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	The Total Recall DUD OF THE MONTH COLLECTION STAR WARS Episode III: REVENGE OF THE SITH
Artist touch: Great Star Wars artwork as always. This is very dramatic and the only problem I see is that it is a little too dark. Cover Art rating: 8/10	Month it won: November 2005 (Lucas Arts, May 5, 2005)	Special note: This game includes a special alterate ending where Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader wins.

Introduction and Story:

This Star Wars game created a lot of controversy when it first came out May 5, 2005. Just weeks before the actually movie was released (May 19, 2005), Lucas Arts released the official Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith video game. Now with all the hype and talk about the Star Wars Episode III DVD and the new game Star Wars Battlefront II here is a look back at the Episode III game. Was the game released too early or is it the best Star Wars game ever made? Looking back it was definitely too early because the adventure is way too short for it's own good.

If you are one of these morons that hasn't seen the movie yet (I still think it is the best movie of 2005 by the way) and you're just not very Star Wars suave here is what's going on: A fictional galaxy far far away is at war. The Trade Federation's robot army is on a rampage and they are still trying to conquer peaceful planets they can. The Republics Alliance clone army was created to stop the threat plus the highly skilled warriors of the Jedi order are fighting along with them. The game begins when Jedi's Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi set out to find the captured Chancellor Palpatine aboard a giant Trade Federation star cruiser. Unfortunately for the Jedi order itself there is much more sinister plot to worry about then the actual war.

Controls and Game Play:

If you haven't seen the movie yet the game is filled with actually clips from the film and the game even has bonus scenes (like when Count Dooku says; 'Just because there are two of you don't assume you have the advantage.'). Lucas Arts has a lot of guts to release a video game that is filled with tons of spoilers and movie clips of one of the most highly anticipated films of all time. I guess the logic behind that is most Star Wars already know the story so why not show it in a game? Spoilers or not the game is straight up a amazing story of conflict and betrayal.

Anyway, enough screwing around with the story, lets talk about the most important thing: the game play! If you are familiar with the EA editions of the Lords of the Rings (The Two Towers and Return of the King) games you will feel right at home with this 3D action title. You have the option of using light, medium, and heavy strikes plus your character can use special psychic shots and healing techniques as well but these powers drain your force meter. All these moves and powers are great but can become cumbersome and I wish the controls were a bit more responsive at times because it feels like there is a delay but they still work well for the most part.

Taking another page from the Lords of the Ring games you can gain experience at the end of each stage and you have the decision to increase your physical strengths or focus on the force powers instead. It may be unoriginal but I liked the option of building your characters the way you want. It's just too bad the game only comes with 17 very short stages (some stages are only boss fights as well) so as soon as you are getting in to the game play, the whole experience is over. The game has a impressive list of two player battle or co-op scenes, exclusive videos, and two different endings were cool but once you seen and played them all there is little reason to play them again.

Graphics and Sounds:

Although the game is super short, Episode III's graphics are very true to the movie. It's like a ride at Univerisal Studios or something, short but sweet. You'll see such cool locations from the cold steel rooms of a star ship to the hot lava and ash of the Trade Federation's home planet. The game looks good but the price we pay for some stunning visuals is the game is filled a lot of invisible walls and non-interactive backgrounds plus some of the animations feel a little too unrealistic as well. Like any Star Wars game the experience is filled with the same amazing music and sound effects that made the movies so special. Some of the exclusive voice acting was a nice touch but the many cheesy one liners were too relaxed and it certainly takes away from the seriousness of some of the war-like subject matter. Despite a few issues with the sound I was still impressed by it.

The Bottomline:

Overall Revenge of the Sith is still a action packed title with lots of bonus extras for Star Wars fans (including a extra scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and other added content that wasn't in the movie) and having all the force powers at your disposal is cool too. Unfortunately the game is just similar to many other action games we all played before and what really kills Revenge of the Sith is the replay value because most players should be able to finish the game in just a day or two. The bottomline is you are better off renting this one.