19. Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Switch eShop)

Jedi Academy is a lengthy trek across the (Expanded and non-canon) Star Wars universe that acts as a nice little time capsule back to when Star Wars games were a bit blockier and a bit sillier (perhaps for the better). The multiplayer might not stand up like it used to and the game is certainly showing its age, but it's still got plenty of lightsaber-swinging and all-in-all is a decent chunk of nostalgic Star Wars gaming, even if you can't play as Kyle Katarn.

18. Star Wars: Republic Commando (Switch eShop)

Star Wars: Republic Commando has aged surprisingly well and proves to be a ton of fun to revisit in this admittedly rather basic Switch port. The squad system here is still supremely satisfying to get to grips with, the HUD elements are slick, and there's plenty of atmospheric fun to be had as you blast your way through the three campaign stories on offer. Yes, there's no doubt the level design is archaic, there's no great variety in enemies, the visuals have had only the most basic of touch-ups, and it's a real shame the multiplayer was been completely excised. Overall, though, this was still a welcome return for one of the very best Star Wars video game offerings.

17. Super Empire Strikes Back (SNES)

Extending the on-foot action sequences of the source material into a colourful 16-bit side-on adventure, Super Empire Strikes Back peppers the platforming with some vehicular sections, too. You get the opportunity to play as Luke, Han, and Chewie, plus ride a tauntaun, pilot a snow speeder and an X-Wing (with some classic Mode 7 gameplay), fly into an asteroid field with the Millennium Falcon, and duel Darth Vader. A tad unforgiving, but arguably the best of the 16-bit 'Super' series.

16. Star Wars Pinball (Switch)

Zen Studios has been plugging away at digital Star Wars pinball tables for several years. The Wii U version was excellent, although we described the 3DS iteration as "a downgrade in almost every way". On Switch, Star Wars Pinball features 19 tables spanning the entire series, plus support for vertical play and some Switch-exclusive features. If you're a pinball wizard, this is a fine way to soak up all the iconography of the saga without indulging in lacklustre lightsaber combat or other mechanical disappointments.

15. Super Return of the Jedi (SNES)

Wrapping up the Super Star Wars trilogy on Super NES, you get to finish the battle against the Dark Side (well, until Palpatine somehow congeals back into existence and the New Order arrives on the scene to take everything backwards again). The difficulty of this entry is a little easier than the others, and with five playable characters (including Leia and Wicket), and the opportunity to give Jabba, Vader, and Palpatine a sound thrashing, it'd be rude not to finish the fight.

14. Super Star Wars (SNES)

The 16-bit 'Super' series might not have been the most faithful or most exciting Star Wars games ever made, but they were solid platformers that gave us and many others the perfect dose of Star Wars action on our Super Nintendos back in the day. They're great-looking, let you take control of different characters, and even take a stab at introducing some gameplay variety with vehicular sections. With the Game Boy versions scaling everything down to work on the monochrome handheld, world-changing video games or high points of the medium they are not — and perhaps nostalgia is getting the better of us — but as old-fashioned movie-licensed platformers go, we can't help but like 'em.

13. LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Wii U)

Also on 3DS, this brought the third trilogy into the Lego world on a generation of consoles which enabled a graphical fidelity that hadn't been seen before. For the first time, you'd see scuffs and light bouncing off the plastic bricks — quite the upgrade if you'd previously only experienced the charming Lego Star Wars games on DS or Wii. It's a solid, slapstick romp through the beats of the movie and captures the spirit of adventure well.

12. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64)

Ah, yes, Shadows of the Empire. There's huge nostalgia for this one, and it has its moments — specifically the opening Hoth battle which stands head-and-shoulders above anything else the game has to offer — but it undeniably benefited from the fact that there were so few games available for the N64 for several months following launch. Players who did pick it up paid an arm and a leg and were possibly inclined to give it more chances than it deserved. It's not the worst Star Wars game by quite some margin, but it's probably best left in the memory banks. Time hasn't been kind to ol' Dash Rendar.

Still, cracking box art, no?

11. Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo (N64)

Battle For Naboo was essentially Rogue Squadron 1.5 with prequel trilogy ships. With a base that solid from developer Factor 5, it was hard to go wrong, and along with Episode I: Racer, this gave The Phantom Menace two great tie-in games on Nintendo platforms, while other consoles had to endure some unspeakable droideka dross.

10. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster (Switch eShop)

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster brings back this 1995 'Doom clone' in style — another resounding success for Nightdive Studios (who also handled the excellent Quake and Quake II remasters, among others). It returns LucasArts' curious, nostalgia-laced FPS with loads of new bells and whistles, including enhanced gameplay, revamped visuals, and a wealth of accessibility options. This is easily the best way to experience Dark Forces and revisit an oft-forgotten era of Star Wars before the prequel trilogy and before the sequel trilogy booted the Expanded Universe out the 'Legends' airlock.

9. Star Wars Episode I: Racer (N64)

Based on the best bit of The Phantom Menace (apart from the Darth Maul bits and all the soundtrack), Star Wars Episode 1: Racer tapped into the same vein of high-octane antigrav racing as WipeOut and F-Zero X. While not quite as smooth or accomplished, it utterly captured the energy of sequence in the movie, throwing in a deep upgrade and trading system and a dual-handed two-pad control scheme that more closely mirrored the controls of the onscreen pods, which really let you relive the thrill of boosting past Sebulba, Ben Quadinaros, and... erm, the rest. The Game Boy Color got a limited top-down version, but the N64 iteration is one of the best games ever to bear the Star Wars brand. Watto’s banter and post-race rendition of the Cantina theme is also excellent.

Happily, a Switch port of the game is now available with some HD spit polish and a lovely smooth frame. Utinni!