The Video Game Critic

[QUOTE=Atarifever]Return of the Jedi might not have been incredible, but I still think it's better than any of te new trilogy which I still like enough to have watched several times each; heck, I read Star Wars novels)[/QUOTE]

Well I agree with most of what you wrote.  I had much higher opinions of Eps. 1 and 2 when I first viewed them, seeing them both in theaters more than 15 times each.  But here it is two years later, and I still think Revenge of the Sith is better than all but one of the six Star Wars movies.  I much preferred it to either A New Hope or Return of the Jedi.

As for the Star Wars books.  I thought most of the novelizations were weak, except for the A New Hope.  Especially the novelization of Attack of the Clones was absurdly weak.  But the novelization of Revenge of the Sith was so good that it was almost better than the movie.  The amount of detail and literary drama the author weaved within its pages was well beyond what I expected.  The movie, as FANTASTIC as it was, was almost disappointing by comparison.

[QUOTE=m0zart]

As for the Star Wars books.  I thought most of the novelizations were weak, except for the A New Hope.  Especially the novelization of Attack of the Clones was absurdly weak.  But the novelization of Revenge of the Sith was so good that it was almost better than the movie.  The amount of detail and literary drama the author weaved within its pages was well beyond what I expected.  The movie, as FANTASTIC as it was, was almost disappointing by comparison.
[/QUOTE]
Oh, I haven't read the movie novelizations.  I read the expanded universe stuff. 

In particular the Thrawn Trilogy is easily good enough to warrant its own set of movies, and it covers a very important time in the Star Wars Universe: after RotJ.  Think about it, at the end of that movie thre are still many, many more imperial ships than Rebel ones, the Empire is still in charge of the galaxy (they lost one battle station in one small part of their enormous galaxay spanning empire), and there certainly must have ben other leaders in the Empire besides just Vadar and Palpatine (they have a massive military hierarchy), and there's only one Jedi in the entire universe.  The battle isn't remotely over at the end of that movie.  The Thrawn Trilogy ties all that up with a lot of light sabres and dog fights, and all the same characters.  Now I hear there's going to be a Star Wars TV show, and I'm hoping that's the period it covers, but figure that Lucas will probably place it during the clone wars or something..

Rouge Squadron 2 for GC! Best Star Wars game I have ever played, really liked the first person cockpit views, and looking around with the c-stick, very slick.

This was a GC launch title, and games like this make me wonder why some people fuss so much on graphics. Granted they can always get better, but 5 years ago they got good enough, clear with respectable amounts of detail, framerate and draw distance.

For movies I like the Empire Strikes Back.

My wife got Phantom Menace for Christmas a few years ago and it was the only new film I tried to watch. I thought it was horrible, the writing, acting, story, you name it. I almost felt like I was already watching the parody when a 2 headed alien did both the play by play and color commentary for the pod racing. Wow. I also groaned when the u-boat almost was eaten by a huge fish who was eaten by a bigger fish who was eaten by an even bigger fish. Didn't I see the whole creature big enough to eat a ship bit on an asteroid in an earlier film? I believe so.

You save-o Jar Jars life-sa, massa! 

Sorry, maybe I just got to old, but I believe the new films were made soley for the merchandising. I remember walking into a store after the launch of PM and wanting to puke, all the Star Wars liscense junk. It was too much for Steerforth.

Okay, the movies would go, in order best to absolute worst:

Empire Strikes Back
A New Hope
Return of the Jedi

Spaceballs

The Last Starfighter

Flash Gordon

Armageddon

Plan 9 from Outer Space

Starship Troopers 2

Terminator 3

Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
Phantom Menace

That's right, I'd sooner sit through a double-feature consisting of Starship Troopers 2 and Flash Gordon than have to see ANY of the prequels ever again.

As far as the games go, Dark Forces, Star Wars (Arcade) and then Empire Strikes Back (Arcade).  Sorry: no love for KOTOR, but I don't actively despise it like I do the prequel movies.  It's just not my bag, baby.

[QUOTE=BigOldCar]

The Last Starfighter

[/QUOTE]
I liked that almost as much as Star War when I was a kid.  The idea of someone being called into real planet saving action because they were good at a videogame could have been ripped from my daydreams.

Two questions:
1. Why phantom menace so low?
2. Is Lucas making episodes 7-9?

[QUOTE=voor]Two questions:
1. Why phantom menace so low?[/QUOTE]

It's a remarkable movie, but it's just the least interesting (to me) of all six movies.  That's not to say I enjoy it more than most other movies I've seen, because I do.

[QUOTE=voor]2. Is Lucas making episodes 7-9?[/QUOTE]

No.  Right now, he's working on Indiana Jones and The Lost False Teeth of Atlantis, and the Star Wars TV series coming out in either 2008 or 2009.  He has said that there will never be a Star Wars prequel trilogy.

[QUOTE=Atarifever]Oh, I haven't read the movie novelizations.  I read the expanded universe stuff.[/QUOTE]

I've certainly read a lot of the expanded universe.  Some of it recently which takes place in the movie general timeline, and some of the comics, especially the Tales of the Jedi series.  I recently read the Darth Bane book written by the same author who was lead writer on the KOTOR storyline.  I highly recommend it.

[QUOTE=Atarifever]In particular the Thrawn Trilogy is easily good enough to warrant its own set of movies, and it covers a very important time in the Star Wars Universe: after RotJ.[/QUOTE]

I am really not a fan of most of what has come out in the storyline to take place after ROTJ.  But I've decided to reread the Thrawn Trilogy and give it another chance.  It's been more than a decade since I read them, and so I think my expectations might have changed at this point.

[QUOTE=Atarifever]Now I hear there's going to be a Star Wars TV show, and I'm hoping that's the period it covers, but figure that Lucas will probably place it during the clone wars or something..[/QUOTE]

Nope, it will be a series of 100 episodes in 4-episode serials.  Each of them, so far, will be taking place after ROTS and before ANH.  Some of these sets will involve Boba Fett.  Another set will involve a Jedi named Quinlan Vos.  These stories are not meant to span the Galactic space, but rather to tell individual stories of characters that were only mentioned in passing before.

I'm glad your giving the Thrawn books another shot, m0zart. They were quite well done, IMO.

I've also enjoyed the X-Wing books, though they are certainly more in the light reading category.

-Rob

Nobody's mentioned Star Wars: Republic Commando (XBOX) yet? For shame.