Star Wars Obi-Wan

by LucasArts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005RCQJ
• Item Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,768 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

A long time ago, LucasArts established a sterling reputation with their classic X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and Monkey Island games. But recent efforts have varied widely in quality. Some games, like X-Wing Alliance, were outstanding. Others, such as Force Commander, were better left unreleased. Obi-Wan, LucasArts's first Star Wars: Episode I adventure game for the Xbox, falls firmly in the latter camp--the controls are poor, the graphics uninspiring, and the voice acting is embarrassing.

Obi-Wan chronicles the adventures of young Obi-Wan Kenobi across five acts as he battles the evil Trade Federation, the Black Heth crime organization, and other assorted baddies. The story is nothing new, and it's hampered a bit by the Episode I setting, which simply isn't as compelling as the setting of the classic Star Wars stories.

Since you play as Obi-Wan, the primary weapon in your arsenal is the lightsaber. Using a third-person view, you use the left thumbstick to control Obi-Wan and the right thumbstick to control the lightsaber. In principle this sounds fantastic, but in practice it's a mess--the camera constantly shifts angles, making it hard to see certain enemies, and planning a coordinated attack with the lightsaber is unnecessarily difficult, especially when multiple enemies are swarming in from all sides.

Graphically, Obi-Wan is lifeless. It fails to take advantage of the Xbox's fancy graphics hardware, and the environments are empty and plain. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a game released for the obsolete Nintendo 64 system, features much more beautiful graphics. And playing Obi-Wan after playing Halo or Munch's Oddysee will make a Star Wars fan weep at the thought of how good Obi-Wan should have looked. Compounding the ugly graphics problem is the fact that the game will slow to a crawl at certain points, making jumping or fighting practically impossible. Almost as bad as the poor graphics is the horrid voice acting (Obi-Wan sounds like Mike Myers doing a bad Scottish accent), and the all-too-frequent cinematic cutscenes look like they were slapped together in five minutes.

There are some tiny diamonds in the vast rough, such as the ability to use Force powers to throw objects at enemies or pull weapons out of their hands. A feature sure to please fans of the dramatic saber fights in Episode I is the multiplayer Jedi Battles mode. This mode lets you and a buddy engage in fierce Jedi duels, using characters from the movie and game. Unfortunately, these few nice touches aren't enough to overcome Obi-Wan's bland setting and lame execution. --William Harms

Pros:

• Force powers
• You get to use a lightsaber
• Multiplayer Jedi Battles can be fun
• Great music and sound effects

Cons:

• Foes parry Obi-Wan's lightsaber with clubs
• Horrible graphics
• Atrocious voice acting
• Clumsy controls
• Empty levels

Product Description

Star Wars-themed foray into the action gaming arena. The game puts players in control of one of the most powerful and famous Jedi from the Star Wars universe: Obi-Wan. The story takes its cues from The Phantom Menace and will have players battling across worlds as Obi-Wan learns new Jedi powers and becomes masterful with the almighty lightsaber. Using different combinations on the right thumbstick, players can swing the weapon from side to side and use overhead chops and uppercuts to slice enemies. Holding the left trigger activates Obi-Wan's force powers to slow things down in the Star Wars version of Bullet Time, yank long range weapons from enemies, jump higher force push enemies and hurl inanimate objects at enemies.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 10+ hours & I can't stop, December 22, 2001

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars Obi-Wan (Video Game)

I highly recommend this title, 4 stars cause well, there aren't many games that deserve 5 yet.. HALO maybe.

Hearing some of the other reviews on this site, I hesitated to purchase Obi-Wan, as I bought some other underwhelming Xbox games (Air Force Delta Storm, Fusion Friendly), and I didn't want to waste another $50 just cause I'm curious. Obi-Wan is FUN - I played it for 10 hours straight when I brought it home, which was tonight.

Graphics: really good, not amazing, but very tight.

Gameplay: Awesome. Swinging the lightsaber, force pulls (weapons), spins and flips - jeeze, it just feels cool to be obi-wan. The moves are somewhat simple, but perfecting the use of them takes hours of work, and I still feel as if I'm young Obi-Wan, in training.

Sound: Music is great, sound makes you think you're a jedi.

Cons: They didn't use the controller vibration all that much, and the levels take a while to load. The game hangs here and there, for no apparent reason, like when you turn off your lightsaber.

Should you buy it? If you liked Halo, or Star Wars, or adventure/action games you'll probably like this game. Buy Halo first though :)

More when I finish the game - happy holidays!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Star Wars:Obi-Wan-A Reveiw by NewAtomMan, March 2, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Star Wars Obi-Wan (Video Game)

Now,I've seen loads of bad reveiws for this game.Star Wars:Obi-Wan is a great game that needs to be given a chance.

The earlyer levels in the game takes place a few weeks before the events of Star Wars:Episode 1.Those missions take place on the cloudy planet of Bespin,to the seedy underworld of Corusaunt.

I think this is an absolutely great game,except for the graphics and voice acting.
True,the graphics are TRUELY horrible.If you stand close to a wall,you can see all of the pixels...As this is an Xbox game,the graphics could have been a million times better.

Also,the voice acting is cheesy.Obi-Wan sounds nothing like Ewan McGregor...

PROS:
1.Non-stop action.Every single second is full of chopping droids in half,ect.
2.Lots of mission,ranging from a fight to the death Jedi arena,to rescuing Queen Amidala from the Tusken raiders.
3.You use a lightsaber,so you can chop up stuff and deflect laser shots.
4.Lots of combos.You can throw your lightsaber like a boomerang,or you can do backflips,ect.

CONS:
1.HIDEOUS GRAPHICS!
2.Cheesy voice acting
3.Enemie AI is stupid

As you progress through the game,the levels get tougher and tougher,ending with the battle with Darth Maul.

Also,a note to parents:Since this game involves lightsabers,you must think it involves chopping peoples heads,arms,and legs off.Well,you can't do that!Whenever you defeat an alien,they just go,"Ahh!" and fall backwards,and dissapear.

Since this game is now a Xbox Platinum Hit,it costs less than twenty dollars!

Overall,Star Wars:Obi-Wan is an awesome game that every Xbox owner should have.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are getting a Xbox, GET THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!, October 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Wars Obi-Wan (Video Game)

This game is not just another Episode One rip off!!! The story starts before the events of Ep 1, with the first mission taking place on coruscant. Obi-wan is first sent on a quest to stop a band of ruffians called the Black Heth. Heth is composed of every rowdy you've ever run into in the Star Wars universe. To be more specific, Grans, rodians, Transdoshans, and other aliens. Black Heth members will be armed with a wide array of weapons, including knives, pipes, vibroblades, and blasters. The Black Heth doesn't remain the central threat for long. Soon, Obi-Wan learns that the gang is linked to the Jin'ha, a group of nefarious weapons dealers inhabiting a mysterious swamp planet. The Jin'ha which can be discribed as "Star Wars ninjas", are formidable hand-to-hand combatants. Thay are also armed with weapons made of cortosis, a rare ore introduced in Expanded Universe sourses. Cortosis is able to resist lightsabers, allowing the Jin'ha to engage Obi-Wan in melee combat. After Obi-Wan deals with the Jin'ha, the game segues into the Episode 1-related portion of the story, including trips to Tatooine and Naboo. The Tatooine segment reveals what Obi-Wan was REALLY doing while Qui-Gon searched Mos Espa for a replacement hyperdrive. The game culminaters in missions in Theed, where Obi-Wan faces a horde of battle droids armed with blasters and other weapons. And, of course, the game concludes with the showdown between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, as seen in 'The Phantom Menace'. Aside from the standard slashing and sweeping, Obi-Wan can use the Force to enhance his attacks. These "Force swings" can disarm opponents, cut through blocks, or cause extra damage. As in the film, the lightsaber can also deflect imcoming blaster fire. While the lightsaber is Obi-Wan's primary weapon, he also has a small array of other weapons. A sniper rifle might be necessary to complete specific mission goals, and Obi-Wan also carries a sampling of powerful grenades. And, of course, the hero Padawan must sometimes use the Force.

If you liked Dark Forces you will LOVE this game! This game is one of the main reasons I am getting a Xbox.

I hope this reveiw helps you to decide to buy this game, or just a star wars game in general. Oh, and the grafics are AMASING!