster fire.
The campaign is 16 missions of action-centered combat. Each mission has a set of objectives and 3 optional objectives that can be completed. The optional objectives entail completing the mission in a certain time frame, ensuring a certain number of allied transport ships survive as gamers escort and protect them, taking down a certain number of enemies, etc. The optional objectives can be completed in additional attempts at the level and help add to the replayability of the game.
Local multiplayer modes were included in all three console versions (GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2) of the game. The Xbox version included support for Xbox Live online multiplayer. The “Conquest” multiplayer mode splits gamers into teams with the objective being to take control of as many designated zones as possible. The mode was used in the hit multiplayer Star Wars Battlefront game.
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Plot
The game starts with Mace Windu and Luminara Unduli making their way to the arena on Geonosis to rescue Anakin and Obi-Wan, which leads into the Battle of Geonosis. This is the first and only time the game crosses over with Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
A month after the Battle of Geonosis, Anakin and Obi-Wan are sent to Raxus Prime to investigate unusual activity. When they arrive, they find the Separatists at an excavation site and call for backup. Although the Republic is successful at taking the planet from the Separatists, Anakin is captured by Count Dooku during the battle.
Anakin is taken to a moon in the Kashyyyk system, called Alaris Prime. While imprisoned there, he learns that Dooku is using an ancient Sith weapon, the Force Harvester. Dooku plans to use it to execute Anakin as well as smuggler Bera Kazan. They escape on speeders to a separatist communication post to call in reinforcements. The Republic arrives and assists Anakain, Kazan, and some local Wookies in defeating the Separatists and taking Alaris Prime.
Back on Coruscant, Anakin informs Yoda and Windu of the Harvester that Dooku has control of. Windu tells of an ancient Sith weapon called the Dark Reaper that required a large amount of energy to run. Windu believes that Dooku wants to use the Harvester to power the Reaper. The Reaper was destroyed and scattered across the galaxy by the Jedi under the command of Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma. Anakin and Obi-Wan lead a group of Republic troops to the planet Rhen Var, which is where the tomb of Qel-Droma lies. They retake the planet from the Sepertaists and speak with the force ghost of Qel-Droma. He agrees to teach Anakin how to destroy the Reaper and informs him of where the weapon lies, but does issue a warning that the power of the weapon can lead him to the Dark Side of the Force (that will never happen, right?!)
Destroying the Reaper takes a coordinated approach by the Republic. Anakin starts the mission by taking a group of troopers to the Sith planet Thule’s moon to take out a shield generator that is stopping the rest of the fleet from invading. The team then heads to Thule to take out the Separtist forces occupying the planet. The next part of the mission sees Windu and Obi-Wan going to the planet Kessiak, where the Sith Temple that holds the Reaper is located. Once the Separatists are eliminated, Anakin enters the Sith Temple to take down the Reaper, and with the help of Qel-Droma’s ghost, Anakin is able to destroy the Reaper, concluding the campaign for the game.
How it Fits in the Star Wars Canon
The game was released in late 2002/early 2003, depending on the console and region. With Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones releasing in May of 2022, this was one of the first pieces of media to release around the Clone Wars themselves.
The original 2D animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars Cartoon Network show did not release until November of 2003, and the Dark Horse comic books around the Clone Wars were released in 2008, around the time that the 3D animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars Show first aired on Cartoon Network.
All of this to say, the video games surrounding The Clone Wars were the only bit of content released outside of the main theatrical movies. The game does crossover with The Battle of Geonosis, which takes place at the end of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. However, outside of that crossover, the game does not contain any events currently in the canon of Star Wars. It also hints at Anakin being lured to the Dark Side and a long Clone War only just beginning, which does tie into the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Critical Response
The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Most of the criticism was aimed at the framerate issues with the graphics, the voice acting for Anakin and Obi-Wan, and some of the missions being perceived as filler.
The positives were aimed at the combat system, the John Williams soundtrack, and the overall action-oriented approach to the Star Wars games.
Should You Play It?
If you are looking for a different approach to a Star Wars game and want to climb into the many different vehicles in the Star Wars universe, it is worth a playthrough. It is also fun to see an early version of the Clone Wars universe before the expanded universe started to unfold.
Further Reading
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Plan on giving Star Wars: The Clone Wars a try? Have a hidden gem of a game you love? Leave a comment below!
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